Nathan's offshore sailing taught him that a CEO, like a sailor in a squall, can't pause. You batten down, adjust, and keep moving forward. That confidence that you'll survive anything becomes how you lead through startup crises.
Chapters
What are some of the lessons that you have learned from sailing that you've applied to your role as a CEO?
I think there's actually a lot. Like, I actually lean on that experience many times during startup life because, you know, when you're out there sailing, especially when you're out in the middle of the ocean, you can't stop. You have to keep going no matter what, right? There's a squall, there's a mini— I wouldn't say a tornado, but like a squall coming. You gotta just kind of ride it out and deal with it. You gotta Batten down, hunker down the hatches and, you know, kind of adjust your sails, adjust your course, kind of ride through it. And sometimes staying up for 24 hours, you know, going through some heavy stuff and just going through that. Then you're back on land and starting a startup and it's like, okay, I did that. Like, I can handle anything, right? I mean, just— Yeah. Go through any experience. I'm sure people that have fought in, in the military and stuff like that have similar experiences. Like, I can do anything now. I lived through that. I can do anything.