James Haskell: England Rugby Player & Entrepreneur

"I never wanted to be a rugby player and 18 years later we are where we are. Everything I do is based on my passions and it's trying to navigate those waters of only doing things that you're interested in. The people who are super-successful in life are people who started a business because they actually loved doing it and as a by-product they made a load of cash. A lot of people who are desperate to make money quite often fail. I'm entrepreneurial in the areas I want to do.

I don't have an identity at the moment. I'm pretty happy with life but I find anytime I talk about rugby I get pangs of melancholy. So it is odd..to be 34 and retired and be known as former anything is a very weird situation to be in in. So I'm desperate to be something else..."

Welcome to Episode #147 and on today's show my guest is former England rugby player and British Lion turned entrepreneur, James Haskell.

As someone who played rugby up to the age of 30 in the same position as James - though never remotely to the same standard (the 3rd team at Bath RFC was as far as I got) - James has always been someone I've admired on the pitch for his uncompromising style of play, and off the pitch for his entrepreneurial ventures. 

His plans to go out in a blaze of glory in this autumn's World Cup in Japan were extinguished when he succumbed to injury. James is surprisingly feeling daunted by the prospect of having retired and deciding what to do next.

I say surprising because having followed his career I know he's already tried a number of different entrepreneurial ventures. James Haskell fitness, opening his own gym in Bath as the ambassador for F45 alongside his own gym franchise. He's also recently become an ambassador for Grenade where Alan Barratt has already managed to wedge him into a newly painted orange tank. Plus he's done public speaking, media work, has a rugby podcast, a music podcast and recently DJ'd at the Bournemouth 7's festival in front of over 4,000 people. Plus he's had no shortage of offers since retiring.

But, as his fitness model and personal trainer wife Chloe Madeley says to him - focus on doing one or two things really well, rather than spreading yourself too thin.

So what's he going to do?

Let's StartUp!