About me
I started my first company in the summer of 2003.
The journey of over 20 years of entrepreneurship that followed was a constant roller coaster ride.
During that time I have managed companies of one (me, myself, and I) and those with over 100 people.
I hired and fired. I acquired and exited. I invested and lost it all. I had to accept failure and shut down multiple products or even close companies.
Sometimes, when giving up wasn’t an option, I worked tirelessly to avoid bankruptcy.
More than once.
For over a decade, I organized PIRATE Summit with all my heart. In 2023, I decided to do one last Burn.
Organizing PIRATE Summit also led me to build PIRATE.global, a family of durable companies. This is my life’s work, and I am pondering how to make it last 100 years.
Currently, I spend most of my time working on the companies in the PIRATE family. Mostly, as a sparring partner to the entrepreneurs. I help them to gain clarity in their vision, confidence in their actions, and calmness in their mind. It’s some of the most fulfilling work that I do.
In “Making Business More Human” I share observations and learnings from my own experience running multiple businesses, but also from working with others that do.
Podcasts and speaking gigs? Sure, as long as my topics resonate with the audience.
I am quite active on LinkedIn. Less so on X and BlueSky. These platforms are also the best way to get in touch.
Why subscribe?
With these Notes, I share some of my observations, experiences and learnings. From my own experience running multiple businesses, but also from working with others that do.
My main focus will be on those things that often go unnoticed or are neglected. Those human skills that help make businesses run more smoothly and facilitate relationships and connection.
All originating from the same idea that has been a driving factor behind PIRATE Summit from the start:
To make business more human.
“Not another newsletter in my inbox.”
I get it. I don’t like getting a lot of mails either. That’s actually not precise, so let me rephrase that:
I only like mails that give me useful information or valuable insights. I write these PIRATE Notes with the intention of being one of these mails you look forward to rather than dread.
What (not) to expect
This is not one of those newsletter trying to continuously sell something. I want to focus on valuable content for you the reader. A lot of signal, little noise. A nice side effect is that I am forced to structure my thoughts. So a win-win. ;)
This is not a space where I tell others about what is right or wrong. This is an exploration. A mosaic of perspectives based on my experiences.
This is not a “one man show”. I would love to use this space to give the mic to others as well.
I won’t spam. You can unsubscribe anytime. No hard feelings. You won’t be unsubscribed from the general PIRATE Summit Updates.
There will not be a determined frequency. I have a certain vision how this can develop, but it really depends on how you, the reader - and the community at large - is going to respond. I will share when I feel I have something valuable to contribute.