Only Human
Meet Simon Crisp
Could paying more attention to your health and wellness pay dividends for your business as well as your mind and body? Simon Crisp tells us how lifestyle changes have led him to a healthier business and a happier life.
What I know about business: I started our business, Edward Roberston, with a school friend in 1996 – right at the very beginning of the commercial internet. We knew very little about websites and even less about how to build a business when we started at the age of 24. Fast forward 28 years and we have two offices, 20 staff and work in the UK, Europe, USA, Middle East and Africa. We’re a tech forward, integration specialist digital agency. Our expertise is in delivering complicated websites simply.
The reason I decided to overhaul my lifestyle: Very high blood pressure landed me in A&E three years ago and I decided there and then that I needed to change my lifestyle. I’ve always had a love of fitness, big adventures and goals but realised I needed to make daily adjustments. I now run a mile every single day – no matter what the weather. I gave up alcohol and coffee and totally changed my diet. I journal daily and I do yoga every other day. The results have been significant weight loss, clarity of thought and the ability to consistently build good habits. I’ve realised that if you put the work in then over time the results do come and this becomes like a flywheel for success.
How the approach has made for a healthier business too: I don’t feel like anything I’ve done with my lifestyle is particularly revolutionary and, in many ways, I feel late to the party. But the impact has been dramatic. In the same way that I’ve strung together good habits to optimise my wellbeing, I have daisy chained those habits in my business life. I don’t procrastinate as much as I used to. I was able to clearly put together a strategic plan for the business and execute the tactics. It has allowed me to understand that this is a journey and that showing up, getting stuff done consistently has a remarkable compounding effect. It has fostered in me a desire to learn because I have more time and energy, and I listen to podcasts and read. Pulling in as much information as I can to help grow the business.
The secret I’ve learned about business growth: We are currently consistently growing at 20% year on year. We will double in size in next three years. It is a really exciting time for us working on five and six figure projects. This has helped me understand that people and not numbers are the most important thing. If we nurture our top-line – our team – then they will look after our customers and that will look after our bottom line.
The importance of personal resilience to my business: In 28 years, we have had some massive downs as well as ups. I make mistakes most days. Sometimes I handle those well – sometimes badly. I am trying to always end the quarter or year better than I entered that time frame. I think your ability to keep getting up and then again and again and again and do that more than your nearest competitor is an underrated skill. Just keep getting back up. Have hope. We work on some very complex projects for our customers and to create the kind of solutions we do you have to be an optimist with a plan. Mental wellbeing – sleep, diet, exercise and fitness has made my ability to see things much clearer. It’s important to understand I don’t obsess – it’s built into my routines. I am not extraordinary but I am consistent!
My next personal and business goals: This year I am running the Edinburgh Marathon and the Lyke Wake Walk Ultra (40 miles in under 10 hours). I want to keep working on my ability to regulate my emotions and take the ups and downs of life with the same reaction. Business continues to expand, we’re taking on more programmers and designers and investing in our team and their personal success. The most important thing to us is our team and our culture.
Find out more about my business: Check us out at edwardrobertson.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn