I saw Sander Stage turn vision into reality.
WhenImetSanderStageforthefirsttime,itwasonourfirstdayofhighschoolata prestigiousinternationalschoolinMilan.Thiswas4yearsago.
Thenewstudentshadbeenbroughtoutsideofthecitytoengageinteambuildingactivities suchascanoeingandeatingtogether:Iwasanervousteenagerwhodidn’tknowanyone,let aloneexchangedawordwithanyone.
SanderandIwereintroducedtoeachotheruponbeingpairedtogetherforatreasurehunt, andembarkedonahuntforpoorlyassembledclues;atthisstageweweresimplygoingwith theflow,anddidn’treallydomuchotherthanfollowthehuntandoccasionallycrackajoke aboutthechildishtaskswewerecarryingout.
WithhimbeingthepersonIhadgottenthemostacquaintedwith,wesattogetheronthebus ridehomeandstartedtalking.IexcitedlyexplainedtohimtheSupremeclothingreselling schemeIhadjustlearnedabout,whichinvolvedbuyingclothesupontheirrelease,and resellingthemforaprofitshortlyafterwards.
ItturnedoutSanderwasalreadyawareofthis,andhadalreadybeendoingittwoyearsprior. Atthispoint,despitenotknowinghim,IcouldalreadytellthatSanderhadthatoddly persuasivemannerofcommunicatinghisideastoothers.Oh,andthathehadanaturalflair forbusiness.
Thiswasconfirmedwhenheshowedmeasmallonlinebusinessthathehadsetup:hewould sellshoutoutsonaninstagrampageforthepriceof15–25dollars,andmakeapproximately 25–50dollarsadaydoingthis.Atthetime,forme,thisseemedlikesomethingstraightoutof WallStreet,asIwouldseenomorethan25dollarsinallowanceperweek.
Webeganwalkinghometogetherafterschoolandhangingoutintheclassesthatwehadin common.Weclickedquitequickly,andfoundeachothertobeonthesamewavelengthin manyaspects,whichwassomethingIcouldn’tquitesayabouttherestofourclassmates:the school’ssocialdynamicinvolvedfrequentflauntingofwealth,snobberyandoverallthe atmospherewaspompous.
Neitherofuscameoutofoverlywealthyfamilies,andwebothhadouruniquebackgrounds, whichwerequitefarfromthoseoftheotherkids.Thisledustooftensticktogether,and throughoutthistimewebecameincreasinglytight.
NotonlydidSandernotfitthesocialmouldofanuppityprivateschoolstudent,hecarried twomuchmoreimportantuniqueaspects:hewantedtoshapehisowncareerfromtheground upinsteadoffollowinganestablishedpathriddledwithordersandcommands;thesecond oneisthathewould never workforsomeoneelseandtakeorders,unlessthepersoncould teachhimsomethingseriouslyvaluable.
TheheadmasterpickeduponthisaswellinaninterviewhedidwithSanderwhenheapplied totheschoolshortlybeforetheyearcommenced.Normallystudentshadtoapplytothe schoolyearsinadvance,andwouldhavetocompleteadmissionstestsinordertobeaccepted totheschool.Thiswasn’tSander’scase.TheHeadmasteracceptedhimintotheschoolafter justonetalk,andhecompletelyskippedthetests.
Hedidn’twanttofollowanestablishedpathbecausehesimplywasn’tinterestedinthe traditional“diplomatodegreetodesk”structurebutalsobecausehealreadyhadacrystal clearpictureofhisfuturecareer:onlinebusiness. Itwasanareaofhighinterestforhim,buthisbittersweetupbringinghadalsohard-wireda setofambitionsintohim,withadesiretobeselfsufficientbutalsoprovideforhismother andhelpherinanywaypossible.
Overtheyears,hetoldmesomeratherroughstoriesfromhispast,andIcandefinitely understandhowtheybecameamotivatingfactorforSander.Whileonlinebusinesswashis gameplan,hiscurrentventuresremained,limiting,tosaytheleast.Aninstagramaccount sellingshoutoutswasneitherscaleablenortooengagingorfulfilling.Sohewasconstantly thinkingaboutnewideasformorescalableonlinebusinessmodels.
Ononedayofschool,theentireyearhadaskiing&snowboardingtriptothemountains,and competitionsinvolvingseveralschoolswereheld.Everyonetooktheirturnsontheslopein hopestowinaspotonthepodium.Whenitbecametimetocrownthewinners,the3rdand 2ndplaceswereannounced,andfinally,Sander’snamewasannounced.Thiskidfrom Denmark(wheremountainsarenon-existent)hadwonthesnowboardingcompetition,andhe receivedanabnormallylargetrophy.Here’swhereitgetsfun;ThiswasSander’slastdayof school.Withoutgivinganyfurthernotice,hesimplynevershowedupagain.
Sanderhadbeeninthishighschoolforagood5monthsbeforehereachedapointwherehe wassufficientlyunsatisfiedwithhisenvironment,andneededasettingchange.Hedecidedto movebacktoDenmark,buthehadacoupleofmonthstospareinMilanbeforehecould movebacktoDenmark.Hestartedattendingalanguageschool,wherehewouldimprovehis italianskills.
Fromanoutsideperspective,Sander’ssituationseemedquiteoddatthispoint.Iwassoused toapre-decidedpathoflife,andinmymindtherewasnowayaroundhigh-school,andbyall meansuniversityafterthat.Yetherewasoneofmybestfriends,suddenlyahigh-school dropout,attendingalanguageschoolintheoutskirtsofMilanwithpeoplemorethantwice hisagefromallovertheworld.
Helaterexplainedtomethatthiswasaverybizarrechapterinhislife.Allofhisfriendshad alreadystartedhighschool,andherehewas,inalanguageschoolwithoutmuchdirection. Buthemadeaplan,andwentwiththeflow.Aweekafterstartinginthelanguageschool, Sanderinvitedmeoutfordrinkswithhisnewlyacquaintedfriendsfromhisclass.Thatnight hestartedtalkingtoagirlfromhisclasswhowaswellintohertwenties,andaweeklater theywereinParistogether.Butthat’saseparatestoryforanothertime.
Duringhistimeinthelanguageschool,hecultivatedhisknowledgeoftheworldof e-commerce.Dropshippingbecamehismainareaoffocusforthisperiod.Thiswaswhenhe begantodevelopaseriousskillsetintheworldofsocialmediamarketing,ashehadtodo effectiveadvertisingtosellthegoodsinhisstore.
Thisquicklybecamefarmorelucrativethanhispreviousshoutoutbusiness,andhadthe potentialtobescaledintosomethinglarger.However,shortlyafterachievingsuccesswithhis webshops,Sanderdecidedthathewasn’tcreatinganyvalueintheworld.
Hewouldexplainallofhisperspectivesoverlongconversations.Heexplainedtomehow unhealthythebusinessmodelwas.Allofitselementsrevolvedaroundprofitwithlittletono considerationforthecustomer,meaningthatSanderwasn’tcreatinganyvalueorsatisfying anyoneotherthanhimselfinthisoperation,whichbotheredhim.
Itwaslimiting,becausewiththeskillsethehadcultivated,hefelthewasmorethancapable ofmakingaprofitthatleftasmileonbothends.Onceagainhefoundhimselfunfulfilledand lackingasenseofdirection,somethingthatheknewcouldonlyberesolvedbyamajor change,andamajorchangeisexactlywhatoccurred.
HemovedbacktoDenmarkandbeganattendingaboardingschoolinasmalltownnextto Copenhagen,sohewasonceagainwithhisfriendsandpeers.Despitebeingbackinhis comfortableenvironment,hehadn’tforgottenabouthisentrepreneurialaspirations.Asa matteroffact,hewasalreadyconstructinghisnextgameplan,buthewascompletely unawareoftheextenttowhichtheywouldhavebecomerealitythistime.Andsurely,thisis wherethingsreallybegantotakeoffforSander
Becauseofthedistance,webegancatchinguponlongphonecallsseveraltimeseveryweek. Onenight,shortlyaftermovingintohisnewboardingschool,Sandertoldmeabouthisnew
businessidea.Iwasalittleoff-putatfirstashewastalkingaboutitinamoreseriousand engagedwaythenhenormallywouldwhentalkingtomeabouthisdropshippingor shoutouts,butIlistenedandwaitedtoseewhatitwas.Hepitchedtheideaofaso-called SocialMediaMarketingAgency,whichhewouldrunindependentlyandstartfromthe groundup.
Theideainitselfsoundedsmarttome,buttheachievabilityofitnottoomuch:whenyou thinkofamarketingagency,a17yearoldworkingonhislaptoponthecouchisn’treallythe firstthingthatcomestomind;Ididn’tquiteknowwhattothink,Iknewhewaswell acquaintedwiththeworldofsocialmedia,butthiswasabittoo“shootforthestars”formy tastes,especiallybecausehewouldbeattemptingtooffercontractstoskepticalandseasoned businessmenwithdecadesofexperience.
So,whileImaintainedfaithintheproject,Idefinitelydidn’texcludethepossibilityofallof hisworkgoingtowasteeither,asthisveeredfromthetraditionalbusinessstructurealittle toomuchformytastes. Nevertheless,thejourneybegan,andSanderbegantoshapehisagency.Therewasa preparatoryperiod,inwhichhecultivatedknowledgeofthetrade,butalsoinformationabout theexternalenvironmenthewouldhavebeenoperatingin,ashewantedtounderstandallof theelementshewasfacing.
Hisprogresswasquitevariable,butitwassteadyandhewasfocusedonthetask.Hewould talktomeaboutallthesedifferentcomplexconceptsofmarketingandalltheefforthewould putin,butitwaskindoftenseseeingallofthisworkputinwithoutanyguaranteeof immediateresults.
Overthecomingweekwekepttalkingaboutthisnewmodel,sometimeshehadsome excitedlydeliveredgoodnews,andoccasionallysomefrustratingobstaclethathewas encountering,butitslowlyandsteadilycreptforwardandaftersometimethefoundationsfor hisnewagencywerelaiddown.
Hewasreadytostart.Uponhearingthismyimmediatethoughtswerealongthelinesof:
Well,goforit,let’sseewhathappens.Tobeentirelyhonest,Ihadnoideaifthiswouldwork. Sanderstartedreachingouttopotentialclients,andheknewthatresultsrequiredwaiting.So hekeptreachingouttopotentialclientsforseveralweekswithoutanyapparentresults.We kepttalkingabouthisprogressduringthisperiodandhedidn’thavealotofpositivenewsto share,buthewasdeterminedonmakingitwork. Thenonedaysomethinghappened.Hehadfinallyscoredhisfirstcontract.Hecalledme, beamingwithjoy,andexplainedwhathappened:hepitchedtheideatoasmalllocalbusiness hehadmanagedtogetincontactwith,andwasabletostrikeupa$5400contract.
Inaroundayearandahalf,hewentfromsellingcopyandpastedshoutoutsandmaking50 dollarsaday,tostringingupcontractsworth100timesthatamount.Moresmallclientsbegan
tocomein,andtheagencybegantograduallygrowinsize.Thiscontinuedtothepointthat contractsweresignedwithinternationalclientsfromallovertheworld.
ThelasttimewemetinMilan,hehadjustwrappedupabusinesslunchwithtwoofhis clientswhohadtravelledfromSwitzerlandtohaveameetingwithSanderinMilan.
Wekepttalkingonthephonealongtheway,soIwouldgetconsistentupdatesabouthow thingsweregoing,buttheygotmuchmorecasualasthingsstartedrunningquitesmoothly. Despitethis,itremainedinterestinghowtherewasalwaysanewfeatureordesign improvementthatcouldbeadded,aswellasanewmindsetandtakeonthingstoadopt.
Sander’sapproachworked,anditworkedquitewell,tothepointthatitinspiredhimtotry andtransmitthisknowledgetoothersinasimpleway.HedidthisthroughYouTubevideos withusefultipsandguidance,aswellasthingstoavoidandwatchoutfor.Havinggotten goodfeedbackonhisvideos,andafterlearningtheinsandoutsoftheindustry,hedecidedto takethingstothenextlevel:hecreatedacomprehensiveprogramthattakesallofthe elementsthatleadtohissuccess,andcondensesthemintoonesolidcoursethatcanbe accessedthroughhisonlineplatform.HedubbeditTheSMMAcademy.I.e.TheSocial MediaMarketingAgencyAcademy.
Hedecidedtoopenupatotalof10spotsinitially,andtheysoldoutwithinadayortwo.
Alreadyatthispointitbecameapparenttome,thatTheAcademycouldreallyturnintoa movement.Itwascleartomefromthebeginning,thatSander’sfocuswasalwaysonthe
successofallTheAcademymembers.Hegenuinelywantedtohelpoutasmanyaspiring entrepreneursaspossible.
Overtime,thecommunitystartedgrowingfaster.Thiswasperpetuatedbyanother phenomenon,wordofmouth.Hetoldmethatoftenaftersomeonewouldinvestinhiscourse, multiplefriendswouldjointheprogramshortlyafterwards.Peoplewererecommendingitto everyonetheyknew,despiteSandernotpayingacentforanyonetopromoteit.
Fastforwardtotoday,Sanderismoresuccessfulinhisagencyandprogramthaneverbefore, andhasgraduallybuiltupthefoundationsforhisnewlife.Hepayshisownrent,employs peoplefrom3differentcountries,andmostimportantlykeepsrunninghiswholebusiness online:allofhistasksandresourcesareencapsulatedinaportabledevice,allowinghimto workinallcornersoftheworld.Thisstoryendshappily,butitisfarfromover Thefuture holdsmanyfruitstoreap,andwithhiscurrentstrategyandvision,IfeelSanderisgoingto reachhisfullpotential,somethingthathiscurrentsituationisonlyasmallpartof.
DespiteSander’sunusuallylargesuccesstoday,westillcommunicatecasuallyasthefriends we’vealwaysbeen.OnethingI’venoticedaboutSander,isthatenteringhisworldisn’teasy. Hekeepshissocialcircleincrediblytight.Butonceyou’rein,you’reincompanywithan incrediblywarmandintelligenthumanbeing.Hispresencealwaysleavesamarkwhereverhe goes,andhe’soneofthosepeoplethateffortlesslycaptivatesthefullattentionofthose aroundhim.
Writingthisarticlehasmademereflectuponthelastcoupleofyears,andfollowingSander’s journeyfromakidwithambitionstoawell-respectedbusinessownerhasbeensomethingout oftheordinarytosaytheleast.I’mexcitedtoseewhatthefutureholdsforSanderandhis ventures.
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