I’m often asked two questions:
- “What does a day in your life look like?”
- “What does it mean to be a good start-up founder?”
This article is my answer.
6:00 am, my computer lights up. I dive into emails from exotic time zones, read ESG articles, and digest insights from the night.
Then I bike to the office, open the door, and — here comes the ritual — switch on the light and start the coffee machine.
This small gesture says a lot about entrepreneurship. A lonely, hard, and collective trip… Here is what it takes to embark on this journey:
The Spark and the Wood
I believe there are two types of founders to create big fires: the spark and the wood.
The spark ignites, lighting fires even with wet wood. They bring vision and the initial flame that gets everyone excited.
The wood brings the energy needed to turn that spark into a sustained fire. Like an engine relentlessly pushing a vehicle and its passengers forward, the wood provides steady, reliable fuel for the long journey.
Neither is “better.” Sparks without wood burn out. Wood without sparks never lights up. Personally, I recognize myself as the wood — which is why I’ve always sought sparks as partners. Great founders know where they are less comfortable and find the right people to fill the gaps.
The Infantry Soldier and the Swiss Army Knife
A founder must be both an infantry soldier and a Swiss army knife.
Infantry soldier, because you must be in the mud with your team. No task is too small. When you build from nothing, everything is your job until you can delegate it.
Swiss army knife, because adaptability is survival. You don’t choose the challenges; they choose you.
Laying the Rails
A founder also lays the first rails. Close together at the start, giving structure and direction, helping the team mature without frustration and vagueness. Ambiguity for teams is a source of low performance and frustration.
As people grow, the rails spread further apart. One day, the team lays its own rails. That’s how you evolve from a single track to a multi-track system — where growth multiplies instead of adding up.
For me, the greatest reward is seeing my team become leaders. That’s when you know the system works.
The Evening Light Switch
By the end of the day, the cycle is complete. I sometimes meet again with the light switch — unless sport pulls me away. Back home a couple of hours before bedtime, I prepare to restart the cycle at dawn with a good meal.
Because being a founder is exactly that: doing what’s needed, and laying the next rails.
That’s my answer to those who ask about my days, and what entrepreneurship means to me.
But now I’d like to ask you: what’s your vision of a good entrepreneur?
My meeting with their Majesties King and Queen of Belgium
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