"Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?" The One Question London Business Owners Should Be Asking Every Day
In 1998, a British rowing crew that had never won gold set themselves a ridiculous goal: win the eight at the Sydney Olympics in two years. Great Britain hadn't won that event since 1912. At the previous Games, the whole GB team had brought home a single gold medal.
They did it anyway. And the tool that got them there wasn't a training plan or a sports scientist. It was a single question the crew asked about everything they did: will it make the boat go faster?
No meeting, no habit, no "that's how we've always done it" survived that question unchallenged. If the answer was no, it got cut.
We recently sat down with Harriet Beveridge — co-author, alongside Ben Hunt-Davis (a member of that gold-winning crew), of Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? — to unpack how that same question, and the mindset behind it, applies directly to running a business. If you're a London business owner juggling a full diary, a demanding team, and the daily pressure to grow, this conversation is worth an hour of your time.
Why This Conversation Is Worth Watching
This isn't another generic "hustle harder" performance talk. James lays out a set of simple, sticky frameworks that London business owners can put to use immediately, including:
The "bullshit filter." Every business is full of noise — competitor obsession, meetings nobody questions, reports nobody reads. James explains how one question cuts through all of it and gets you back to what actually matters.
"Wouldn't it be amazing if...?" Before you get to the "how," James argues you have to give yourself permission to dream the bold version. He shares how this question shaped his own decisions — from writing a book to performing comedy at the Edinburgh Festival — and how it applies just as well to setting ambitious goals for your business.
The DICE belief framework. Do I deserve this? Is it important? Can I do it? Is it exciting? James explains why the "deserve" question quietly sabotages more business owners than any lack of skill or opportunity ever does.
Making it impossible not to. Real examples from business owners — including one who booked 47 flights to Antigua for the whole team before the year's targets were even hit, just to force the outcome.
Handling financial pressure. A genuinely useful four-step framework for when the numbers keep you up at night: get it out of your head and onto paper, allocate time to worry about it, get support, and break it down into manageable pieces.
Energy over time management. Why your calendar shows you blocks of time but hides the energy cost of each one — and what to do about it.
What makes this conversation different is the tone. There's no bravado, no forced intensity. James makes a compelling case that high performance doesn't have to be hard or exhausting — it can be simple, and it can even be fun.
Watch the Full Conversation
If you're building a business in London and want a fresh, practical lens on performance, focus, and sustainable growth, this is an hour well spent. Watch the full episode now.
