My Working Day – Ed Rigg – Founder of EAGER

As the leader of a company, you are there to set an example and to lead and inspire a team of individuals to achieve a series of business goals. But how do these business leaders go about their daily routine? We spoke to Ed Rigg, Founder of EAGER, about his working day.

What time do you wake up?

I wake up at 6.00am on most days including the weekend, I have three daughters and they have to be on the school bus by 7.30am. Honestly, I struggle to sleep in… I’m the annoying person who is always up early the next day after a late night out.

What do you typically have for breakfast?

Breakfast is my most important meal and I’m a creature of habit and almost always eat the same thing for breakfast, fried mushrooms, toast, smoked salmon, a fermented food (sauerkraut normally), haloumi and or avocado if I’m pushing the boat out… I know it sounds ridiculous!

What is the rest of your morning routine?

I’m really into cold swimming, so every morning at 6am when I wake up, I go for a cold swim, this really sets me up for the day and I feel amazing. After taking the kids to the bus and having my breakfast while watching the news, I will try and make time to read.

What is the first thing you do at the start of your working day?

Check my calendar, I can get a bit lost in thought, so I have to make sure I know what is going on that day.

How do you prioritise your day’s work?

Most of my day is spent on strategy and we have an amazing group of people at EAGER and they are more operational than me. I believe that if a business is not evolving, then it will fade away, the bigger you get, the harder it is to be innovative even for an SME.

I do stay close to the production plans at the factory because if we don’t have stock, we don’t have a business and the supply chain issues over the last 2 years have been shocking.

Do you plan meetings or are they a waste of time?

I think meetings are best done rarely. I believe in having a clear vision, articulating that vision and letting a talented group of people run with their own version of that vision. We have an outsourced business model and I think it’s very important for everyone to find their own reason to feel passionate about the EAGER brand. Like a good book, the author may write it a certain way but the reader may interpret the book differently, that is great and makes the book better, a business should be no different.

Just because you are the founder, it does not mean you can dictate to people how they should feel about that business. We are a motivated bunch and as a group we are free to make decisions both good and bad, I don’t believe in micromanagement. I believe in finding the best people, having a hands-off approach, and letting those people take ownership of their roles in making EAGER a success.

Do you have a working lunch or do you take a break?

I’m not a big lunch fan, just a soup, salad or sandwich at my desk or on the move.

When does your working day finish?

I try and collect my kids from school every day at 5pm and find the 30 – 40 minute drive great to make me step away from my computer to make calls. People have stopped picking up the phone and I think emails, WhatsApp and Slack etc are very efficient but they are not a substitute for talking on the phone. Often when people answer the phone to me, they will say, so you’re on the school run again…

After getting back with the kids, I will go to my desk at home and work for an hour or so and then have supper.

How do you prepare for the next day’s work?

I never sleep with my phone in our bedroom, as I don’t want to look at the phone before bed or first thing in the morning, I need that space to keep my mind from overload and making sure I get a good night’s sleep. I’m in bed at 10pm and won’t look at my phone again until after my cold swim in the morning.

What’s your favourite piece of technology?

Apple Carplay, it’s a revelation, I spend a lot of time driving and to be able to easily access my Calendar, Phone, Podcasts, WhatsApp, Audible and Waze all while driving, it’s amazing and I can be so much more time efficient because of this amazing technology.

How do you switch off?

Spending time with my family.