The end of the one era. It stops. I realized that the other day. I was sitting at our new office, which is still under renovation, and there were 24-25 people there. 8 of them were taking level 3 exams: the hypno-path-finder. And I suddenly realized: this is never going to happen again. We had dinner together downstairs in the little restaurant. That too is just never going to happen again. I actually realized that all weekend, because it was the last block of 3.0.
A new beginning
We were all sitting around a table and then I said this to the group, "What we have done now is not going to happen again. What did I mean by that? That we are doing level 3 so live in a small group. Because the next level 3 is in September. That will all be livestreamed. The results are also top notch. Only this was still an 'old' group, meeting in the office. And now we were sitting like this in a new office - hypnotically initiated, you could say - and then I thought, Wow, that's a new beginning again. Because where one stops, another begins.
I remember well when I started at 70 Zaanweg, I'll never forget that either. That was a small space. At least, small... I thought it was hearty, because there were 2 offices. 1 that my father-in-law worked in, and in the other I sat. We had a small space, where we could fit a group of up to 15 people. I've had a group of 15, which was packed to the brim.
At some point in 2012, I thought, I really need to move to another space because I want bigger and it can't get bigger this way. I remember well that the last block of training, I think the master's program, was taught in the new space.
A new space, new motivation
That was very special because there were 10 people and they came into that new space, and they just disappeared into that space. I'm thinking 'How big is this! How can I fill this?' I really did spend a night awake because of that. Really slept badly, let me put it that way. And within no time it was full. That's fascinating too, so you do something, you start expanding. Which is scary, because how is it going to work out? But I always think: worst case scenario, I'm on a contract for 5 years, that costs me so much, and then I just lost that. Well, that's just the way it is. But that never happened. At some point the attic came in, and the location where I'm still sitting now as well. Suddenly we had 3 spaces that were all filled.
Then came corona, all the properties gone again, except in Krommenie. And yes, the team grew so fast that since corona we have added 8 people. Not to mention all the people who join and work with us on a self-employed basis as well. Because that's an additional 20-30 or so. If you add those all up, you're at 50. That's extreme growth. I looked at our new office and thought, Here, 25 people can easily work. In the beginning when I got there I thought every time: Wow, this is big. But yes, it will fill up again. That's interesting, if you have that ambition at all, of course. That you naturally keep yourself in a certain hypnosis of what is possible all the time. What is possible? Every step outside, that is, out of the comfort zone - out of your own safe hypnosis bubble - is exciting.
But the interesting thing is: it just fills up again. Of course actions have to be taken, you understand that yourself. As I saw with that small space from Zaanweg to Weverstraat. The Weverstraat was really 2.5 times bigger by then. That was actually within a few months just always - that group size - was like that. So those properties, you could say, were also in my head. I thought, OK, the group can be that big. It can't be any bigger. I can't put more than 24 people in that space. Well, okay how can we grow bigger? By adding another building. Then we can add another 24.
From buildings to online
Now we do it via livestream. That basically allows 1,000 people in a session. But I want to work with break-out rooms, which are the bottleneck. So we have 50 breakout rooms and 3 people per breakout room. So 150 per group, which is the same now. The funny thing is, we're already over 150 in some groups now. That's what I mean by your own hypnosis. See, there's a chance that every group will also go to that max again. And then it's full again. It's funny how that works. Somehow it just fills up. I also understand that it doesn't apply to everyone. Maybe you think: I don't have that at all.
Make no mistake, my company has been around for 16 years now. At first as a ZZP in construction, but soon I started coaching and training. In 2009. So I've been doing that for about 13 years now. But, in the first trainings I gave there were 4 participants. In the second 5 and I think after that 6, 2 of them non-paying. I thought, I'll add them because I didn't like 4. Or yes, not fun, it was just hard work. You just started as a trainer and suddenly someone in the group says, "I don't want to practice with that one anymore. Then the same couple has to work together all the time. It wasn't easy, but it was very instructive. Especially in the beginning, I often thought, Okay, why did I start doing this? Why didn't I stay in construction? Just hourly billing. Still, I'm glad I continued.
Slow growth is also growth
So therein as well: Look, I really do see some companies on Instagram, which have a giant following within 3 years, and have a giant business in 5 years. Sometimes in one or two years. That was totally not the case with me. With me, the business only took off from 2016-2017. The last 5 years. From 2017 it was just going well. And now it's just going really well. But that really took a run-up until it was going well. It was hard work. That's not an effort at all, to work hard. Certainly not. But anyway, at one point I was doing 120 training days a year. Every weekend I was training and the other days I was doing sessions. At one point I was working 7 days a week. Not just giving trainings, but also production work, marketing, people had to be in training, the emails, this, that. I was doing all that on my own. Administration. It was really hard work though and never being home. That was intense.
I work a lot less now and things are going a lot better. It's because now, of course, I have all these people around me working hard. So that's great. If you can gather that around you. But anyway, then you have to have budget again. I won't tire you further. But it's interesting to notice how that goes. Looking at myself, I see that every step I take out of my hypnosis - my comfort zone - means growth for me. Now I'm at such a point again. I can feel that in everything. I feel I'm going to take another step. You'll hear about that naturally. What I want to give you in any case: it's not all gold that shines. Let me put it this way. Look, I also see people on Instagram who then celebrate a 3, or 5-year anniversary and say that things are going super well. At least, that's what it looks like on the outside, I don't know, of course. I want to contrast that with a slightly different story. After 5 years in my business, things were not going so well at all.
Figures of Entrepreneurship
If you look at the numbers, 30% of businesses that start don't make it through the first year. After which they quit. Those don't go bankrupt. The bankruptcy rate is low, but that's because most companies quit before they go bankrupt. That's a distorted picture. 'Hey, fewer companies are going out of business.' True, but more companies are also quitting than before the pandemic. That's not being reported. When I looked up the figures the other day, I thought that was interesting. After 5 years, 61% quit, and after 9/10 years, almost 90% quit. My company has been around for 16 years, so I should consider myself fortunate that we still exist. I just mean to say: don't let other things drive you crazy, even on Instagram. Really, I love it when someone really gets things right after 3 or 5 years. I wish I had that back then. But I also know the back side, that which you don't see.
If you are reading this and you have started for yourself and sometimes have doubts: Rest assured, everyone has. I'm in a mastermind with people who turn over millions, really extreme amounts. I then think, Oh, my god. That's a success. But everybody has the same struggles. So that's okay, too. Don't let it drive you crazy. Short summary: Step out of your comfort zone, out of your own hypnosis, a little more often. If you want growth, sort for growth. In other words: buy a bigger office, bigger premises, think bigger. The funny thing is: it automatically fills up to your size.
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