The strategy conversation you can only have here
So I think I am really privileged. I get to do some really interesting things in my life. I do love diversity and the contrasts that a day brings. I started my day at 5.30ish this morning in the pool at the local Virgin Active where I swam 140 lengths as part of my training for Ironman. I had a fresh carrot juice and cookie while I checked my mail and then headed across the floor to do some gym for about an hour with my iPod blaring The Script. Can’t be much better ways to start the day.
I was running a little late by the time I got to my local coffee shop / restaurant Nino's in Dean Street Arcade to meet with my colleague Ryan and our guest Simon Jackson, a director of Sportstec who is in Cape Town for the week.
Ryan is doing a great job finding new customers and fans for the Sportscode video analysis software which we are the distributors of Africa (except Egypt). Simon is here to help us learn more about the software. They have a fantastic business with more than 4,000 clients around the world and more than 60 medals associated with teams and individuals using the software the Beijing Olympics.
Gary Gold discovered the software while he was coaching at London Irish some years back and became a real expert on how to use it to improve rugby performance, in the process becoming a very accomplished coach. When he returned to South Africa he involved Alan Goldberg who runs the Apple Store in Claremont Project 3 and then later myself in what would become the African distributorship. We're starting to get some real momentum with the business and it's an exciting time.
I dropped out to pick up my two darling daughters Amy and Nina from Springfield at lunchtime. They were heading to their cousin (well kind of) Jamie's birthday party in Greenpoint with Dee, so I dropped them at Dee's office. We marveled at the progress of the new Hospital Bend interchange as we drove into town - every day there is something added. Always great to see the world through young eyes.
I've been exchanging calls with a lovely lady since December who has been wanting to chat to me about executive coaching. It has reached such an extreme stage I left her a message saying that I felt like we had a long distance voice mail relationship as a result of the number of messages we have left for each other. We finally spoke to each other today, first with me catching her in a meeting on my way to pick up the girls and then her phoning me back as I was dropping them with Dee. We finally had a chat with me pulled over on the freeway and will meet up next week.
I spent more time with Simon and Ryan this afternoon and then met up with my brother in law Marc and school friends Craig and Rob to chat about a young man who we support at Wynberg Boys High. He is in grade 11 and we're keen that he gets the best education and opportunities as possible.
Our plane (ZU-EPL) which is hangared out at Stellenbosch Airfield is going through the process of an annual renewal of it's 'Authority to Fly'. This is a piece of paper issued by the Civil Aviation Authority stating that the plane is airworthy. It’s been a bit of a process and I spent some time on the phone with my partners sorting through how we move it forward. Will hopefully get it resolved in the next few days. Which reminds me that I need to do my annual pilot medical before the end of the month.
Back home Dee and I caught up about our trip to Australia later in the year. It feels like we have been passing in the night the last few days as things have been really busy. We have a friend Thomas (met Thomas in 1988 when he presented AIESEC at Cape Tech where I was studying) staying with us from Ghana. I’m now relaxing at the end of the day chatting to Thomas and writing this blog.
I’m tired and need to get a ride and run in tomorrow for my training. So time to sleep and let my body integrate my training from today. Good night.