The Philosophy

Who is Oc2pus?

Oc2pus was founded and is led by its two directors, Rich Donaldson and James Martin. Perhaps sharing a story that had a big impact on us will answer ‘who is Oc2pus’.

It is March 2020. Picture the scene….

10 foot tall and bulletproof….

A business we know is 9 months into developing their new baby. They’re about to launch – time and money invested – market tested – core team ready – something exciting in the health, wellness and education space. The founders are buzzing.

Along came Covid-19….

Then, like life the world over, everything changed. Locked down and knocked down. A gym-based health project with no gyms…awkward.

The next 48 hours were tricky. Lots of questions for the founders. Mostly uncomfortable. Why us?  Why now? What next? What about the time and money invested? Fear loomed large.

How brave are you?

It came down to this: bunker down, minimise costs and see what happens OR be brave, adapt and make a new path?

When the question was reframed, the answer was simple. They loved working together, had each other’s backs, shared values, had a tonne of experience and expertise and, most of the time, can find the humour in things. It was a great base. But the fear was still there.

Together we can

They took advice from trusted people in the wellness game and realised that in this and other sectors, they couldn’t be the only ones facing this dilemma. The next question was: What next?  

The answer was surprisingly straightforward. They wrote down some key questions and answered them honestly.

They found a path by mixing purpose with a plan: they loved helping others grow and realised in supporting the right clients, they’d grow too. Simple really.

This story is our story last year. Life before Oc2pus. We faced the same challenges our clients do today in Starting…Growing …Scaling. Maybe you can identify with similar challenges too. We’ve all had adapt fast to survive and create opportunities to thrive.

Get the core stuff right

In starting Oc2pus, Rich and James set a clear Vision and Mission and created our Values. Our values are demonstrated in choices every day.

This is not fluffy stuff for us. If an opportunity comes along that compromises our values, we won’t do it. We’ve declined opportunities as a result, which is hard when you are starting something new, but we think long term it is the right, if not the easy, approach.

Life’s too short

People thrive around the right people. We’ve included our story here as we bring this belief into how we operate.

There are loads of consultants out there who probably sound a bit more conventional. We are a little different in prioritising balance and fun, but so are the clients who we support.

We’d love to hear your story. If how we roll sounds interesting, press the Brave Button now.