How Big Was 2019 For You?

As the year is coming to an end, I realize 2019 was an important year for me, although I didn’t know this until about two weeks ago.

A successful entrepreneur whom I met at an event in Bahrain recently told me: “I can always start all over again,” as we were overlooking a golf course in the middle of the night. We were talking about what makes relationships work, what is essential in life, and our definition of success. It all boiled down to two main things. First and most important is trust. Trust in yourself and trust in others. It took me a while to understand why he was saying that he can start all over again. He was talking about how much trust he has in himself. If everything goes to shit tomorrow, I can always start over and build something new again. Second, is impact. His comments showed me that he’s not obsessed with success, but that’s it’s more important to put his all into creating great things with people he trusts.

How is this important to you as a founder and to me as a venture capitalist? 2019 for me, has been a pivotal year. At 44 years, it never ceases to amaze me how much I still need to learn. I have used a personal mentor earlier this year to work on insecurities, focus, and improving work structure. In sports, I am used to working with a coach. It took a long time for me to decide to work with a business coach. In the end, I am glad I did. Working…