Chapter 9 - Silicon Billabong – 2019

At one of the ITS Business Events in 2019, I met Errol Kruger (Managing Director, Silicon Billabong) and he told me that he needed somebody enthusiastic, like me, to help him with his business and with a global outlook to define an innovation niche not currently serviced in today’s transport market. How could I refuse a challenge with a billing like that!

My first reaction was, Errol I’m thinking of retiring and travel around Europe. He replied, I just need some advice and guidance to help me get moving.

So I joined his advisory board and became also Ambassador for Europe.

I believe it’s very important to expierence the working cultures of different countries all over the world. This helps to better understand people from different backgrounds and different company cultures. And offcourse speaking different languages (and it doesn’t need to be perfect) makes it much easier to connect.

Chapter 10 – Conclusion and advice for future entrepreneurs

Overall, I achieved what I wanted in my professional career and I’m happy and proud of it.

Because I’m stubborn, I set myself goals and I never gave up.

In life, everything is possible if you want it!

One of the main things to remember is that you never do it by yourself.

Learn how to appreciate what the people around you are doing, respect them and work together.

Supporting colleagues achieve their goals will help you achieve your own goals.

Work isn’t the place that gives you the Monday morning blues, it is the place where you can get great satisfaction and motivation aligned with a sense of personal achievement.

In this world, it’s all about the people you know, so build up your relationships. Work on nurturing them for the long term.

Never burn bridges behind you, except if you truly understand and accept the consequences.

Be honest to yourself and others!

Some people say you need to be at the right place and the right time. This is true, but I sincerely believe you can steer to that place yourself.

Bad things happen, I’ve got the T-shirts to prove it but what they did was to make me a wiser and stronger person having experienced them – no experience is a bad experience if you learn from it.

If you have people working for you, make sure they can take over your job; that gives you the opportunity to move up. One lesson I learned from an experienced colleague was when you are promoted identify and nurture your successor – it makes it easier for the company to promote you with no impact on current operations.

Do not continue working for a company or manager that is not aligned with your ethics.

Apart of my own company, the best company I worked for was Olivetti and that was by a long way, the best leader I had the pleasure to work with in my long career was Tom Walker of Cubic.

Make sure you enjoy whatever you do, then it’s not work but a hobby.

If you have a new opportunity have the confidence in yourself to grab the chance and go for it. Commit fully to it. If you don’t know how to do it, don’t worry you will learn how.

As I said at the start of this book, Do I have regrets? No, I don’t, because we cannot go back in time and redo.

The sky is not the limit, there’s more ….