How not to run out of steam

Recently I have taken to riding my push bike to work. For obvious reasons I tend to do this alone as I have neither the time nor the patience for either Dog nor Scottish-extracted husband-to-be to tag along.
The move has been prompted not by an overwhelming desire to turn up to my place of employ smelling like a crusty sock, but more out of circumstances involving a lost game of netball, a bruised ego and some concerted soul searching.
A couple of weeks into my new regime, I have been surprised to discover that while I may not always enjoy the exercise, I no longer loathe it.
I have also learnt a few lessons along the way.
Number one is no matter how friendly I am to my fellow road racers, there will always be someone bigger, better, faster and more obnoxious who will take great joy from passing me on the hills.
Number two is no matter how much you suck in, lycra is no one's friend.
The third lesson I have learnt is that Lance Armstrong did not become seven times champion of the Tour de France by buying the cheapest bike because he liked the colour, nor foregoing training because he needed to watch Entourage or riding on the footpath because he was scared of getting cleaned up by a truck.
And it seems the same could be said of the world's most successful fashion retailers.
I was interested to read the comments of former Topshop brand director Jane Shepherdson during her recent visit to Melbourne. Aside from the pre-requisite spiel about the importance of marketing and the delivery of strong product, the thing that really struck me about Shepherdson's story was her absolute conviction in her own ideas - particularly when they went against the grain of everyone else's.
According to Shepherdson - the woman credited with turning a $20 million a year business into a $250 million a year operation - the key to successful retailing is carving your own niche and discovering your differential.
And she practices what she preaches. She controversially brought in stall holders from London's Portobello markets to trade in the Topshop basement as a way of adding something different to its mix, brought in collections with only one week's cover to create demand and after being accused of copying others' catwalk parades, ensured Topshop became the first high street retailer to show during London Fashion Week.
But there were failures too, like the time she got the brand to make made-to-measure dresses for the mass market. The idea was abandoned when Topshop discovered people were coming to buy bridesmaid dresses. They were, Shepherdson claimed "all the same and all really horrible".
Shepherdson says she was driven by the fact she wanted to make the Topshop business "so fantastic", that she no longer had to worry about the bottom line.
"If you always ask 'what will it cost' then you won't end up doing anything because it's always too expensive. You have to frighten yourself. You have to move out of your comfort zone. Only by doing that will you achieve something a little bit more," she cautioned.
And while it could be argued risk is easier to swallow when you have a multi million business to fall back on there are lessons in Shepherdson's approach for all of us.
Sometimes there's a lot to be said for taking off the training wheels and finding the courage to ride alone.