There tend to be two types of people who become successful entrepreneurs. The first are those with truly inspirational talents - the inventors, innovators and creators. The Elon Musk’s, Mike Amiri’s or Jeff Bezos’ of the world who have special skills very few others can match. Though of course hard work is important, in many ways their success seems pre-ordained. Such is the depth of their natural capabilities it seems like only a matter of time before the world catches up with what they already know and greatness is achieved. They wear success easily, like it was simply meant to be.

The second type of founder is very different. They are more street smart, scrappy and resilient; knowing that without the natural gifts of others they must work at least twice as hard to have any chance of even small success, relying far more on perspiration than inspiration. They become successful because they have a burning desire to prove someone or something wrong. Often they have very little to lose and therefore a willingness to take risks that would make the vast majority of others, run for cover. This ability to run towards and burning building while others flee, is not something that can be taught in a classroom. The experience is hard earned out in the real world.

The Castore founders undoubtedly fall into the second category.

All of us in life are shaped by our experiences and the earliest days of Castore, when exactly no one except ourselves believed we had any chance of success had a profound effect on us. The burning desire to succeed and a simple refusal to fail was instilled in those days, long before there were any famous athletes wearing our products, and long before success was even the faintest possibility. We had no safety net and jeopardy was very real. No one expected us to succeed, but that’s exactly why to us it was the only viable option. Having this attitude as a Founder is more powerful than any other attribute.

Throughout our Castore journey – even if we often couldn’t be the most talented people in any given room - we committed to always be the hardest working and fastest learning. The desire to finish each day slightly better than when you started is a profoundly simple ambition but incredibly hard to consistently put into action over many years. For those who can though, the compounding effect that builds up over time becomes ever more powerful and amazingly, you can start to compete and even win against those with more natural talent than you. This truth is axiomatic and should inspire every entrepreneur on the planet. Truly exceptional businesses can be built when passion, learning and resilience are combined. If this fact doesn’t inspire in you a fierce desire to build something, you’re probably not a natural entrepreneur. If it does, you should get to work.

As Castore reaches our 10 year anniversary, the ambition which has defined us from day one burns brighter than ever. Through the many successes, setbacks, challenges and moments of seemingly insurmountable darkness (which all founders experience – if you don’t, you’re not working hard enough), we have remained so passionate about building a great British sportswear brand and hopefully inspiring a few others to attempt to follow their own dreams along the way.

To mark ten years, we wanted to share a few of the principals and philosophies that have underpinned Castore’s success today and will continue to drive us forward.

Dream big, act small – commit to making small progress each and every day. Big goals are scary, small goals aren’t and it’s amazing how quicky they compound.

Momentum is everything – don’t wait for external validation to drive your business forward, you must do it yourself. Progress feeds off itself. Intensity is needed every day.

Never give up – every Founder questions their decisions at some point in the journey. No matter how hard things get or how far off success seems - never, ever give up.

Everyone has ideas, execution is what really matters - we all have dreams but plans, actions and persistence are what separate dreamers from achievers.
Unless somebody sells, nobody eats – never forget that without revenue coming in you have no business. If you’re not a natural seller, find a partner who is - and fast.

Passion beats everything - if you're not truly passionate about the field you're engaged in you won't have the grit or perseverance to compete with those who are.

Setbacks more valuable than success – if every time you take a loss you get depressed and angry, you won’t have a very long entrepreneurial career. Embrace and learn.

Become a learning machine – there is so much knowledge in the world but it won’t find you by accident, you have to be hungry for it. Take pleasure in being curious every day.

Morals are non-negotiable – no matter what’s at stake, doing the right thing is always the most important thing.

Better Never Stops – relentlessly challenge yourself on how you can get better. The process of improvement is infinitely more rewarding than any external rewards.