David Millar, the former professional cyclist, founder of now-closed CHPT3, broadcaster and author, has never had a "proper job", or so he says.
That has all changed for the 48-year-old now, however, as he has taken on a role as brand director at Factor Bikes, after the end of his cycling clothing brand, CHPT3. He was originally an ambassador for Factor, but is now part of the leadership team.
"When I decided to close CHPT3, or admit defeat basically, I thought it was a decade of my life that led to nothing," Millar told Cycling Weekly last week. "It burned me out personally and kind of financially, I put everything into it."
"When Rob [Gitelis, Factor's CEO] called me up, I thought it might keep me afloat, but I didn’t know what I was going to do. At 47 [I was] kind of back to where I was when I retired from racing. But Rob, as a former professional cyclist, understood what it’s like because he’d gone through it himself.
"He has given me freedom and understood that I don’t have a CV. I’ve never had a proper job, and that has been my fear, because I didn’t know what I’m good at. After CHPT3, I know what I am good at, and what I’m not good at. It’s almost as if this has given me the opportunity at 48 to actually begin my career."
"I died a death of a thousand cuts with CHPT3," Millar continued. "When Rob told me ‘don’t worry, I’ll hire you’, it was such a relief, because I had invested nearly a decade of my life into CHPT3, both personally and financially. He didn’t even know what for, Rob said he’d squeeze me dry as a super-ambassador.
"But then I looked into Factor and got to know the company, and realised there was a lot I learned from CHPT3 that I could apply here. I went from thinking I’d be an ambassador to effectively leading Factor’s marketing and brand strategy, effectively brand director. Rob and Calvin [Chan, Factor's COO] have empowered me massively."
Millar is looking to shake up Factor's image, something he says is necessary for the brand which offers premium bikes like the Ostro VAM, and sponsors Israel-Premier Tech and Human Powered Health at elite level.
"I don’t think they realised they had a marketing gap because Factor, at its core, is an engineering company," he explained. "Their passion is engineering and making the best bikes in the world, and it’s my mission to make people aware of that. When I went behind the curtain, it was eye-opening how incredible it all was. I love doing what I do now, figuring out how to communicate this to people.
"I think you’ll see a lot more content, narratives and storytelling this year and beyond. Factor has the world’s best engineers, Rob’s story is incredible, and there are so many teams and races that we back."
The first big shift, though, will be Millar putting in a regular 9-5 at the brand's offices in Girona, where he's based.
"This has put me on a career ladder, because otherwise I couldn’t go anywhere," he concluded. "This is the first time that I’ve had a job that’s recognised on LinkedIn, it feels quite bizarre to be honest."
