Hobbies can help an individual learn new things, acquire additional knowledge, declutter the mind, bond with people who share the same interest, and warm the heart. Hobbies are beneficial to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of a people, especially entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Intriguingly, some entrepreneurs have quirky hobbies, showing us their fun side that we do not get to see most often. Here are some of the interesting pursuits of EO Melbourne members that they do when they’re not on their laptops or immersed in their business.
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing is the leisurely pursuit of Cesar Aldea, Founder and Managing Director of Aldea Consulting.
According to Cesar, “I started kitesurfing back in 2007 when I arrived in Australia. I love it because it keeps me fit and takes my mind away from any pressing problems, allowing me the time to reset and come back to it with a fresh mindset.”
Flying a helicopter
Getting into the air is also a penchant of Honeycomb Strategy Managing Director John Bevitt. “I started learning to fly a helicopter last year when I turned 30,” he declared.
“It was something I've always wanted to do. My wife bought me a trial flight for my birthday and I absolutely LOVED IT. In terms of what I love about it - it's the feeling of seeing something familiar from a new perspective, looking down over Melbourne and seeing so many familiar places. Just the freedom of flying in a 3d space and being able to move in any direction (compared to a plane for instance) is simply wonderful,” John shared.
Growing cacti
“I love cactus for some weird reason,” says Andrew Colliver, Executive Director and Co-founder of Banjo Loans. He explained, “My interest commenced on visiting our happy place in Sorrento and there was a massive cactus garden against a Mexican-looking wall. It was further reinforced on a trip to California 2 years ago. Each variety is so unique; they can be very tricky to plant and some sting like crazy – and they grow so slowly. Patience is required, a virtue I lack.”
“Some varieties have incredible flowers growing from a hostile-looking plant. They appear to be the adaptive masters of growing and surviving in a hostile environment – the poster child of a weird individual combined with resilience. And unrealistically, I somewhat expected a dinosaur to suddenly appear one day and start munching on them which would just cap off a great day,” Andrew said.
Stacking books
WeTeachMe Founder and EO Melbourne Past President Kym Huynh stacks books. “You would be amazed at how many options or variations are possible,” he remarked.
“I find the art of stacking books both meditative and cathartic. From the endless variations (all vertical, all horizontal, half up/half down, sort-by-alphabet, sort-by-colour, sort-by-size, sort-by-genre, sort-by-author and the endless combinations thereof, including but not limited to combining with art, photo frames filled with pictures of loved ones and cherished memories that instantly transport one to moments of pure unadulterated joy, and objects discovered in strange and foreign lands) to conscious choices in symmetry or asymmetry (perfect if one feels a sense of anarchy or looming irony), stacking books perfectly combines art in its creativity and expression and organisation in the structure of carefully-selected or curated books.”
“In this sense, I find that it mirrors life quite beautifully, and I'm sure there are theoretical links to leadership here in that it requires both creativity and structure for one to be effective and free. In actuality, I'm just practising leadership in each corner of the bookshelf or coffee table. That's what I'll just keep telling myself. Stacking books is practising life in a safe and contained environment where it is OK to fail or make mistakes,” he reflected.
Collecting and restoring Saab cars
“I collect Saab cars and restore the classic 900s,” shared James Murray, Founder & Managing Director of Work Healthy Australia. “I started doing it about a year ago,” he continued. “Once, I had a head-on collision in a Classic Saab 900 and walked away. If I had been driving my Ute I would have had a much worse outcome!”
“I drove Saabs for many years after that but stopped when they went under in 2011. Last year, I realized that SUVs were not for me as I missed my Saabs too much. Since then it’s all Saabs! I have two of the wagons that I use for work and they are both crazy fun to drive,” James revealed.
Paragliding
A sports enthusiast and Executive Director of Sports Tech World Series, Johann Odou is into paragliding since 2012/2013.
“There is something magical about flying. Learning to operate in a different world, one where you go up, down, left, right, forward and back. It's a pretty special feeling to be able to look down on birds flying,” Johann quipped.
Collecting chess sets from the USSR
Rankin Business Lawyers Principal and Founder Rob Roy Rankin has a fascinating hobby. “I collect chess sets with a focus on sets from the USSR.”
Well, if one is a chess enthusiast, why not collect sets from the land of the chess champions? Chess and Russia have a long history together as it is believed that their rulers were partial to this game.
Rob recalled, “I started collecting chess sets back in 1991 when I made my first visit to the USSR. Chess was such an enormous part of Russian and soviet culture in the 20th century and the variety of chess sets produced in that period is incredible. So much of the nation’s culture and history can be gleaned form each set and every piece of each set is a small work of art.”
pinball machines
Dylan Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Rubix, found pinball machines cool. “I started only two years ago and now, I’ve got fifteen of the beautiful creations.”
What makes him take interest in pinball machines is that “I love every tiny little aspect of it. I strongly believe it is the ultimate example of lessons on how to run a global long term business using some of the most complicated and advanced skill sets, whilst keeping a diverse global customer base happy and screaming for innovations, but then complaining when the machines deviate from their definition of pinball.”
He added, “Disciplines include software engineering, mechanical engineering, game theory, manufacturing, pricing, global distribution, support, innovation, sound, lighting, theme licensing, cost of goods, fussy customers, theme integration, storage, business operations, artwork, tournament management and world ranking algorithms plus lots more!”
Cooking new and interesting food
Of course, there are also hobbies that we may find simple, yet relevant in the current situation. For Ben Stickland, Founder and CEO of Alliance Software, he found his interest in preparing food for his family. “I'm enjoying cooking as a hobby, works well in lockdown. Every weekend, I figure out at least one new meal and cook it. My goal is to transition our family to new & interesting food, and a few months in it is working well. It works for me because my wife and children all love food and so it's allowing us to explore new meals together,” he shared.
While most of his growth as an entrepreneur comes from the people he interacts with, many of which are from EO, he finds personal and professional growth through the readings that he does. Still, cooking provides a different kind of value. “Cooking is about an escape. It's a small, completable project. Often as entrepreneurs, we're working on big things that sometimes don't have clear finish lines. When I cook a meal, it's done. Delicious or disgusting, it's done,” he added.
There are many other hobbies out there that entrepreneurs can be involved in and benefit from. What rare or quirky hobby do you have that is not on the list above? Share with us why you enjoy it through the comments section below.