I met a successful serial entrepreneur by accident.

Last week, I was still at the office past 6 PM, staring out at a view that makes you forget Berlin even exists.

Everyone else had left.

Then someone came over and said,
“I need to close the office — I don’t want to kick you out, but…”

We started talking.

Turns out he’s a founder, serial entrepreneur, and leader. David

And in just 10 minutes, he taught me lessons that have stayed with me:

Talk to early users — all the time.
He spends 30–40% of his time doing this. No matter how big your company gets, staying close to the people you serve is non-negotiable.

He reminded me that the real gold is hearing the raw feedback from the people who rely on your product first.

Appreciate the small efforts.
He had seen one of my first Instagram reels that I made and said I shot in one of their co-working office and was amazed by their beautiful office.

850 views, nothing special, yet he remembered it and thanked me in person. (You can click the link if you want to see which video was about!)

Leadership isn’t just about grand gestures. It’s about noticing the small things others often overlook, and taking a moment to acknowledge them.

Stay passionate after the exit.
He casually mentioned selling his other company to a Chinese company. But what struck me wasn’t the “success story” It was the energy he still brings to building things, even after the exit.

Your drive doesn’t have to fade once you’ve “made it.” Curiosity, enthusiasm, and a love for creating, that’s what makes leaders truly inspiring.

After 15 years in Berlin, I’ve met many founders.

Some have sold companies worth multi-millions.

But the ones who stick with me?

They leave you feeling encouraged, not because of their achievements, but because of their qualities.

So here’s a tiny challenge:

Notice someone’s small effort today.

Reach out to an early user.

Or reconnect with the work that still excites you.

You might be surprised by what you learn.

Which of these lessons resonates with you most right now?

Hit reply and let me know, I’d love to hear.

P.S.: If you are lost to position yourself, whether for your job searching, career, business, or brand? 

We developed a product just for this: Advantage Mindset Shift to help you position yourself in 45 minutes. 

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P.P.S: Thank you to all of you who opened and read and clicked the links.

It made me cry because it was more than 45% open rate and more than 10% click rate. This is a crazy number for a newsletter; the average open rate is 20%, and it is the first one back.

Next, I will share about how I was able to build a community and an education company, and then sell it.

If you see the value, forward it to your friend, colleague, and invite them to join the list.