Entrepreneurship

Venture Capital

Product Management

Marketing

Angel Investing

How have your experiences as an athlete shaped the way you approach business and investing?

How Athletes' Mindsets Translate to Success in Business

So the question is, how have my experiences as an athlete shaped the way I approach business and investing? There are three things that come to mind here. The first thing I remind myself is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's important to have consistency, whether it's in training, where every week I just put in the work and do a little bit more each week. Or in business, it's all about just showing up and executing every day and every week. Also, related to that, sleep and recovery is super important. If you don't give yourself the time to sleep and to recover, you're not going to perform at your best each day, whether it's in business or in sport. The second thing is champion's mindset. When you get knocked down, you've got to get back up again, whether it's getting injured in sport and having to take some time off, but then getting back into shape and competing again, or if you get knocked down in the business world and something doesn't go well, you've got to get back up and go at it again. Finally, whether in business or sport, it's good to have competition. I think competition is what makes you be your best. So I always raced better when I had strong competitors I was racing against. And in the business world, whether at Facebook or Uber, we did better when we had competitors we were competing against.

My experiences as an athlete have shaped the way I approach business and investing by reminding myself that it's a marathon not a sprint, having a champion's mindset, and recognizing that competition is necessary to be successful.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/yblag7op9hkousljowcy.vtt

My experiences as an athlete have shaped the way I approach business and investing in three key ways. Firstly, I understand that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency is crucial, whether it's putting in the work and gradually improving in training or showing up and executing daily in business. Additionally, prioritizing sleep and recovery is vital for peak performance, both in sports and in the business world. Secondly, I embrace a champion's mindset. When faced with setbacks, whether it's getting injured in sports or encountering failures in business, I know the importance of getting back up and persevering. Lastly, competition plays a significant role. Just as having strong competitors pushed me to perform better as an athlete, having competitors in the business world drives me to strive for excellence.

Do you prefer running in hot weather or cold weather?

Running in Cold Weather: My Secret to Success!

Do I prefer running in hot weather or cold weather definitely cold weather. I think my best races have always been races and cold climates and the last hot race I did was in Kona and it was just unbearably hot. I think because I'm a bit on the bigger side of four runners. At least, I think my body's core temperature just gets a lot hotter more. Or easily. So I do better in cold weather.

I prefer running in cold weather, as my body tends to overheat in hot weather.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/pc4psfeertyutlcl3l1v.vtt

I prefer running in cold weather. My best races have always been in colder climates. The last hot race I did in Kona was unbearably hot, and I found that my body's core temperature rises more easily due to my size. Therefore, I perform better in colder weather.

What is it that makes you so successful in business?

The key to business success: right place, right time, hard work.

Hi Dan. Thanks for your question. Well, I have had some success there. Definitely. A lot of people that have had more success than I have. That said, a lot of it has to do with being at the right place at the right time. And when you are at the right place at the right time, working as hard as possible. I think that's pretty much what it comes down to.

Success in the music industry requires being at the right place at the right time and working hard.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/u1648tmqczffn9am5ocu.vtt

Hi Dan, thanks for your question. While I appreciate your kind words, I wouldn't necessarily consider myself incredibly successful in business. There are many individuals who have achieved far greater success than I have. However, I believe that being in the right place at the right time and putting in maximum effort are key factors that have contributed to any success I have had.

How did you improve so fast on the bike in just 3 years? What was your starting point? 

From 250 to 400 Watts: The Journey to Cycling Excellence!

So my starting point, I think the first time I ever took an FTP test on Swift was about five years ago, and I think I was about 250 Watts at that time and this year. I broke 400 watts. So felt pretty good about that in terms of what I did to improve. Well, first of all, having a background in endurance, running my whole life. I think helped me accelerate pretty quickly on. Bike and then just a lot of a lot of hard work and some time on the rowing machine as well. I think that definitely helped it's kind of like strength endurance even more so than what I can do when I'm low RPM on the bike.

I improved my FTP from 250W to 400W over the past five years by having an endurance background, running, and spending time on the rowing machine.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/fbp7rbsa0owkey1y2dpc.vtt

My starting point on the bike was about 250 Watts when I first took an FTP test on Swift five years ago. This year, I was able to break 400 watts, which I felt really good about.

To improve, I believe my background in endurance running played a significant role. It helped me accelerate quickly on the bike. Additionally, I put in a lot of hard work and also spent some time on the rowing machine. I found that the rowing machine helped with strength endurance, which translated well to my performance on the bike, especially during low RPM situations.

Finding Fitness Beyond Running: My Triathlon Journey

I got into Triathlon because well basically because I wanted to get back into shape and I was a bit older in my late 30s at the time and felt like I needed to have some lower Impact Sports. I was a runner my whole life and I didn't want to get back into running super high mileage. So I decided to give biking and swimming to try and found that. I just really enjoyed mixing all three Sports. So that's how I first got into it.

I got into triathlon because I wanted to get back into shape and needed a lower impact sport than running.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/q9e86aa5c2zqofdrhv7e.vtt

I got into triathlon because I wanted to get back into shape and explore lower impact sports. Being in my late 30s at the time, I didn't want to engage in high mileage running like I used to. So, I decided to try biking and swimming as alternatives. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed the combination of all three sports, which is what initially drew me to triathlon.

What are your fears and how do you handle them?

Conquering fears through rock climbing with my daughter.

I'm a bit afraid of heights, so I took my daughter's rock climbing and repelling as a way to both handle my fears but also hopefully help them not have the same fears.

I confronted my fear of heights by taking my daughter rock climbing and repelling to help her not have the same fears.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/u2szv0w5pda4zf7qpgds.vtt

One of my fears is heights. To confront this fear, I decided to take my daughter rock climbing and repelling. This served as a way for me to not only face my fears but also potentially prevent my daughter from developing the same fear.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Mental Health

Climbing

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

Golf

CrossFit

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Career Journey

Training

Self Reflection

Getting Started

Mental Toughness

Ed Baker is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive, currently serving as the CEO and Founder of AnyQuestion, an AI powered knowledge sharing platform. Prior to this, he played an instrumental role as the Vice President of Product & Growth at Uber and prior to that he sold a company to Facebook where he joined the team as the Head of International Growth. Ed currently sits on the boards of both WHOOP and Form, and his extensive experience in product management, growth strategies, and consumer technology has made him a sought-after thought leader in the tech industry.