When I started One Percent More in Edinburgh, it wasn’t a big launch or a polished concept. It was just a simple idea – get a few people together, go for a run, and improve by 1% each week.
In the early days, especially through winter, it was tough. Some weeks there were 3 or 4 people turning up. Cold, dark evenings where you question whether it’s even worth continuing. It’s easy to look at that and think – what’s the point?
But we kept going.
We changed locations, kept it consistent, and focused on just showing up. Slowly, things started to shift. January came around – 10 people, then 20, then 30. Before long, we had weeks with over 100 runners, and now over 700 people in the WhatsApp group.
And looking back, it taught me a lot about business.
1. Consistency beats early results
At the start, there is no validation. No traction. No momentum. Just belief. If we had stopped when only 3 people showed up, the club wouldn’t exist today. Business is the same – the results always lag behind the effort.
2. Momentum compounds quietly
Growth wasn’t instant. It built slowly, almost unnoticed. One person tells another, then another. Suddenly, what felt small starts to feel real. Momentum in business works the same way – it’s gradual, then sudden.
3. You have to trust the process
There were plenty of moments where it felt like nothing was happening. But the work was being done; people were enjoying it, coming back, telling friends. Not everything shows up immediately in numbers.
4. Community is everything
People didn’t just come for the run. They came for the atmosphere, the people, the consistency. The same applies in business – if you build something people genuinely enjoy being part of, growth follows naturally.
5. Start before it’s perfect
There was no perfect plan, branding or structure at the beginning. Just action. If I’d waited until everything was “ready”, it would never have started. Most things only become clear once you begin.
One Percent More started with a handful of people in the cold, questioning whether it was worth it. Now it’s a growing community of hundreds.
The lesson is simple:
You don’t need 100 people to start – you just need to keep showing up.
@onepercentmoreuk
