“Certainty would be nice. But, consistency is the only thing I can control.”

Oliver, why did you start Acid Running? 

I think I should split this into two answers - why did I start a clothing brand and why Acid Running?

I’d always seen myself operating a “cult” fashion brand. That may sound counterintuitive when it’s the audience response that dictates whether a brand has a cult following or not, but these brands all share something in common - they tell stories, they capture the imagination, and they mean wildly different things to different people. In the case of some, they may even challenge or trouble you.

I never expected to be working in the running space, as a distinctly below average runner, but I had always been confused by the running industry’s messaging to consumers, and the opportunity to better serve runners was too big to ignore. In short, we wanted to create a brand that reflects the true story of running - that it is primarily a discipline, not a competitive sport, and it is defined by discomfort and suffering rather than by pleasure and runners' highs. 

Contrary to marketing orthodoxy, this gritty truth elevates running, and places runners as authentic heroes in their own story.

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

They say we look forward to the destination whilst on the journey, yet we look fondly back on the journey when the destination leaves us without clear answers. Perhaps that’s true but without the hunger for the destination I believe the journey would finish quite abruptly.

When things get tough, what do you do?

I run.

Nothing clears my mind better than running. If I’m particularly stressed or overwhelmed, within a few minutes I feel my mind relaxing. By the time I get back from my run I’m either equipped with the solution to the problem, or I feel re-energised to attack the task.

I know it’s not particularly fashionable amongst founders to say this, but I also love a drink at the end of the week. There’s something uniquely refreshing about British pub culture, when everyone shares their week’s war stories over a few drinks and yours is rarely the worst.

Do you crave certainty?

Certainty would be nice but consistency is the only thing I can control. 

An early start in the office, a proper lunch break, and a run or gym session in the afternoon are things I can control which always improve my output and mindset. I’ve found that the longer I’ve been on the journey the less certainty I crave, thanks in part to having the perspective of seeing my own ambitions grow as each milestone is reached.

Has founding a business changed you?

If I was to be self-critical I would say that when I was younger I was a bit intellectually dogmatic. But as a founder, when you are constantly learning and growing in new disciplines, it fosters a humility which you lean into further the more you are rewarded by it. I would say that contrary to my younger self, the integrity that comes from intellectual humility is one of my strengths, and something I look for above all else in colleagues and partnerships.

What do you need, now?

There are lots of things I want right now to push the business along, but everything is moving in the right direction, so there is not a particular need as such.

I’m very fortunate to have a very supportive team, family and girlfriend. We talk a lot about unfair advantages in business but to have that support network is the greatest unfair advantage, and I don’t think that’s mentioned enough.

They say a founders’ journey is lonely but it needn’t be.