HGI News and Editorial

Fleming's place in the New Zealand test history is secure: most capped, most runs, most catches and most matches as captain. But his decision to leave cricket for business was not as hard as it might have been. "The last couple of years of my career I made a decision to look at things outside of the game. I was being introduced to a lot of people through my position, who held positions of power and were doing good things in business. That decision made a massive difference to the way I started viewing my relationships with the sponsors and the people I was around. The crunch came when I lost the passion for cricket, when I felt it was time to move on. That's when it became real."

Indian cricket and the IPL generate millions of dollars worth of contracts and player fees. Fleming's involvement with IPL as a player underlies one of his business ventures, Maximum Global Sports (MGS), a talent management agency that sees him leveraging 15 years of international cricket experience and representing big names such as Brendon McCullum, Tim Southee and Wellington players Jeetan Patel and James Franklin.

"So through my experience with the game it helps put me in a position to help them, and that's what appeals to me. I'm able to impart knowledge and have a certain amount of financial reward as well." Fleming looks relaxed, but reveals that his external calm belies a degree of inner turmoil. Unlike some start-up entrepreneurs, he's open to talking about the "set-backs and challenges" he's faced.

Around the time of his retirement from test cricket in February 2008, Fleming first discussed a partnership with Neil Maxwell, CEO of Australian company Insite. Maxwell is also his sports management agent, responsible for securing endorsement deals with Rexona, Fujitsu and LJ Hooker.

"I talked to Neil a lot about opening Insite New Zealand and continuing what they were doing in Australia, imparting some of that knowledge and experience into the New Zealand market. The first lesson was that a successful business model doesn't necessarily transfer into another successful business. So, long story short, that's now not happening. Insite New Zealand came to nothing in the end, after a lot of hard work, but I see it as an apprenticeship. I was trying to start from scratch and I didn't know the business language. I was coming out of cricket still talking about maiden overs and fielding positions to explain a business concept. I knew it in my head, but I just didn't have the lingo. So by just listening, understanding and trying to answer questions, the lessons were huge. I was going home at night absolutely knackered. A day of test cricket in the field where I was captaining was nothing compared to some of this stuff".

Starting two new businesses in the current economic climate, Fleming draws on his proven approaches to get results. "When I was captain I spent a massive amount of time behind the scenes reviewing the team I was going to play, looking at their strengths and weaknesses to understand how they were going to attack us and how we could attack them. When the time required our peak performance, the ability to act to the situation around you was second nature. You expected the way they were going to come at you, so you were one step ahead of the game. We were always looking at different ways of doing things. In some ways that's New Zealand's strength, we look at ways to do things differently because we are challenged by where we are located and how are we going to compete with numbers. We're always thinking of how we can keep competing, how we can hold our own."

Fleming knows that to make a successful transition from the world of sport to business he has to "be prepared and be very thorough in the work behind the scenes." His sports psychology approach to business is interesting, giving a rare insight between the two worlds, based around "similar philosophies and principles, with strong parallels between the two." It's his deep understanding of performing in a results based game that gives him an edge in the performance and results-based world of business.
An ability to translate sports techniques into business practice is also helping Fleming leverage his skills, wealth of contacts and recognisable profile for his other business venture. Like a cricket captain, he advocates building up a strong team. "It's basically been my contacts that have been used to float this thing and get it going. I think it's a good time for putting people into place."

Fleming confides that, when he's not being a talent agent, DDP is the "business that gets me going". DDP looks at placing a dynamic type of eBook into the New Zealand marketing toolbox. "Richard Petrie and I have been discussing calling it a dBook. Unlike an eBook, which has already been marketed, dBook has a bit more of a dynamic aspect where you can insert sources of rich media. So understanding what PDFs are and how websites work within mainstream media and print work has been one of my challenges, but I understand how our product fits in, and its potential is exciting. We feel that part of this product enables the company to direct market and get their product or message out in quite an attractive way."

Fleming uses the example of an Australian blue-chip bank that used a similar eBook system and was able to cut down the publishing and storage of paper information that was costing them $15 million annually. "I'm very enthusiastic about this product. New Zealanders in general are able to create something; we can throw it into the world and have them look at us. I would love to have something like that and I hope that this is it," Fleming says.

The business future for Fleming is still very much linked into his cricketing past. And he's using it successfully to open new doors. "I put on a business suit and I really hope they love cricket. It's basically using my profile to give me an edge to go in."

But he does it carefully. Like any brand that's been successfully built up over time, Fleming is wary of putting his name to the first opportunity that comes along. "What I don't want to do is open doors and walk away with that person thinking ‘what a crap product, what's he doing?' I'm profile conscious and I don't want to blow it by being involved in a product that's not great.  I want to represent some of the things that are important to me and have quality. I'm very, very conscious of that."

Fleming is focused, insightful and personable. Along with his proven ability to achieve, these
are the same traits he was known for in cricket. They are characteristics that will greatly increase his chances of entrepreneurial success. He has his sights firmly set on the future.

Link to the IN-BUSINESS Wellington Magazine March/April 2009 Issue
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/2c3158a6#/2c3158a6/1