There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. So said Ratty in Wind in the Willows, and he may have had a point.
This month I spied none other than Jeff Bezos, founder of the mighty Amazon, weaving his way down the sunlit river Cherwell in Oxford. On the day his company was busy snapping up online retailer Zappos for a cool $850m, billionaire Jeff was relaxing at über-conference TED Global. As the saying goes, some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs know when to take a punt.
TED, it turns out, is a heady mix of stunning speeches and diverse delegates, blended together in an intoxicating week-long cocktail. Founded in California, word has spread online through the popularity of TED Talks, downloaded 100 million times by over 30 million people. Here in Oxford, Meg Ryan and Cameron Diaz can be seen at the bar, rubbing shoulders with rocket scientists and rock musicians.
One such late night conversation begins when I ask a tall Scandinavian gent what is keeping him busy. He is a CEO looking for his next challenge, which sounds a little run of the mill, until he reveals that he has recently sold his company – for a billion dollars. Clearly under TED’s spell, he is sorely tempted to make an approach to one of the day’s speakers, an inventor, offering to help him with his work in the developing world.
But it isn’t all messing about in boats, you know. This month I have been forced to travel to the West Indies. You see, friendly entrepreneur Duncan Cheatle, founder of the Supper Club, got himself into something of a pickle late one Friday night when he met the vice president of Visit Barbados. One drink led to another and before either of them knew it, Duncan had agreed to persuade a group of us to haul ourselves out there. A friend in need is a friend indeed and so, never one to leave a comrade high and dry, I offered to help make up the numbers. It was the least I could do.
As a famous general may have once said, you can’t beat a retreat. Of course, my Caribbean jaunt was three parts jolly, one part retreat. But it did make me think. On a holiday, the name of the game is to escape from work, and even if you do take the time to reflect, you will hopefully have left your colleagues behind. Over the past couple of years, some of my most enjoyable moments have been spent in the company of fellow entrepreneurs, often out of the country, thinking and talking through challenges, ideas and opportunities.
As if to anticipate my gratitude, the talented Mr Cheatle had been hard at work setting up his new website, ThanksTo.com, which makes it easy to thank anyone who has made a difference in your life. From that special teacher to your first boss, you can use the site to say those two magic words.
At the recent launch party, held aboard the Silver Sturgeon, Duncan made a series of brief appearances to tell us about the big idea. Never one to miss an opportunity, his other baby, the Supper Club, was having its summer party at the same time, on the lower deck. Now that’s entrepreneurship.
Back in Oxford, TED draws to a close and Jeff disappears round a bend in the river. I stumble, a little dazed, into a local bookstore. On any normal day, I would make a beeline for the business section. Today, my mind is still buzzing with the tales of architects and zoologists. I stop in the middle of the shop and stand completely still for a couple of minutes.
For the first time in years, I don’t know where to head first. Perhaps I’m not ready to buy anything just yet. In fact, someone should invent a global bookseller. One that you could access from anywhere. I’ll punt it to Jeff next time I see him.