Making business more human
If a link brought you to this page, maybe the title made you curious, or you know me through PIRATE Summit and already got the spirit of what we are building: in a world full of tech & AI, we are thinking about how to make business more human.
About me
I started my first company in the summer of 2003.
The journey of 20 years of entrepreneurship that followed was a constant roller coaster ride.
In 2007, I was – for the first time – sparring partner for a business executive of a big corporate in the Netherlands. It was a ridiculous setup: I was at least 10 years younger and had left university 1.5 years prior. But somehow these sessions proved to be very useful for the client. I was requested to come back regularly over a period of several months.
The reason I was called back again and again wasn’t because I knew the tactics of running a business better. The reason was that I seemed to have a good eye for how to do and improve on things that require human skills.
For me, exciting are the things happening under the surface. You might call it the human factor of running a business. It’s often overlooked or hard to grasp. It’s certainly hard to manage.
What we often forget is that businesses don’t interact with businesses. Instead, humans interact with humans. Running a business intrinsically requires human skills.
Currently, I run PIRATE.global, a family of small companies. Also, I work as sparring partner for 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.
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.
Join our community, to make business more human.
Share it with whom you might think can be interested.