This happened to me in 2024 – Year in Review

Here’s a weird confession: after 22 years of being a serial entrepreneur, I spent most of 2024 not running any business at all. And you know what? I kind of loved it 😇

The old me would’ve seen this as failure. No business to run? No team to lead? But this year taught me something interesting: sometimes the best moves in life aren’t the ones you planned for.

This is my second year writing one of these reviews (see my 2023 review). It’s partly to help me reflect, partly for my kids to read someday (hey future kids! 👋), and hey, maybe it’ll help other entrepreneurs too.

If you’re short on time, here’s the TLDR: I wrapped up my time at UpViral (the business I sold in 2023), took a 3.5-month world trip with my wife and two kids (ages 1 and 3 at the time), changed how I think about success, got into the best shape I’ve been in years, and found out we’re expecting our third kid in 2025. Oh, and I killed every new business idea I started – but I learned to be okay with that (more on this later).

But the most surprising part? I actually enjoyed not having an active business to run. Two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. After 22 years of being an entrepreneur (starting when I was 16), taking a step back turned out to be exactly what I needed.

Let’s break down what happened this year – the good, bad & ugly 👇

Personal Highlights ✨

Yet again, there’s a LOT to be grateful for this year.

Big News First 👶

The biggest update? We’re expecting our third kid in ± May 2025! (we *just* discovered it will be a boy). We’re super excited, and our kids are looking forward to their little brother!

Made Health a Priority 🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Made some cool changes this year: started running twice a week and picked up padel. Exercise became a non-negotiable in my schedule. As a result I’m in better shape now than I’ve been in years, dropped 10kg along the way, and enjoy the routine. Not bad for someone who used to play squash just once a week (which I still do). Probably one of my biggest “wins” this year!

Sure – Caroline jokes about my “retired life” every time I play padel on Thursday afternoon with fellow entrepreneurs. But hey, when you have the flexibility, why not use it? 😇

Lots of family time ❤️

One of the best parts of having more flexibility? Being there for the family. Not just during holidays (see below), also for the small stuff. Like that time I was the only dad at my daughter’s school play – you should’ve seen her face light up when she spotted me in the crowd! Or being able to drop everything when one of the kids is sick without stressing about work. Even simple things like doing fun activities during the week (something I probably wouldn’t have done as much in the past) feel different now.

It’s funny how these “ordinary” moments end up being the ones you remember most. Whether it’s spontaneous weekday adventures or just being able to pick the kids up from school without stressing out – these are the moments that make me grateful for this season of life.

Life Without a Business 😎

Remember how I always thought I needed to be running something? Yeah, about that…

After selling UpViral in 2023, my plan was simple: start building the next thing right away. That’s what entrepreneurs do, right? Instead, something weird happened: I actually enjoyed not having a business to run.

No team meetings. No customer support emergencies. No constant problem-solving. Just… time. Time to think, time to explore, and (most importantly) time to hang out with the kids while they’re still small. (Fleur turned 4 this year – how did that happen so fast?)

You know what’s funny? All those things I thought I’d miss about running a business? Turns out having that mental space felt surprisingly good. Though I’ve got to admit – initially I caught myself opening Slack out of habit, only to remember I don’t have a team anymore 😅

I’ve got more thoughts on this whole “business break” thing below (and why this will change in 2025), but first, let’s dive into our adventures this year…

Travel & Adventures 🌎

Looking back at 2024, I can’t help but smile at how our travel adventures turned out.

Shortly after I wrapped up my time at UpViral, we started another world trip in February. When we initially planned this 3.5-month adventure through South Africa, Indonesia & Singapore with our 1 and 3-year-old, lots of people asked if that was doable. Turns out, kids are incredibly flexible travelers! Actually, we knew they would be – this wasn’t our first family trip. We’d already done a couple of months in Bali when Fleur was 2 and Levi was just a 3-month-old baby. After that experience, taking the kids anywhere seemed pretty doable!

South Africa was just amazing. We kicked things off with three weeks in Cape Town, then did a road trip towards Johannesburg. What I love about South Africa, especially with kids, is this perfect mix of adventure and practicality. You’ve got the incredible nature and wildlife, but also all the conveniences that make traveling with kids easier – good roads, modern supermarkets (with all the usual kid stuff), and reliable infrastructure. It’s like getting the best of both worlds.

Here’s a short video of our time in South Africa:

After two months in South Africa, we headed to Bali (Indonesia). Originally planned for two months there, but after a few days, we realized we prefer new destinations instead of revisiting places. We cut it down to one month, and added Singapore to our itinerary for a week – completely different from other Asian countries we’ve visited.

Fun fact: by running all my ads through AmEx, their points covered all our flights for this trip. For example, our Johannesburg to Bali flight cost us less than €100 in business class on Singapore Airlines 🤯 Totally spoiled? Yes. Worth it with small kids? Also yes. When you’re traveling with little ones, good sleep on an 18-hour flight is pricess 😴

For the remainder of the year, we mainly did short trips and getaways:

• Borrowed a friend’s caravan for a weekend (ended up buying our own after)
• Spent a week away with our family here in the Netherlands
• Had a fun weekend with Caroline’s family
• Did a father-son road trip through Austria
• Wrapped up the year with a kid-free weekend with Caroline

Looking back at these longer trips (we’ve done quite a few 3-6 month trips ones over the years), things are about to change a bit. Once Fleur turns 5, she’ll be required by law to attend school here in the Netherlands. While there are some loopholes for longer trips, we’ll probably shift more toward shorter adventures for a while. I guess each phase brings its own kind of adventures.

Business Highlights 💼

Business-wise it’s been an “interesting” year to say the least. Late January 2024, I wrapped up my time at UpViral. Perfect timing – just two weeks before our world trip started. Talk about a clean break!

My mini-retirement 🏖️

During that trip, I didn’t do ANYTHING business related (alright, except for reading, but that doesn’t count). That was definitely a first for me, and honestly… I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Even after I got back home during the summer, I didn’t jump straight into my next thing yet. Instead, I spent time with the kids, worked on house projects, got into better shape, spent more time with friends, and actually enjoyed the flexibility of not having an active business to run.

Being a serial entrepreneur, I would’ve never guessed I’d enjoy this season in life.

Getting Back into Business… or so I thought 😴

Just like any entrepreneur will recognize, it didn’t take long for the “itch to start something” to come back. Being a bit of a nerd, I got excited about AI. Started playing around, building stuff – you know how it goes. Over time, I started various projects… but ended up killing every single one of them.

Here’s what typically happened:

1. Get super excited about an idea
2. Start building
3. Realize it’s “not big enough”
4. Kill the project
5. Repeat 🔄

Looking back, it’s kind of funny. After running businesses with a 45-person team, I somehow expected to build something of similar size within no-time… while keeping all my newfound freedom. (Spoiler alert: that’s not how it works 😅)

From Building to Investing 📈

Instead of building new stuff, I spent more time learning about being a better investor. Started hanging out with people way smarter than me about money, dove into everything from stocks to crypto to private investments and financing.

Here’s the ironic part: without actively running a business, this turned into one of my better years financially. Turns out sometimes less doing = better results. Who knew? 🤷‍♂️

The good thing is that I now have the basis covered, which means this won’t need as much of a time investment going forward as it did 2024.

A New Definition of “Success” ❤️

You know what’s interesting about stepping away from business for a while? It gives you space to actually think about why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Here’s what I figured out this year: life moves in seasons. 2024? It was a season for family, health, and exploring what’s next. And that’s perfectly fine – even though my previous self would probably roll his eyes at that statement.

Used to think success meant constant business growth, bigger teams, more revenue. Now? I see it differently. It’s about building things I enjoy, being there for the small moments, and not overthinking what comes next.

Recently, I had an interesting call with a friend who runs a smaller, niche SaaS business. He shared how he keeps things lean, focuses on the tech, and genuinely enjoys what he’s building. No pressure to scale to the moon or build a massive team.

That conversation really clicked with me. Maybe my next project doesn’t need to be “the next big thing.” Maybe it’s okay to just build something because I enjoy the process, without the pressure of making it huge. Building for the fun of it! 🛠️

Looking Ahead

For 2025, I’m planning to start building again – this time with a different mindset. Already bought a domain on December 31st (even though I’m still figuring out exactly what it’ll be!). The goal? Build something I enjoy, without overthinking what it needs to become.

Want to know what I’m working on? Keep an eye on my socials – or actually, maybe you won’t see much there. Still figuring out whether I want to be the “face” of whatever comes next. But hey, that’s a topic for another time! 😉

Lessons Learned

As always, every year brings new lessons. That’s what keeps things interesting, right? 2024 was no different, though some of the lessons weren’t exactly what I expected. Here’s what I learned this year…

Redefining Success 🎯

Like I said, I used to think success meant constant growth – bigger team, more profit, faster expansion. But this year taught me something different. Success can be about building things you enjoy, having time for family, or just living life on your own terms. (Pretty liberating once you get used to it!)

Right Decisions > More Hours ⚖️

Here’s something interesting I learned from the investment side of things: the outcome isn’t always related to how many hours you put in. Sometimes a couple of really good decisions can lead to WAY better results than months of grinding. Made some terrible decisions too (lost quite a bit on one FOMO-driven choice), but hey – that’s how we learn, right?

They Really Do Grow Up Fast 🌱

It’s such a cliché, but wow is it true. When you’re in the daily routine of parenting, it’s easy to miss how quickly time flies. That’s why I’m glad I could be there for the small moments this year – like being the only dad at my daughter’s school play. These moments don’t come back.

Missing: A Great Team 🤝

Know what’s interesting? You don’t realize how valuable a great team is until you start from scratch. Used to have a solid team where I could share an idea and have something running within a week. Now? Starting anything means building everything from the ground up. Really makes you appreciate the power of a good team.

That Bar We Set… 📊

Found myself killing various business ideas this year because they “weren’t good enough” or “wouldn’t scale fast enough.” Looking back, I probably set the bar unrealistically high. When you compare every new idea to your previous successful business, nothing seems quite good enough.

Building Just for Fun 🛠️

After the eye-opening chat with the friend I mentioned, I remembered/realized that it’s okay to build businesses just for fun, even if they won’t become the next unicon. Made me realize that maybe my next project doesn’t need to be huge. Maybe it’s okay to build something just because you enjoy doing it.

Looking Back at Last Year’s Goals

Time for some accountability! In last year’s review, I set some goals for 2024. Let’s see how that went:

Enjoy our world trip ✅

This was the big one – taking a 3.5 month trip with the family. Not only did we do it, but it turned out even better than expected. The kids handled it like champs (turns out they’re better travelers than we are!).

Figure out what’s next 🤔

Well… yes and no. Did I start a new business? Nope. But I did gain clarity about what I want (and don’t want) moving forward. Sometimes knowing what you don’t want is just as valuable as knowing what you do want.

(And I did decide my next thing on december 31st, so I guess this counts? 😇)

Read 20 books ❌

I read around 15 books. Not quite the goal, but honestly? I’m happy with it. It’s become a solid habit, which was the real intention behind this goal.

Launch 4 initiatives as MVPs ❌

This one’s interesting – I started several projects but ended up killing all of them. This one feels like a failure. I’ll do better next year!

Hang out more with fellow entrepreneurs ✅

Between padel sessions, trips, and regular catchups, this one was a win. There’s something energizing about spending time with people who think similarly about business and life.

Stay curious and explore new topics ✅

From diving deep into investments to playing around with AI, I’d say curiosity wasn’t lacking this year!

Goals for 2025

Looking ahead, here’s what I’m focusing on:

Health First 🏋️

Keep the momentum going with exercise and healthy habits. I’ve dropped 10kg and feel better than I have in years – want to keep building on that.

Family Time 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

With baby #3 coming in May, this one’s obvious! Want to keep enjoying quality time with the kids and Caroline, while setting us all up for this new chapter.

Build Something Fun 🛠️

Time to start some cool projects again – but this time without the pressure of making them “huge.” Just want to build things I enjoy and see where they lead.

What’s different about these goals compared to last year? They’re more about continuing good patterns than hitting specific numbers. Maybe that’s what happens when you stop trying to force everything into a business metric!

And that’s 2024! A year that taught me it’s okay to press pause, enjoy the moment, and redefine what success means. From South African safaris to Thursday afternoon padel games, from killing business ideas to finding unexpected joy in having more time – it’s been quite a ride.

2025 is already shaping up to be interesting. Baby #3 is on the way, I’ve got some project ideas I’m excited about (though I’m keeping those under wraps for now 😉), and for the first time in a long time, I’m actually okay with not having everything figured out.

After all, sometimes the best things in life are the ones we don’t plan for.

See you next year! 👋