Dream big, start small
Jesse van der Meulen started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age and has created impactful businesses over the years. He is the co-founder of Aimforthemoon, Mooie Boules, and People for People, among other things. He is a true entrepreneur and loves to create, make an impact, and follow his heart. Jesse was also the first person who said yes to our interview request and believed in our idea. We had a lovely conversation with him about his early days as an entrepreneur, decision-making, and mindset.
The start
We often hear that successful entrepreneurs start at an early age. Were you entrepreneurial as a kid?
I grew up in a household that gave me the freedom to do my own thing. And I always had that drive to explore and start new things. I think entrepreneurship is part of my “nature” and amplified in my “nurture” through my environment.
My father worked from home as a programmer and introduced me to the world of the internet and websites when I was about 12 years old. I discovered that I could create websites based on the ideas in my head. Without being consciously aware, I was creating businesses. Yet, it felt like I was just gaming or playing outside. It made me fall more in love with entrepreneurship and starting new things.
Follow what feels right
I realized that entrepreneurship was the thing for me when I entered the final year of my degree. I just knew that I wanted to make it my full-time job. With that, I realised that my degree didn't give me any added value anymore. It was also during that time that I started experiencing panic attacks regularly. I decided to stop with my business and focus on finishing my degree.
When I graduated, it felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I felt free. I haven't experienced any more panic attacks since that moment. I never knew what initiated the attacks, but in hindsight, I think I wasn't aligned with what I wanted to do and what was important to me. It taught me to focus on the things that energise me and are valuable to me. I have always followed that feeling and applied it to all my decisions.
Have you come across some people who questioned your decision to start your own company instead of working for an employer right after graduating?
I don’t think that I’ve struggled with that a lot. I’ve always been strong-willed, and I see my panic attacks as a gift. It might give the impression that I took the panic attacks lightly, but I didn’t. The six months that I experienced it were rough. But I’m glad that I experienced it at a young age because it gave me a lot of confidence in my decision-making today.
Within entrepreneurship, I have experienced periods where I questioned myself about what to do. Those moments can make you feel insecure and unsure about where to start. I always tell myself to start doing things. If it feels good, then continue, and if it doesn’t, you have learned that that wasn’t it, and you can focus on your next step.
When your mind focuses on 'what can I learn from this?'. Every step will become more tangible. The more you understand your fears, insecurities, strengths, and values, the better your decisions will be. Based on this, you can also decide not to do certain things.
You told us that you enjoy starting new businesses. You founded your company Aimforthemoon in 2013. How did you manage to stay so involved with this company?
I created around 20 other companies before Aimforthemoon. With most of them, I always reached a point, rather quickly, where I wanted to try something new. It made me think about how I could create an established company and make an impact. I knew that I had to start a business that focused on creating new companies constantly.
That’s what we do at Aimforthemoon. We systematically start businesses that make a positive impact. It is aligned with my passion, gives me energy every day, and is something larger than myself. For that reason, I hope and see that I can continue with it for the rest of my life.
Advice
Allow yourself the proper time and space to make decisions. Often people make decisions too complex. For example, if you want to switch jobs but you don’t know what your next step should be yet. You can stay at your current job for a bit longer and simultaneously start conversations with people who are already in the jobs that you find interesting. With time you will feel the support, which will make the step of switching smaller. So, try different things that will narrow down the big decisions. And as soon as you can see it, start by taking small steps toward it.
Something that also helps me is to question ‘what is the worst-case scenario?’. For example, I knew I could always work at a bar to cover my rent. Every experience is a learning experience. As long as you’re open to learning, you can make the necessary adjustments and take new steps.
The zone
I have days that I’m in my zone and I have days that I’m not. I love both. My motto is: “Dream big, start small”. I need both.
How can you give yourself the space to constantly learn? You can do this by partially staying in your zone where all your learnings exist from the things you know. And by getting out of your comfort zone to learn and discover new things aligned with your vision and values. You can apply this dynamic to your personal development and your business.
