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This week’s Alder Man is Chris Gregory, a beach volleyball player who competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games for England. We discuss his athletic career, his thoughts on sustainability, tumultuous relationship to fashion and recent pivot into entrepeneurship.
Hi Chris, lovely to speak with you. Could you give us an intro on who you are and your background?
I’m Chris, a former athlete who played beach volleyball for England for the best part of ten years. I went to the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and also studied nutrition science, so I'm a big advocate for health and wellbeing. Since I have retired from beach volleyball, I’ve always wanted to get into business. So I went to the University of Essex and studied their MBA which was the start of it. It was a brilliant programme, very entrepreneurial, which was a real springboard for me to start my own business, which is what I'm doing now. I had no previous experience, but I'm learning a lot as I go, which is a huge part of the enjoyment!
How does sustainability play a role in your life?
Sustainability is now such a widely discussed and crucially important topic. Thankfully, we're all aware of it now more than ever. I really started to understand it’s importance when I was at Essex studying the MBA. It was a real focus, especially from a business perspective with business practices and supply chain. Obviously with what we do now, it’s going to have a huge impact on our kids and the next generation. It’s already having a major impact on climate with extreme weather. I do feel strongly about it and it’s a huge and original founding value of my own brand and business as I love nature and we have the responsibility to contribute
positively to the planet however we can.
Could you talk through that and what you're doing?
I’ve started a skincare band for men, called ENDURE. It was originally founded on three core values. Firstly, health. With my background in sport, health and nutrition, I wanted to
create a holistic approach towards personal care for men and raise awareness about the wider value personal care can have for men beyond just achieving great and confident skin health.
Second, reliable, high performance, high efficacy products and formulas which are natural and vegan. These types of high quality formulas are limited for men. Thirdly, sustainability. The formulas are ‘nature born’ so to speak and creating a cycle of contribution to nature through our practices was one incentive, as well as the important wider impact the business and our consumers can make to the planet through engaging with us.
So, I wanted to contribute and add value in all of these areas. In doing so that means we’d be successful and ultimately add value and contribute to society, which is ultimately what business is about for me.
We haven’t launched yet; we are about a month away but I've been developing it for the past year and a half. You can pre-order on the website and there is also downloadable material about skin health and nutrition. Nutritionally we’re able to highlight what’s essential to include and also avoid when it comes to ‘triggers’ and poor skin health. We believe in a holistic approach and support in tackling issues from the inside as well as out, and providing a lasting cycle of effective, results
driven and satisfying care.
What role does clothes and style play in your life, from sport to business?
Being 6’10, I’ve always been very tall and thin for my age so finding the right fit is tricky. I look back to when I was young and the clothes I used to wear were terrible! I guess till recently, I was never truly comfortable in a lot of the clothes I used to wear because they just didn’t fit well enough. But now it’s a lot easier to find things thatare fitted, more tailored for you. So, the extra sleeve-length and body length makes a huge difference. I get absolutely all my clothes from 2Tall.com, which has made the biggest difference.
I guess because I struggled to find clothes that fit, I went with what's more comfortable. But now when I go for a meeting or to present, talk to a board, it's easier to find shirts and blazers that look good and are comfortable and more appropriate. Day to day I'm more smart-casual, so basic jeans and a T!
'For me it's all about your attitude towards risk and I've developed this attitude of take the risk. Don’t sit back and be too reserved or play it safe, because at the end of the day if you don’t do it, you’ll never know.'
What’s the best piece of advice you have been given, whether it is in sport or business?
That's a tough one! I’ve definitely had plenty of great advice and been fortunate to have some great mentors around me during my time in sport and business. In Essex, I found the whole year quite inspirational. I think being in performance sport also changes you. I was fortunate to be mentored by great coaches and people who brought me up through the ranks that left a lasting impression. I think for me it's all about your attitude towards risk and I've developed this attitude of take the risk. Don’t sit back and be too reserved or play it safe, because at the end of the day if you don’t do it, you’ll never know.
What would you say to your younger self with the knowledge you have now?
I would say that I wish I started sooner in what I'm doing now, but at the same time I was fully committed to sport, so maybe it would have taken away from that. I feel like perhaps this came along and everything fell into place at the right time, so in a sense perhaps it wasn’t meant to happen sooner. I’ve acquired knowledge and experience from sport that has helped me in business so if I hadn't had that experience, I would have naively made more mistakes, or not been as well rounded to have the right conversations and relationships around me now. Ultimately, I’ve definitely made some mistakes, but I haven’t really got any regrets.
One message I would perhaps hammer home is, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’! For me it’s always important to try and work with people who are smarter and better than you so you can learn and evolve. It’s a pleasure to be around people who are passionate about their respective fields and excel in them.
