Start as a Freelancer
I started as a freelancer quite soon after college. Actually, even during my studies: I was still enrolled, but I was more focused on my own little shop than on classes. Entrepreneurship was already in me then. I’ve only worked as an employee during some holiday jobs. And that difference has always stayed with me.
A thought I often repeat – both in the past and now – is this: if you work as an employee, especially for the government, you can pretty much predict what your life will look like. You know what car you’ll likely drive, how often you can go on vacation, how much you’ll earn. Your income is quite predictable. As a freelancer, it’s completely different: you always hope to exceed expectations, to do better than average. And yes, in my case, that has fortunately happened quite often. But not without struggle. I’ve also gone bankrupt, and broken relationships cost money too. So it wasn’t an unqualified financial success. But looking back, I can say I’ve experienced beautiful things: driven fancy cars, traveled far. All in all, I didn’t come out badly. Although, with the knowledge I have now, I would have approached it completely differently. I also made my share of foolish decisions, I must admit.
School Friends
In high school, I had two good friends: Ludo and Rudy. We hung out a lot at first because we were in the same class. In the third year, we had to choose a field of study. They chose a technical direction: electricity. I chose industrial sciences, a broader direction that better prepared for higher studies, without really specializing.
After high school, our paths really diverged. They went to the college nearby to study industrial engineering. I chose a college in Mechelen known for its prestige. I barely passed the first year, but didn’t make it through the second year, partly because my mind was on microcomputers. Then I switched to a computer science degree, a choice that suited me much better. Personal computers were already my big hobby, not programming itself, but playing, experimenting with the first microcomputers, like my TRS-80. There’s more to read about that period on this blog.
First Businesses
I smoothly completed that degree and started my own computer shop during an extra year, in the front room of the townhouse where I moved in with my then-girlfriend. From there, it grew further, with ups and downs. At one point, I went bankrupt, but then started again – this time literally in the garage of my own house. Removed the garage door, put in a decent entrance so customers could come in. A simple beginning, but I tried to survive.
An acquaintance I met during an Atari award ceremony in Milan wanted to transfer his business. I did everything to take over that business. Eventually, it worked out. Not thanks to the banks but thanks to family and personal relationships. I ran that business for years. Until I transferred it… and the buyer cheated me. But that’s a story for another time.
Reunion
What I also remember well: years later, during an event at the college in Geel – the same one where my two old friends had studied – I met them again. By then, they had both become lecturers at that school. We had completely lost touch and I had no idea where they had ended up.
When we saw each other again, it immediately struck me how differently our lives had turned out. They symbolized for me the safe, planned path: a government position, a stable job, lots of vacation, predictable income. Nicely settled, without much ambition to do anything big. I don’t say that with envy, more as an observation. In my eyes, they taught, lived quietly, without much urge for change. I found there was little zest in it back then. I was in the middle of a dynamic entrepreneurial life, always busy with new plans, risks, growth, achieving things.
Difference in Life Attitude
The contrast struck me. They had chosen security. I had chosen freedom. Their life seemed comfortable and predictable to me. Mine was a rollercoaster – with deep lows, but also high peaks. And somehow I could hardly imagine that they had experienced any of that sense of adventure.
Of course, these are personal impressions, maybe even prejudices. And maybe I’m wrong. But the feeling of that moment has stayed with me. Also the thought that they had chosen the easier college back then, while I deliberately went for the tougher course in Mechelen, played a part in it. Even though I didn’t stick with that direction myself, it still gave me the feeling that I had tried something, dared something.