At the Startup Chat they had a pretty nice topic regarding what made you an entrepreneur.
You can listen the 20 min episode here:
I would like to share a bit my story since it’s nice to do a bit of reflexion about your “origins”
To put you in context I was born in Barcelona in the ’84. We were 4 at home, my father a policeman from Andalucia, my mother from Galicia a housewife (working from home), my older brother and me the young one.
THIS IS REALLY LONG AND PROBABLY BORING! up to you to read it 😉
We lived outside the city center in a tiny apartment 55m2 that my parents bought. The mortgage of the apartment was 22.000 pesetas (120€) and my father was earning back then 22.300 pesetas. He was working also as an accountant and as an insurance broker in his free time. My mom took care of the 2 of us and also worked sewing shoulder pads to a famous shirts brand.
We never had a bike or a pet due to space issues and we were a really modest family but we did many things together with really low budget. Due that my parents are from different places in Spain (really different cultures and languages) we visited many family members often or they will come to visit us. Was really normal to have friends and family over in our tiny apartment. My mom soon became an awesome cook.
Often bought things they could not afford paying instalments so they always had a debts with El Corte Inglés (a famous shopping center in Spain). So we had few things that we may not be able to have otherwise, but always struggled to pay. Like a Nintendo or Computer and few other minor things.
My parents always paid their debts, they are hard workers and tireless. Luckily they also found some time to spend with us and to hang out with friends.
In 1992 my father started his first business, he opened a Musical Bar with 3 other partners (his cousins). Was a really great success and they were making a great deal of money, but soon my father was diagnosed with signs of cancer and was almost 8 months out. We spent many many hours in the hospital and many surgeries. When he was already fine business was a mess and they had different points of view for the business, my father sold his part since he didn’t like what he saw as he thought all was going to hell. He got little money, that was 1994. During that period my mom worked there as cleaning lady and then as cook in a restaurant.
With that money in 1995 they opened after many months of work a Restaurant (La Taberna de Alibaba best tapas in barcelona love the SEO!). To open the restaurant my parents asked money to some friends. If I remember well was 4.000.000 pesetas (24.000€). Since the restaurant was really big and a lot of thing needed to be done.
When the restaurant was opened my mom and my teen brother started working full time there and my father on his free time (he was still a cop). They were working really really hard more than 12h a day….. I was 11 years old. From that moment on when I was back from school I was alone. So I needed to learn to do my own stuff homework, study without any adult supervision and I will spend great amount of hours in a park next to the restaurant just playing football.
The first 4 years were really tough and took my a lot of time to get used. I was a mommy kid, all the sudden I was solo, quite a trauma.
Summers were too long, since you have 3 months of holidays, so I spent a lot of time using my brothers computer and reading from IT magazines. At 13 I started my first business…was a bit illegal so not going into details. But one summer spent in Andalucia one of my cousins taught me a cool trick to do at TVs. Then when I came back to Barcelona I was selling that to all the restaurants in the neighbor. Was a fixed price + renewal every time a new codec was needed, got 22 clients in 1 week. It required technical knowledge + assembly of components + internet to download some codecs. Was ’98 and thanks to that money I had internet, fixed my bike and saved money to buy a CD-R.
At the same time I started making CD Backups of other people since I was one of the few that had a CD-R at home. Then business was 50% TV and 50% CD. All the sudden they changed some security protocols at the TV, business over. A bit later I was cleaning dishes and serving tables in my parents restaurant while I was studying, just few hours and they were paying me 😉
2000s were a great time for my family and for almost any Spaniard. We were in a bubble! we bought a new apartment and left our super tiny one for a huge penthouse. I was 16 already and enjoying like never. My parents were also enjoying and spending a lot, we bought a Mercedes car in 2000, another apartment in 2002 and in 2004 a house in the beach to go on the short holidays they had.
In 2003 I got a mini car for my birthday and got my first “adult” problem. I couldn’t afford it. I was studying and working at the same time part time, but that was not enough to pay the expenses of the car + benzine to see my GF at that time. Took me 2 years studying and working full time to manage to have an stable income and relied heavily in a Credit Visa every month to be able to pay the parking and benzine of the card. I remember once my mom asking me why I was at home and not out with some friends, told her I didn’t have any money. I was 21 and I never felt so embarrassed. She gave me 50€. Filled the tank of the car to be able to use it :S
From 2002 to 2005 my parents paid a private school for IT 400€ every month, I passed all with good grades. At the end of my school period I had a decent job, but surely my parents thought was not that much money and that I could earn more doing something else. Luckily I did what I wanted and kept on 😉
In 2007 left my parents place and moved to my own apartment, had a good job and needed a bit of independance. That moment we had 3 apartments, 3 cars and 1 scooter for 2 drivers. We lived in a really fast train of expenses and mortgages. I had also a great job and few other side business.
Ends of 2008 will change all…I left to the Netherlands and my parents business started to slow down…not immediately but in 2010 many restaurants around closed down. In 2011 I borrowed money to my parents for first time (as said they always returned everything). We started selling all we had, for lot less than was bought. The bubble exploded. Not many people was going to restaurants, there were no more credits…and my parents divorced for different issues (no point to explain).
In 2010 I was working as team lead in a big company with a great salary…but didn’t like it, so got an offer from TuManitas to be CTO and have shares…in 2012 I decided to professionalize Open Classifieds a side project started in 2009.
Since then I do not have a great salary, but hey! got my company, got enough to eat and I do not own money to no one. I also enjoy every single day, we are getting bigger! going slow but safe.
I guess always wanted to prove myself to my family…..maybe I still do.
Now it’s me who is a parent, I have a daughter and I will love she learns from my mistakes and from the grandpas 😉
Things I learnt the hard way
- Get a backup plan/ job if yours fails
- Do not buy things you can not pay in cash now
- When having success, do not waste your money
- Work hard!
- Do an MVP in something you are a master
- Start as lean as possible, move step by step
- Having a side business can be awesome
- Do not involve family and business
- You got debts pay them, do not get more
- Be honest
If you really read until here I am astonished! please leave a comment below I will owe you a beer 100% guaranteed 😉
Note: some dates may not be as accurate as I wish but is quite good 😛