I have noticed that the people I do good business with are people that I also have a lot of fun with. My perception of being “an entrepreneur” has never been running a company towards a specific goal written in a business plan that you never read after you have written it. My perception is that being an entrepreneur is about enjoying a journey that you never know where will end.
A journey that starts off in one direction, and a perception of reality that constantly changes. It’s all about whom you bump into, where the market is going, and which path is the most enjoyable.
I have never liked the traditional network meetings where the question “so what do you do” echoes endlessly in the room. I usually go, if ever, to these events with people that I already know, and consider it to be an excuse to have some good wine and to tell a few stories. My best “networking events” have been random situations out and about travelling the world.
I do business with people, not with companies, so I like to know whom I am dealing with, and I am always anxious to see what I can learn from the people I meet. If everyone asked what his/her passion is instead of what he/she does, I would be a lot more interested. So when I am asked what I do, I always answer what my passion is, and funnily enough that interests people a lot more.
In the Western world where I live, we are taught to go through life a certain way, and there are a billion unwritten as well as written rules to follow. As negative as I feel that is, it is also a blessing for those who step out of that system, those who choose their own path and follow their passion, ignoring all the nay sayers and pessimists that fill the surface of the planet, as we are the ones who have followers.
People actually want to follow their passion if they know how to do it. In most cases, they just need a tiny push and good energy. The ones that have good energy and are following their passion should bump into as many people as possible to change the world for the better, as it is the people that can make that happen.
The world can be a playground if you let it. Get out there and enjoy yourself – you will meet the right people, and you will get to learn a whole lot more about the real person behind the business card when people are enjoying themselves and are in an environment that excites them. It is also a great excuse to get out of the boardroom and enjoy life being “an entrepreneur”.
“Always remember to have fun as an entrepreneur – you can’t be sure that you will succeed in your venture – but you would have had fun trying”
Daniel Hansen, Founder & CEO, OMNIA Global
Modball 2015
For the second time, Daniel Hansen participated in the Modball Rally racing from London to Barcelona.
You can read more about Modball here.