How Can a Winning Mindset Transform Your Business? A former athlete turned entrepreneur reveals how passion, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of excellence can drive success in both business and life.

Adam Ashe, former professional rugby player and founder of Notox, (and co-founder of Puresport) has channeled his competitive mindset into entrepreneurship. After stepping away from the game, he applied the same drive for performance and improvement to building Notox, a brand rooted in authenticity and personal passion. Here, Ashe shares how embracing a winning mindset can fuel success and help overcome the toughest challenges.

What inspired you to start your business?
I used to be a professional rugby player, so performance has always been at the heart of everything I do. In sport, you're constantly pushing yourself – always chasing marginal gains, questioning whether you could have done something better. That mindset sticks with you, even once you step away from the game. When I retired, I knew I still had that drive, but I wanted to apply it to something I could build from scratch - something that was fully mine. I'd already dipped my toe into business with

Puresport, but this time I wanted to go all in, without trying to balance it with a full time rugby career, and see what I was really capable of. I knew I worked well with people, but I also knew I had something inside me I wanted to bring to life on my own terms. That's how Notox was born.

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
The hardest thing for me was finding a product I genuinely believed in - but also one that wasn't already drowning in competition. I've always found it impossible to sell something I'm not fully bought into myself, so the product had to solve a real problem for me personally. With both companies I've founded – first Puresport and now Notox – the products started out as solutions to my own problems. That made everything so much easier because I wasn't just selling; I was sharing something I believed in and had experienced firsthand. That authenticity makes all the difference.

How do you handle failure or setbacks?
Rugby prepared me well for failure. I was injured a lot, I missed out on squads, and I got dropped more times than I can count. You learn quickly that the only way to move forward is to reorient yourself, take whatever lessons you can, and just keep going.

That same mindset applies to business. There will always be knockbacks – products that don't work out, decisions you regret – but you have to see them as part of the process. You adapt, you adjust, and you come back stronger.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
The biggest piece of advice I can give is to make sure you really understand how you're going to get your product to market. It's not enough to have a great idea – you need a clear plan for how you're going to get it into people's hands. And, above all, you have to believe in what you're selling. If you're not fully bought in, you'll struggle to convince anyone else. You've got to be all in – there's no half measures if you want to build something that lasts.]

How do you stay motivated during tough times?
For me, staying physically sharp is the key to staying mentally sharp. Every morning, I start my day with a tough workout, it's a non-negotiable. On top of that, I'm in the sauna and icebath three or four times a week. That combination of discipline, physical release, and mental clarity has been a total game- changer. It doesn't just make me feel better, it amplifies my performance across everything I do.

What are your tips for achieving success?
Honestly, it's pretty simple: do the work and see what happens. There's no magic formula. If you're willing to put the time and effort in, nine times out of ten, you'll get the reward. Success isn't something you stumble into - it's something you earn by showing up, every single day, and putting in the work,