1 Who taught you how to manage money?
‘My father was an accountant with an office of 25 employees. He taught me how to draw up a business plan at an early age. If I wanted extra money for something special, I had to make him an overview of all costs and possible proceeds. When I wanted to go abroad for two months after my secondary school, I had to calculate what it would cost me every day and how I wanted to finance it.’
2 Did you want to earn money as a child?
‘As a 12-year-old, I organized plays in the garage with some friends during the summer holidays. We handed out flyers in the neighborhood, we charged visitors an entrance fee and we sold chips during the performance. Or we organized sports tournaments with registration fees on the square around the corner, where all participants could win prizes. Every summer we had a few projects.’
3 What is your best investment?
‘The holiday home we bought eight years ago. At first I was not in favor: that only costs money and yields nothing, I thought. Still, I started looking for places where holiday rentals are going well. Finally I ended up in Tenerife. I noticed that the local vacation rentals on Airbnb had an occupancy rate of over 80 percent. We bought something there and it has been a very good investment: the value has risen sharply and our holiday home is rented out about 85 percent of the time. Unfortunately, it has been two years since we have been to Tenerife ourselves.’
4 What wrong decision cost you a lot of money?
‘I had a company in China, with which I exported garden furniture to 28 countries. Everything went well, so I decided to stock up in Belgium to shorten the delivery time. I had ten containers come to Belgium. I shouldn’t have done that. The market turned and I can barely sell my stock.’
5 What do you choose: more income or more vacation?
I try to go on an annual retreat to a Buddhist monastery.
‘More vacation. Many entrepreneurs resolve to enjoy their retirement, but they often don’t even make it. Over the past ten years I have guided more than 500 entrepreneurs and things often go wrong: they take good care of their company and their employees, but not for themselves. You often hear: entrepreneurship is a marathon. Wrong. Entrepreneurship is a series of sprints, which you can only maintain by recovering in between.’
6 Do you spend a lot of money on self-care?
‘Self-care shouldn’t cost much. I have a dog that requires me to go for a walk every day. After 45 minutes of walking in the woods, the stress has flowed out of my body.’
7 What do you enjoy spending money on?
‘Experiences, usually with the family. For example, I will soon be going on a retreat with my mother in a Buddhist monastery. I try to do that every year, because that’s where I really relax and enjoy the silence.’
8 What is your craziest purchase?
‘The day before my fortieth birthday I bought a Tesla, without my wife’s knowledge. That was six years ago, when everyone still thought you were crazy if you bought an electric car. I haven’t regretted that purchase for a second. At that time, Tesla drivers were given the gift of being able to charge their car for free for life at a Tesla charging point. I still benefit from that, especially because there is such a point barely three kilometers from our home.’
9 Have you recently invested in the government bond?
‘On principle alone I didn’t do that. If you want to invest in a promising start-up, you have to pay 25 percent withholding tax. But the government applies a favorable rate for itself. That shouldn’t be allowed.’
10 Do you monitor your own finances closely?
‘I can tell you exactly how much we spend on our loans and other major costs. This also applies to the companies or non-profit organizations with which I am involved. I always want to know what the income and expenses are, because I refuse to sail blind. Sometimes I meet entrepreneurs who do not know by heart what their monthly wage costs are. I can’t get my head around that.’