Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Political economy

IT TAKES A TRIBE

Will Dean

Building the Tough Mudder Movement

The founder of Tough Mudder—the world’s greatest obstacle course races—takes us inside his unconventional company and reveals how tribes form and grow in surprising and powerful ways.

With a lot of moxie and mud, Will Dean founded Tough Mudder in 2008. Shunning the advice of his business school professors, who told him he was crazy, Dean was determined not to follow his fellow Harvard Business School classmates to Wall Street or Silicon Valley. Instead, he staged the first Tough Mudder event in Allentown, Pennsylvania, building an obstacle course that included a plunge into ice water and a slide down the side of a mountain, and ended with a sprint through flaming stacks of hay bales.

It might sound like torture, but early participants loved it and came back for more—much more. More than 2.5 million people on three continents have now experienced at least one Tough Mudder event, with new devotees joining the tribe every day.

The company’s astoundingly rapid growth might seem inexplicable until you experience the camaraderie, iconoclastic spirit, and pure adrenaline of a Tough Mudder event. Dean has created not only a revolutionary business model but a real phenomenon: a true global tribe. His book reveals, among other things...

* Why challenge, not competition, is the key to inspiring communities.
* How to innovate constantly to stand out in a crowded market.
* How to inspire the kind of deep brand loyalty that leads to, among other things, tattooed logos.

Dean’s entrepreneurial story is not a typical case study. His book is filled with colorful adventures and counter intuitive advice for every entrepreneur who wants to build a truly unique tribal business.

Will Dean is the Founder and CEO of Tough Mudder. The company has revenues over $100 million, employs over 150 staff, and has raised more than $10 million for charity. Dean was listed on Crain’s annual “40 Under 40” list, included in Fortune’s “40 Under 40: Ones to Watch,” and received the US National Entrepreneur of the Year Emerging Award. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the University of Bristol.

Available products
Book Published 2017-09-12 by Portfolio
Book Published 2017-09-12 by Portfolio

Comments

At its core, It Takes a Tribe is a book about us. It goes beyond our ability to overcome obstacles and delves into how shared adversity is actually a powerful force in building deep, lasting bonds with others.

It Takes a Tribe offers an honest, no-holds-barred look inside of one of the most origi-nal and inventive businesses in the world and one of the most dynamic CEOs. This will become a business classic.

A wonderful, highly recommended book that will inspire all readers, including those interested in starting a business and those who have overcome personal obstacles.

While building our companies alongside each other in Brooklyn, Will Dean and I have shared many best practices. He has created one of the most original and inventive brands in the world, and his story will be valuable for anyone looking to change the rules of business.

It Takes a Tribe isn't just a gripping read. It's also a thoughtful argument about what really drives business, and how success comes from standing by your values.

British Commonwealth: Portfolio UK

This book shows that an entrepreneur with imagination and nerve can make a real difference by creating life-changing opportunities for thousands of people across the world.

Convincing people to spend hours running through the mud is no easy task. Building a business where millions of people pay money to do this would be ridiculous. But Will Dean has done it, and this gripping book takes us under the hood to describe how. It Takes a Tribe reveals what it takes to stand by your values and create an organization that stands for those values.

The power of internal motivation, great leadership, and team building. Will Dean demon-strates all this and more in It Takes a Tribe.

Will's story - and his races - are proof that the obstacle is always the way.

Will Dean is one of the most important leaders of his generation-boldly pushing back on our digitally obsessed culture to get us out of our comfort zones, into the mud, working as a team, and discovering all sorts of potential along the way. It Takes a Tribe is loaded with brilliant stories, lessons, and inspiration that will make you want to jump off your couch and go make an impact somewhere!