the motives for undertaking Capstones

Many embark on a passion project without fully realising what motives drove that decision in the first place…

We have observed and classified nine motivations that drive Capstone behaviours i.e. THE WHY

C onnection

A dventure

P HILANTHROPY

S uperfan

T each

O utlive

N ostalgia

E scape

S kill

1)     CONNECTION: Great success sometimes comes at a cost to other areas in your life, relationships can suffer. Capstones can build a bridge to family, friends or someone else missing from your success. Working towards the same goal rejuvenates connections and fosters a new sense of togetherness.

Empower your children or spouse with a new project; allow their passion to come into the limelight and flourish or re-ignite old friendships that somehow have been lost along the way.

2)     ADVENTURE: The rise to the top may be a roller coaster ride, but once a craft is mastered, the daily grind and the slow burn of de-risking takes its own toll.

Being outside of your comfort zone, learning to push oneself again is what drives the adventurer. Setting out on the path from novice to reaching new goals is a challenging road trip. You’re fully engaged, mentally and physically: you are all in.

3)     PHILANTHROPY: Many great philanthropists are motivated by a sense of responsibility that possessing wealth, power and resources can bring.

They cite that they were helped along the way on their journey and now that they can they want to reciprocate. Helping causes, to pay it forward and improve access to opportunities for others up the hierarchy of needs.

Strategic giving optimises one’s big ticket gifting to deliver outsized returns and tangible impact for others in need.

 4)     SUPERFAN: Being a ‘fan’ is a strong and barely controllable emotion and we all feel it about something. The something that makes you feel more than alive. A sports team, a restaurant, a certain winemaker or a type of music?

When you’re a superfan, with wealth and resources, you can get up close, immerse yourself and thoroughly appreciate your passion. You can own it, collect it and become part of its success.

5)     TEACH: Success is accompanied by unrivalled experiences. Perhaps you have a burning desire to share this accumulated expertise and wisdom with others?  Capstones offer a chance to work with others, often younger to bring a multigenerational approach to a challenge.

The best way to learn is to teach someone else; to mentor and work on live projects together.  Reassessing and connecting different dots in your knowledge from what you know to what you love, in spaces far removed from where it was gained.

6)     OUTLIVE: We are all, largely, aware of our mortality. Once you realise you won’t live forever, you look at what you can pass on to others and what can outlive you. Legacy.

The Capstone can be a reminder to others of your name, your impact and your existence in this world. Alternatively, it can be about creating a memorial for someone else (often linked to philanthropic endeavours). The key is about wanting to create something that lasts longer than one’s own life.

7)     NOSTALGIA: Reliving your youth, bringing back memories of growing up, reminding ourselves of big breaks and feeling closer to relatives, friends and mentors lost along the way is an important part of living.

From a business owner who stood on the terraces of his favourite football team with his parents telling them “I’ll buy this club” to the owner of a restaurant that cooks ‘just as their grandmother used to’. Capstones bring memories closer and make that “one day,” today. 

8)     ESCAPE: Reaching the top of your game can be a relentless circle of pressure, people and politics. Capstones offer you the freedom to express yourself once again. It is your project and your blueprint on your terms. Do you crave a change of scenery? Returning-to-nature?  An off-button place, far away from high-pressured city living and family or close friends that suffocate you? Or the place to let loose, free from rules, red-tape and restrictions, as simple or excessive as you chose.

9)     SKILL: When you’ve mastered one area in life; business, sport, you often get the bug to go and master something else, to learn something new. Mastery. A Capstone provides a north star or purpose to do just that. Discover a new way of doing something and pick something up that you always promised yourself you would learn. Re-sharpen a sword, switch off and focus on something entirely different. Become amazing at a new sport, take playing an instrument to a new level or surprise us all. Go deep to add a new string to your bow.