Last weekend, I ran my 10th City to Surf and for the third year running, I had the best running partner beside me: my son. This year’s event had an extra buzz. The streets were lined with cheering crowds, music blasting from sponsor marquees, corporate teams in matching shirts, and that special mix of nerves and excitement you only get at a big community race.
My son is younger, fitter, and let’s be honest better at running up hills than I am. Amazingly selfless he’s not there for his own finish time. He’s in it for the journey. He could be chasing a personal best, but instead he chooses to run beside me, matching my pace, checking I’m okay, and quietly nudging me up the hills. Ok he quite firmly tells me!
We hit the top of Heartbreak Hill just as the rain started. At first, it was a light, almost refreshing drizzle after the climb. Then the heavens opened. It tipped down, soaking us through in minutes. And just as suddenly it stopped and didn’t start again until we were on the bus to Bondi Junction, shoes squelching, steam rising from our clothes.
Somehow, without any special training in the lead-up, we crossed the line six minutes faster than last year.
Why Going It Alone Costs You Time
Small business owners are some of the most resilient, resourceful people on the planet. But resilience can tip into stubbornness. You know your business better than anyone so you keep carrying every task, every decision, every problem on your own shoulders.
It’s the equivalent of running 14 kilometres without water because you don’t want to slow down. Sure, you might make it to the end… but you’ll get there depleted, not ready for the next challenge.
We see it all the time: marketing managers trying to create everything themselves, trainers drowning in reactive requests, business owners reinventing the wheel every week. Without the right small business marketing support or a trusted business mentoring service alongside you, the work gets harder than it needs to be and the results plateau.
Learning Design for Business Growth Needs the Right Pace
In running and in business, not every hill needs the same kind of effort. Some stretches call for a quick burst of energy, a tip you can apply immediately. Others need a steadier climb, with space to practise, reflect, and build confidence before the next push.
That’s why we design learning solutions for business growth in stages:
- Sometimes it’s a quick insight or tool you can use in 60 seconds.
- Sometimes it’s a targeted session to master a single skill.
- Sometimes it’s a deep, immersive project that prepares you for the toughest challenges.
It’s about matching the pace and depth to your goals, so your team can keep moving forward without burning out.
What This Looks Like in Business
We’ve been that running partner for clients across industries for 30 years:
- Helping a family-owned vet business lift repeat bookings by over 25%.
- Creating a set of reusable sales and training assets for a national healthcare brand so their teams could stay consistent without rework.
- Designing a blended learning program for a government agency that cut onboarding time by a third while improving compliance scores.
In every case, we didn’t just hand over a resource – we stayed in step with them, making sure it was used, refined, and delivering results.
Your Hills Will Get Easier
Last weekend, my son didn’t make the course any shorter. But with his support, it felt a whole lot more achievable. That’s what good training, mentoring, and marketing support does. It doesn’t remove the challenges, but it makes you more capable of handling them.
A little about Spinifex
At Spinifex, we’ve been that running partner for over 30 years, delivering small business training solutions, content systems, and business mentoring services that help you set the right pace, keep momentum, and achieve measurable results.
If you’re ready to make your business hills feel smaller and your wins come faster book a free 20-minute session with us this week. We’ll map your next goal, choose the right steps, and run it with you until you get there.
