I scored you many goalsFirst week of “relax” and meetings to celebrate my well-deserved holidays. Having been for so long on the infrastructure world, logically I’ve been catching up and meeting people from banks, private equity firms and infrastructure investors, in general. In a coffee with investors talking about how I could help them in the future, I was asked something like… why would I be a good advisor for them. I was thinking that we were practising the art of conversation and coffee tasting and this caught...Read more
What's the minimum you should ask to your money?They are people out there doing extreme things: They avoid having a couple of coffees at the café each week and feel guilty if they spend 15 euros on beers with friends. Even though they work hard, they take very few vacation days a year and always choose the cheapest hotel they can find on Booking. Some obsess over not exceeding 100 km/h when driving on the highway and use an app to tell them which gas station to refuel at to save 0.01 cents per liter of fuel. Others go to the supermarket...Read more
Dividends paid long termWe’re always comparing ourselves to others. We shouldn’t. Comparing yourself to others and complaining about anything are your best friends of poverty. What if we showed up to work every day simply to be better than ourselves. What if your objective every day was to become better than your yesterday self. I think that is a better WHY than your pay raise, your next sale, your next business… it pays great dividends on the long run. You don’t need to worry anymore for the next great idea...Read more
Watch out with this sectIf you are part or play around of the sect of the majority, you hear words like these: “Keep your feet on the ground." The followers of the majority even well-intentioned try to put you down and bring you into the sect. “Keep your feet on the ground." Your parents, your teachers, your bosses, your colleagues, your friends, and in-laws: “Keep your feet on the ground." They forget the “come to us” and become a zombie as we are. Look. To make an omelette, you need to break some eggs. I don’t...Read more
You know it'll happenYou’ll miss it when it’s gone. If you’ve been in Spain, you have probably heard the expression “bar de la esquina”. It’s your local bar, normally in a corner, between two streets. You know the name of the barman, the owner, the people sitting next to you. It’s the best university to grab new ideas and learn about the human condition. When you read this, my cafe de la esquina will be closed. In a few weeks, another boring sushi shop will take its place. Not enough business. The owners, tired...Read more
The Number 1 manipulation toolWhen you realize that there are more jobs, companies, businesses, etc. that you can count. When you realize that there are more opportunities than you can imagine. Then, your life changes... forever. You’ve been told many times that we live in a world of scarcity. The system made by our politicians promotes one thing: FEAR. They have been operating like these for millennia. First religion through goods. Then, one good. Then, one state. Pensions, job protection, unemployment protection,...Read more
Hurry up before life teaches you the hard wayWhen you don’t know how to manage your money, you become a slave to others. To your bank, your boss, the system, or any idiot who knows more than you. This is what I tell people about what’s the number one priority to get financial freedom. It’s not to create a business, study an MBA or a new coaching session to improve your management skills, change jobs, ask for a raise or sending your boss to hell. No. So, the questions for you. Are you relying on someone else to manage your money? Are you...Read more
How your brain is keeping you poorAt the beginning I didn’t want to believe it. Until I watched the video by myself. It’s just a 30-second video. It will change forever the way you look at the world. Some guys go to the center of a plaza in a tourist city with a mannequin. They put a T-shirt, a hat, and a skirt on it, and spray the mannequin with gold paint. Finally, they place it in the middle of the plaza with a sign that says "Human Statue" and a basket with a handful of coins. They come back an hour later. 38 dollars and...Read more
My last dayToday is my last day at NX2. Last day. 6 years as a CEO. Why leaving? I needed a change. Yes, just like that. Bye, bye, big salary, big bonuses, big responsibilities working for others. Bye, bye… last day. I could have added a speech about my great team, our great job, our achievements, etc… but I let those things for the people that love to talk about the weather. There is a perfect time to move on, and mine was well overdue. Now, no plans. No commitments. No work. No rush. Just freedom, and...Read more
The secret to unlimited ideasThere is one thing you need to do to have unlimited ideas. Simple. Easy. But it requires discipline and open mind. Observe. That’s it. Look, Jane Goodall was a lady with no formal education. She just loved animals. In 1960, she went with Louis Leakey, an anthropologist to Tanzania, to give him a hand. They studied chimpanzees’ behaviour. Not much equipment, no laboratory, no guidance. Just a notebook and a pair of binoculars. For a long time, she couldn’t get close to them, but her...Read more
Things that you can do with a bottle of beerPeople complicate their lives too much. Too many devices. Too many tools. Too many self-inflicted constraints. In 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal, U.S. Marine Sergeant Tony Stein found himself without a weapon. So, he made a custom machine gun from a salvaged aircraft's machine gun. It worked so well that he took down numerous enemy positions during intense firefights. Then, he run out of ammunition. Instead of retreating, he dashed back multiple times through enemy fire to resupply...Read more
Why Gibraltar is not SpanishBe surrounded by lots of British people in New Zealand, from time to time the hijos de la G Bretaña come up with questions about Gibraltar. Few things touches more our Spanish balls than seeing those monkeys that never die in the rock and the Royal Quilt waived by the gibraltareños, those guys that are able to speak the English of the King and the worst Spanish with Andalusian accent. Well… the origin of this situation is situated in another King Charles. Charles II was the last Habsburg king...Read more
Apple or Amazon are not examples of anythingI’m not a fan of universities nor business schools. You probably know that. But one thing that burns my nerves is the business case. First focusing on the successful cases… that’s a kick in the balls… and your pocket. When, 90% of the young companies fail, that means that you are missing 90% of the learnings. And there is one, and one thing only that determines success… … one thing. Not two, or ten. One. Survival. You need to be there, to make it another year, to have a chance to be...Read more
Does your back hurt?“My back hurts” Quite common, right? Is it in the lumbar area? If so, you’re not alone. 84% of humanity will suffer from back pain. In the same way that 40% are wired in their brains to be left supporters and 40% right supporters, with just 20% free people that have the flexibility in their brains to change opinions. Do whatever you want with this information. You can accept it or live in denial and, then, think that “the world does not want you”, “clients are like that”, “contracts are...Read more
Don't be yourself“Be yourself” is the most absurd trap you have been told by the do-goodism of our weak society. “Accept yourself as you are” is another variant. Be yourself, even if your muscles are weak and that bothers you. Be yourself, even if you are overweight and that bothers you. Be yourself, even if you don’t know how to speak in public and that bothers you. Be yourself, even if you are timid and that bothers you. Be yourself, even if you feel chained to the rat race and that bothers you. Be...Read more
A confession: I was wrongOnce I thought that I would be rich, that I would be successful… because I worthed it. It wasn’t that Hollywood crap about “work hard”, “American dream” and all that stuff. I considered myself smart, and just because of that, I thought that the riches will come to me effortless. I learned how to read at 3… just by myself. First some children books. At 5, the bible. At 6, the Quixote… Top at school, university, MBA… I was going in a right direction, you would say… And you are wrong. And I was...Read more
The formula of the Coca-ColaLet me tell you something interesting. People insist on the wrong issues, ideas, etc. They have a perspective of the market and they go for it without listening to the market. And that’s the receipt for failure. Let me tell you a story. It’s about Mr. Pemberton. If you don’t know him, Pemberton is the guy who invented Coca-Cola. Yes… that thing that you add to bad whisky or run to make it palatable. Well… the guy spent 17 years making mixtures. Yes… 17, not 1, 2, 5, or 8, or 12, or 15… 17....Read more
The most ridiculous you can imagine"Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be forbidden to think in order not to offend the idiots." – Fyodor Dostoyevsky. That amazing quote was reminded to me by the great Luis Monge, the best seller in Spanish language. Look. There are plenty of gilipollas sueltos out there. People who think that squatting doesn't exist. And others who think it's good, fair, and necessary. People who believe that all illegal immigrants without exception are helpless children. And...Read more
What’s your job?I’m asking you honestly. You have two main tasks. Two. Not one, not five, not ten. Just two. First, get your calendar filled with meetings. Second, get your inbox clean. The rest of your activities, pure distractions. I know. It’s sad. But you know it’s true. What should you be doing? Easy. First, forget about Pareto’s law… we are not even close. Yes, that thing of concentrating on the 20% of your tasks that produces the 80% of your results. Forget it. Just list, write down, the only activity...Read more
A pen vs a computer... which one wins?I have some friends that love the Formula 1. Since I don’t have TV at home, following the F1 or any other sport is complicated. It’s complicated and doesn’t give you money… so, it’s a pass. But, you can learn about the F1 by reading. About F1 and any other thing… because knowledge can be learned. Take note of that. Well… the F1 is an amazing business and there are plenty of things you can learn from it. For example, I don't know if you know Adrian Newey. Adrian is an engineer who, for years,...Read more
The Antagonist