Nick Robinson is co-founder of Maison Sport, a fast-growing online platform that connects ski enthusiasts with professional instructors on winter sports results

Where is it based?

The founding team are based in the UK, but the platform operates globally.

What does it produce/do?

Maison Sport enables instructors to work independently, operating their own unique profile and calendar on the platform, giving instructors full flexibility to choose when they work, what they charge and what products they offer.

Up until recently, the platform mostly consisted of independent instructors signing up to use the service, but last season saw the top 100 instructors on the platform earn more than their ski school counterparts, resulting in a large number of instructors now hanging up their ski school jackets, and moving to work as a truly independent instructor, with the help, tech support and online voice of the Maison Sport platform.

To whom does it sell?

Maison Sport appeals to passionate ski and snowboard instructors, and all levels of skiers looking for lessons. We aim to connect the two directly and to do this, we work with independent ski instructors across Europe.

We launched in France, initially signing up French instructors in French resorts, and then grew from there. Today, the Maison Sport marketplace includes more than 350 resorts and over 1,200 trusted, qualified instructors across France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. In each new country we break into, we always focus on locals first.

What is its turnover?

Our turnover this financial year will be in the region of £10 million.

How many employees?

We currently have 140 staff members. Our staff base comprises our in-house Maison Sport team, resort managers for the ski school and we also have over 80 full-time ski instructors working for the ski school arm of the business.

Why did you take the plunge?

The vision for Maison Sport was conceived after we acquired a ski school in France. We noticed what we felt was an antiquated way of booking lessons and we felt there was a real opportunity to solve a problem for customers and ski instructors, by using a technology platform to connect the two parties directly.

We set out to reduce costs to the customer while providing a more profitable practice for instructors, affording them more control over their earnings and teaching schedules. Maison Sport offers reduced costs to the customer of as much as 50%, along with a range of other benefits including being able to choose your instructor using real reviews and provides a more ethical and profitable practice for the instructors, who keep up to 93% of the cost of the lessons.

What were you doing before?

Skiing became a focal point in my life from the age of ten, when I began spending most of my time ski racing. After being offered a place on the British Ski Team, I headed to Chile to compete once I completed my GCSEs.

From there, I spent a lot of time travelling across Europe competing, while also supplementing my studies with a number of BTEC courses. I was competing in Zermatt, when I had met my partner and we started a family. At the time funding my skiing was becoming challenging, so I left ski racing and managed to secure a role as an interbank broker. We moved to Geneva where we stayed for around four years.

But I started to miss the ski industry and craved the idea of running my own business. At the time, my brother Olly – also a former member of the British Ski Team - was also dreaming of returning to the slopes.

We bought a ski school, a long-held dream, with our friend and fellow skier Aaron Tipping, and I moved from Switzerland to Edinburgh, then back out to France to set up Supreme Ski School. We set out to really create positive change and make a difference in the industry. The ski school continues to run today, expanding rapidly across France where revenue has increased around 30 times since 2014.

In 2016, Olly, Aaron and I set up Maison Sport – a ski instructor marketplace that aims to directly connect independent ski instructors with skiers and snowboarders.

What do you least enjoy?

Raising investment can be tough at times. It can feel relentless, and this hasn’t been helped by the challenging economic climate. I’ve had to grow through the process and keep my vision focused on the overall progression of the company. As a growing business we are continually evolving and that means that there is never time to settle which can be both a good and a bad thing.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

Maison Sport has given a platform, an online voice and confidence back to independent instructors, revolutionising how the ski industry works and offering new and flexible options to the outdated traditional ski schools. Through offering new and flexible options to the outdated traditional ski schools we want to improve the lives of ski instructors globally and inspire as many people as possible to learn to ski.

What single thing would most help?

Finding the right people who share our vision and values. We believe that this will support us towards ensuring that Maison Sport continues to grow and thrive. It’s not been easy but by taking our time and being selective we are now starting build an amazing team.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

One of the hardest steps I’ve taken in my career has been making the initial decision to create Maison Sport. I’d certainly say to anyone thinking about starting their own business, to be prepared to act on one of your ideas and understand that it won’t always be easy to make that commitment, but if you’re truly passionate about it and have done your research, you will learn so much.

What was your best moment?

Honestly, one of the best moments is and will continue to be the very first lesson that I delivered for Maison Sport. I did this personally and it was a huge moment for me and the company.

What was your worst moment?

The first couple of years of Maison Sport’s journey were a real battle - the platform simply wasn’t working how we envisaged it. It was important for us to turn this around before starting to scale up the business, which led to us having to stretch out the funds raised in our investment round, but we got there in the end and now have the right people and technology in place to scale the business.

Who do you most admire and why?

The Maison Sport community in its widest sense – Olly and Aaron are a constant source of inspiration, as is the community of ski instructors we work with, and our community of customers. I admire them for collectively keeping me inspired to continue pushing the business forward.

How do you relax?

I love sport and will watch it at any opportunity. It’s a huge stress reliever for me and when I get into the zone, I tune out of everything else for a while.

What book are you reading and what music are you listening to?

I’ve just finished reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, written by James Nestor. Modern research suggests that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale, and exhale can have a positive impact on our health and well-being. It was a really interesting read. In terms of music, I’m a huge Mumford and Sons fan.