At 23, we sold our software company to an international buyer for €83 million.
A few people have asked me how I got started without money. This is how it happened for me.
I grew up poor and started working for myself at 16. I had no money to invest and no network to ask for favours. But I'd learned to code, so I started earning money with that.
Websites, iPhone apps, computer repairs. Whatever people needed that I knew how to do.
At the same time, I kept building my own software projects. Hundreds of systems that went nowhere before I finally made something that worked.
I was 19 when I met a woman working in healthcare. She was much older than me, around 50 if I remember correctly. She told me her staff were still working with Excel, Word and USB sticks.
I thought it was so primitive. Surely I could build something that would let them write reports about their patients online, straight from their phones.
She offered to finance the whole thing as long as I did the programming.
I wasn't thinking about ownership, negotiating shares or eventually selling a company. I thought it was a really interesting problem, and now someone was offering to fund me solving it.
I've always loved figuring out difficult things. Give me something complicated to build and I'll happily disappear into it.
That's why I didn't negotiate. I was happy with what I was offered because I got to spend my time doing something I loved.
What started as a way to write patient reports became a complete ERP system. It covered everything from assessing how much care a patient needed to scheduling staff and billing for the care delivered.
We built a company around it, with employees and multiple locations. The software became a market leader in its field.
None of that was in my head when I first said yes.
At 21, I received my first dividend.
I was on holiday with my parents in Fuerteventura, standing in line at Lidl to pay for some croissants, when a notification came through on my banking app.
The money had arrived.
I opened the app and immediately took a screenshot. That's the picture attached.
When you've grown up without money, seeing a balance like that is a feeling I can't really describe. Almost better than sex, honestly.
Two years later, we sold the company.
That €83 million was the sale price of the business, not what I personally received. I owned 30%.
Looking back, I wish I'd had the confidence to ask for 50/50. She financed the project, which made it possible. I built the entire system. But at the beginning, I hadn't really thought about the value of what I was bringing.
I was just excited that I could build it.
So when someone tells me they don't have the money to bring their ideas to life, I understand. I didn't either.
I earned money from my skills, kept trying my own ideas and eventually met someone with a problem I could solve who was willing to finance the development.
That doesn't mean every project will work. Most of mine didn't.
And I certainly didn't know at 19 that this would become the business we sold at 23.
I'd gladly do the work again. I just wish I'd trusted my own ability earlier and taken the ownership conversation as seriously as I took the programming.
Fair point 😂
But to be completely honest, I’m still not entirely comfortable with crypto.
I’ve structured my personal wealth quite differently. I work with investment managers across three continents, with my capital diversified across fixed income, real estate and dividend-paying equities.
The returns might be less exciting, but my priority has always been capital preservation and consistent cash flow.
It generates a comfortable recurring income, which means I don’t have to worry about money or constantly watch the markets.
I understand that when you’re still building wealth, crypto can offer the opportunity to grow your capital much faster. But you can also lose it just as quickly.
At a certain point, the game changes. It’s no longer about how much you can make. It’s about protecting what you’ve already built.
Different stages of wealth require different strategies.
Guys, guys, guys. Please. Let me be the referee here. 😂
During COVID, I had an Interactive Brokers account where I traded regular stocks.
Worst experience of my life. Hahaha.
The moment I bought stocks, they crashed. And I mean CRASHED. 📉
Eventually, I managed to close my positions with a small profit, but I promised myself I would never touch trading again.
Fast forward.
A good friend of mine, who happens to be the Chief Investment Officer at one of the biggest investment firms out there, convinced me to give crypto a shot.
I told him: “Fine. Here’s $30,000. Do your thing.”
And this is what he’s managed to build so far. 😂
I’m still extremely conservative when it comes to investing. I prefer making money through actual businesses.
But I’ve decided to give him a little more time to prove himself.
If he keeps delivering, I’m considering putting $1 million into it.
Would you guys be interested if I occasionally shared updates on this portfolio? The wins, the losses, the decisions, everything.
Because unlike most crypto gurus on X, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. ���
Almost 100,000 views on my last post. What the hell 😂
Honestly, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect any of this. And the funniest part? That bank screenshot is years old. It’s not even my current balance.
First of all, thank you for all the love. I’ve received over 100+ DMs and so many comments. I promise I’ll try to answer every single one of you. Just give me a little time.
I also want to give a special shoutout to my friend @EcomBaba.
I’ve never been much of a social media person and I have absolutely no ambition to become an influencer.
A while ago, we were talking about life and business. He told me I should start sharing my experiences because people might actually find them interesting.
I wasn’t convinced, but he gave me that little push. So thank you, my friend. Look what you’ve started 😂
And now I’m genuinely curious where this community will go.
I’m not here to sell you anything. No courses, no paid mentorship. Never.
Some people have even offered to pay me for advice in my DMs. I’ve told them to keep their money and just tell me what they’re struggling with. If I can help, I will.
I’ve been fortunate enough to reach a point in life where I don’t need to chase money anymore.
What I do enjoy is meeting interesting people, hearing about your successes, sharing what I’ve learned and hopefully helping someone avoid a mistake I made.
And to the critics, you’re welcome too. Ask difficult questions. Challenge my opinions. I actually enjoy a good discussion.
But if you’re just here to spread negativity, I’ll happily show you where the block button is. Free of charge, of course 😂
Life is too short to surround yourself with miserable people.
Show me love, I’ll show you love. Simple as that.
Thank you all again. ❤️