Inc.

Will Dean

The co-founder of Tough Mudder, the obstacle-course business with more than $100 million in sales, has had to tune out a lot of harsh critics—including himself
COME TOGETHER Will Dean’s Tough Mudder events attracted more than half a million participants last year. “I wanted to create something where people could feel a sense of belonging,” he says. “A tribe.”

When you launched Tough Mudder, how did you deal with the naysayers?

Anytime you step away from the norm, others are tempted to dismiss you. At the same time, when you’re starting a company, you

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