Going for Gold: The Crux of Olympic Cycling Success

I’ve always been passionate about the power of networking. I’m what you’d describe as an early adopter, immediately seeing the benefits of platforms like LinkedIn since the early dot.com days. I’m currently the head of marketing at Crux Product Design. Crux is a design and engineering consultancy, working with some of the world’s largest companies helping to develop their future products.

What’s been really interesting to witness is the evolution of the way in which companies interact, specifically on LinkedIn; generally there is openness to hearing from other like-minded organisations, and making connections with key decision makers online has replaced the swapping of business cards.

One such example and one that we are very proud of indeed - was the contact made with UK Sport, who we worked in partnership with for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics this Summer…

It started with an initial contact on LinkedIn with the Head of Research & Innovation, we spent a little time introducing our work with airflow within medical devices as well as new innovative materials. This led to a mail exchange in which they mentioned there were a few projects on the horizon, and having looked at our website the helmet project was of particular interest.

Looking at our new found contact’s LinkedIn profile, we could ascertain that he was based quite locally, which meant we could arrange a meeting to discuss the project in more detail. This face to face meeting ultimately landed us the project of designing the helmets which were subsequently worn to victory this summer at the London 2012 Olympics by our sensational British cyclists.

Fostering and developing relationships with key business decision makers is and always has been a key element to the Crux growth story. I’d implore all other businesses to fully tap into the breadth and depth of their network. I thought I knew the power of networking, but never imagined it could result in such success – both professionally for me, and nationally on the world stage when we saw the likes of Bradley Wiggins cross the finish line in one of our creations.

Editor’s Note: If LinkedIn has helped you transform your career or business, please share your story with us or write a post on LinkedIn with the hashtag #MyLinkedInStory. For more inspiration, check out more success stories.