The focus of founders

👋 Hi all,

After selling my business in 2021, I spent a lot of time thinking about the process and if I made the right decision. Up until today, I never regretted it for a moment. But I wished I started with that goal in mind earlier. A little essay about why every founder needs a focus, whether you want to exit or make it your life’s work.

Furthermore, I found an interesting new product that I would describe as ‘noise-canceling for your eyes.’ And since I’m a sucker for founder stories, I included another one. Thanks for reading, as always!

See you on Friday,

Bas

It's been two and a half years since I sold my latest endeavor. In 2016, I started the first growth marketing agency in Europe. Three years later, TechCrunch named us ‘one of the best agencies in the world’ in our industry, and in early 2021, I decided to accept an acquisition deal to sell. I was early in the game, surrounded myself with a fantastic team, showed up daily, and got lucky.

When I founded my business, I was doing what I loved, and I felt I was learning daily. And it all felt like I was playing a game with people that became friends over time. I spent more time in the office than I was at home. I found out my gas pits weren’t working after months, and I never used them since I was always in the office til late or eating out with clients.

Then, in early 2020, the pandemic hit The Netherlands. In February, our government decided that the whole country needed a lockdown. During the year, we would switch from several lockdowns and curfews to mass events and sitting only in bars; it was weird.

But it taught me a valuable lesson in the many hours I spent alone in my apartment. What do I want with my business? Do I want to continue this journey on my own, do I want to raise capital to accelerate, or do I want to sell it?