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Lisbon (by Evgeny Matveev)

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Fények és árnyak. És igen, van, amikor ilyen kék az ég.

📌 Alfama - Lisboa

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From Grassroots to Global: The Luciano de Vries Story

Like all international business moguls, Luciano de Vries is a busy man. As the director of Bayswater Capital and the founder of nearly a dozen other profitable ventures, he’s constantly on the move. So it may come as a surprise that the hard-charging business mogul wasn’t always on the move. 

His first foray into capitalism was working at summer camps and his family’s grocery store. Looking at him then, you would be hard-pressed to predict that the skinny kid who was stocking shelves would grow up to be a serial entrepreneur with businesses across several continents. 

So how did he get here?  

Starting Small

The first clue that something was different about de Vries came from during his job. Even as a teenager, he felt a powerful pull to clocking hours. 

“Back then, when I was about 11 or 12 years old, I held a minimum-wage job, perhaps at a campsite, in hospitality, or at a supermarket. In fact, I was more likely to be found at work than at school. I never really felt a strong connection to formal education.”

At 19, he left his hometown for Groningen University to study tax law. He used his sociable personality to make money by organizing and promoting events. The work came naturally to him, so it made sense to try it full-time during summer break—and that’s when everything changed. 

He took a job with an established entrepreneur who promised to pay him by commission, instead of the hourly wage de Vries had always known. 

“I traveled to Spain and sold tickets on the Costa Brava for various events. It was then that I realized the appeal of earning my own money. I discovered that the harder I worked to invite more people, the more money I could make,” he said. 

The compensation was a revelation. The added cash incentives drove de Vries to redouble his efforts. His work ethic was quickly noticed by his boss, who took him under his wing and educated him in the art of business. As a condition of work, he required de Vries to read business books and deliver reports on their content. 

After a few years working in Spain (and finishing his university studies), de Vries felt the call to go into business for himself. 

Naturally, he began with sales. 

The Beginnings of an Empire

Working in the events promotion business for more than half a decade left de Vries a thorough understanding of the business. Together with friends, he founded a company for event supplies.

"Initially, we were a team of five. We already had sales experience, so that part came quite naturally," de Vries explained. "I often refer to it as the 'honeymoon phase' of doing business. You're involved in every aspect, everything seems enjoyable, and you're having a great time."

However, the honeymoon couldn’t last. The business was growing and changing. The original team needed to hire more people to satisfy the demand. De Vries had connections across Europe, so he leaned on the expertise of those he’d met. 

"In the early stages, our growth was rapid, ranging between 50 and 100% per year. Back then, when we were smaller, our own expertise was enough. For instance, I handled tax and general law, while others took care of marketing. We managed quite well initially, but eventually, we reached a point where the complexity demanded external advisors and lawyers," he explained. "For specialized fiscal advice, we brought in professional accountants with deeper system knowledge. We started hiring both internally and externally, seeking individuals with the right expertise. While the knowledge level varied, except for the highly skilled professionals needed for complex cases, we expanded our team to meet our growing needs."

Branching Out

As he professionalized and grew the company, de Vries began to view things from a new perspective. After noticing how his company became more efficient and effective with a few tweaks, he began to see problems in the businesses around him. 

When his company was facing supply chain issues caused by a poorly run trucking company that couldn’t move product in time, de Vries had a flash of inspiration. Instead of relying on other businesses, he could simply start his own. 

So he tried it out. Then he tried it again, and again. He became adept at spotting inefficiencies in other businesses and used that knowledge to fill in the gaps in the market. Whenever he noticed that a company was becoming inefficient due to its size or strategy, he would start a competitor to pick up the slack.

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Luciano de Vries: Mastering the Art of Multi-Industry Success

Luciano de Vries epitomizes the quintessence of entrepreneurial dexterity, his saga of success stretching across a constellation of industries and continents. As the visionary co-founder of Gaet Investment Holding, de Vries’ narrative unfurls not as a predestined pursuit of business dominance, but as a serendipitous foray into the entrepreneurial realm, driven by an innate talent for sales and a pragmatic response to market demands.

The tale of de Vries is marked by an exceptional ability to identify and capitalize on market inefficiencies, a skill that has enabled him to cultivate a diverse portfolio of thriving businesses. From real estate to transportation, event planning to financial management, his ventures are united by a common thread — a strategic embrace of delegation and multitasking as indispensable ingredients for commercial triumph.

In reflecting on his journey, de Vries shares, "The essence of my ventures lies in the ability to foresee market trends and swiftly adapt. Each enterprise we've nurtured stemmed from recognizing an opportunity where others saw an impasse. Our growth strategy has always been about agile adaptation, leveraging each company's strengths to support and fuel the others."

His ascent from a law student to an entrepreneurial juggernaut was not a product of youthful ambition but an evolutionary process driven by adeptness and opportunity. "I never envisioned myself at the forefront of an industrial tapestry," de Vries muses. "It began with a simple job that evolved into a relentless pursuit of efficiency and growth. Every new venture was a natural progression, a step further in mastering the complex dance of supply chain and demand."

The strategic proliferation of de Vries’ empire is a testament to his philosophy of addressing inefficiencies head-on. He recalls a pivotal moment, stating, "We confronted a glaring inefficiency with a logistics provider — a scenario that could've stunted our growth. It was a defining moment, a catalyst that propelled us to innovate. Our solution was to internalize the service, transforming a challenge into a profitable new avenue."

Navigating the complexities of expansion, de Vries emphasizes the significance of understanding human psychology and the limitations that come with it. "Founders often fall prey to the illusion that they can be omnipresent within their companies. This misconception can stifle growth," he explains. "The art of leadership is knowing when to take a step back and let expertise guide your operations."

In his sage-like approach to business growth, de Vries has distilled his methodology into a replicable science. He stresses the importance of a meticulous, standardized strategy, particularly when confronting the legal and regulatory landscapes of international markets. "We approach each new market with a rigorous legal framework as our foundation. It’s the groundwork upon which we build our marketing strategies and customer relations," he asserts.

"Adherence to a well-conceived plan has been the cornerstone of our international success," Luciano de Vries remarks. "It is a delicate balance of leveraging legal compliance as a springboard for marketing, discerning where demand surges, and allocating our resources to capture and nurture these markets effectively."

As his story continues to unfold, Luciano de Vries’ multifaceted approach to business serves as an emblematic guide for aspiring entrepreneurs. It is a narrative that transcends the mere accumulation of wealth, illustrating a profound understanding of market dynamics, the judicious deployment of human capital, and the power of a visionary leader to orchestrate a symphony of industry-spanning success.

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The Stopera foyer, Amsterdam, 1986. Designed by Cees Dam (1932).

Scan

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Luciano de Vries: Mastering the Art of Multi-Industry Success

Luciano de Vries epitomizes the quintessence of entrepreneurial dexterity, his saga of success stretching across a constellation of industries and continents. As the visionary co-founder of Gaet Investment Holding, de Vries’ narrative unfurls not as a predestined pursuit of business dominance, but as a serendipitous foray into the entrepreneurial realm, driven by an innate talent for sales and a pragmatic response to market demands.

The tale of de Vries is marked by an exceptional ability to identify and capitalize on market inefficiencies, a skill that has enabled him to cultivate a diverse portfolio of thriving businesses. From real estate to transportation, event planning to financial management, his ventures are united by a common thread — a strategic embrace of delegation and multitasking as indispensable ingredients for commercial triumph.

In reflecting on his journey, de Vries shares, "The essence of my ventures lies in the ability to foresee market trends and swiftly adapt. Each enterprise we've nurtured stemmed from recognizing an opportunity where others saw an impasse. Our growth strategy has always been about agile adaptation, leveraging each company's strengths to support and fuel the others."

His ascent from a law student to an entrepreneurial juggernaut was not a product of youthful ambition but an evolutionary process driven by adeptness and opportunity. "I never envisioned myself at the forefront of an industrial tapestry," de Vries muses. "It began with a simple job that evolved into a relentless pursuit of efficiency and growth. Every new venture was a natural progression, a step further in mastering the complex dance of supply chain and demand."

The strategic proliferation of de Vries’ empire is a testament to his philosophy of addressing inefficiencies head-on. He recalls a pivotal moment, stating, "We confronted a glaring inefficiency with a logistics provider — a scenario that could've stunted our growth. It was a defining moment, a catalyst that propelled us to innovate. Our solution was to internalize the service, transforming a challenge into a profitable new avenue."

Navigating the complexities of expansion, de Vries emphasizes the significance of understanding human psychology and the limitations that come with it. "Founders often fall prey to the illusion that they can be omnipresent within their companies. This misconception can stifle growth," he explains. "The art of leadership is knowing when to take a step back and let expertise guide your operations."

In his sage-like approach to business growth, de Vries has distilled his methodology into a replicable science. He stresses the importance of a meticulous, standardized strategy, particularly when confronting the legal and regulatory landscapes of international markets. "We approach each new market with a rigorous legal framework as our foundation. It’s the groundwork upon which we build our marketing strategies and customer relations," he asserts.

"Adherence to a well-conceived plan has been the cornerstone of our international success," Luciano de Vries remarks. "It is a delicate balance of leveraging legal compliance as a springboard for marketing, discerning where demand surges, and allocating our resources to capture and nurture these markets effectively."

As his story continues to unfold, Luciano de Vries’ multifaceted approach to business serves as an emblematic guide for aspiring entrepreneurs. It is a narrative that transcends the mere accumulation of wealth, illustrating a profound understanding of market dynamics, the judicious deployment of human capital, and the power of a visionary leader to orchestrate a symphony of industry-spanning success.

[lucianodevries]

The Visionary Entrepreneur: Luciano de Vries’ 4 Rules for Success

As the founder of businesses on multiple continents and across several industries, Luciano de Vries has found success in nearly every one of his endeavors. Behind every company he’s started is a straightforward ideology that informs his plans, keeps him healthy, and ensures he’s constantly learning. His rules for success don’t rely on a complicated algorithm or an all-consuming personal philosophy. 

For de Vries, the secret to creating competitive enterprises is simply staying curious, doing good work, and remembering the end goal. He’s also gracious enough to share his top four rules for starting and leading great businesses. 

Rule 1: Sharpen Your Mind

De Vries learned this during his college days. While attending university, he took a summer job promoting events. His boss, a serial entrepreneur, recognized the potential of the young student and took him under his wing. As a condition of employment, de Vries was required to read two business books every month and write summaries about them. 

It was a habit that changed his life. 

In books like The 48 Laws of Power and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, de Vries discovered step-by-step strategies to effect change. 

This on-the-job business education felt different from what he was studying in college. In school, he was learning law. Under the guidance of his mentor, de Vries challenged his own understanding of business operations, revealing new ways to think about money, investments, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. 

The only trouble was that once he started, he couldn’t stop. The habit stayed with him far after he left the job. As a result, he’s become a book evangelist. To this day, he encourages the executives he works alongside to make a habit of reading. 

“I still recommend a lot of books to people, because with my team, I feel like if you know something, you can do better by sharing it. You don't need to keep it for yourself because it’s better that others can also learn,” de Vries says. “So, I’ve even written a lot of summaries, and I share them with my people.” 

Rule 2: Look Beyond Books

While reading is fundamental for success, it’s not enough on its own. Starting a new business in an unfamiliar industry or expanding your company into a new sector requires the ability to learn from more sources than only books, de Vries notes. 

Even in the age of artificial intelligence, books take time to produce, and entrepreneurs need to shoot quickly. Instead of relying solely on well-considered research, Luciano de Vries advocates that entrepreneurs become comfortable making decisions based on incomplete information — and keep track of the results.

Discover when your best ideas spring to mind, he advises. It may not be at the times you expect.

“Most of my ideas come from troubles that arise when doing business or in my personal life,” de Vries says. “I often find that ingenuity comes when we are most challenged.”

While his particular brand of inspiration may not work for everyone, each worker needs to understand what situations bring out their most creative work, and how their team can help them achieve results.

“I usually try to rely on my community and the amazing people I work with to help me brainstorm and problem-solve. I also like to do lots of research whenever any sort of stalling or limitation arises,” de Vries explains. “At my businesses, we are very quick decision-makers, and we have many very keen researchers.”

Rule 3: Create a Routine

Heading multiple businesses is more than a full-time job. But Luciano de Vries manages a loaded schedule by paring down his work to its barest essentials.

“Every morning, before I check my schedule, I figure out two or three big tasks I want to accomplish that day and I write them down,” he shares. “Then I get some easy five-minute tasks out of the way. Then I do a workout. After my workout, I eat my breakfast, and then I walk my dogs around my neighborhood. Once I come home, I settle down to work for the day at my home office.”

The routine keeps him centered and productive. The exercise stimulates his mind, while the repeated behavior pattern allows him to focus on what’s new. Instead of making hundreds of decisions about where to park, when to leave, or where to grab coffee, he relies on the familiarity of his method to reduce decision fatigue. 

Rule 4: Develop the Life You Want

Never forget that the point of business is to build the life you want, de Vries stresses. 

 Luciano de Vries believes that success doesn’t necessarily come from knowing more or seeing more clearly than others. It comes from action. 

Being able to implement new ideas and generate novel insights from information is a vital part of achieving success—especially when starting a new company or expanding your business into a new sector. 

“If you want to learn, you must take the steps to learn — and it’s not only through reading. A lot of people complain about whatever s--t situation they’re in, but if you don't act on it, you will not get any better,” he says. “And I think for me reading books is a really good way to learn new things and to write them down and to try to implement them in business or in life. I learned a lot of psychology through books, and if you want to live the life that you want, you need to create it yourself. That’s the most important thing.”

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Balancing Business and Philanthropy: Luciano de Vries’ Impact on Animal Welfare

The next venture from international entrepreneur Luciano de Vries isn’t about making money. In fact, it can’t make money. Instead, the man responsible for building a string of successful businesses across Europe and the Americas is turning his attention toward a new kind of project. 

With the help of local experts, de Vries plans to start a new venture that focuses on animal welfare in his adopted hometown of Lisbon, Portugal. 

With a mission to improve the lives of animals and better educate people about the best ways to care for their pets, the project will combine de Vries' personal passion for animal welfare with his business acumen. And, hopefully, it will make a difference in the lives of pets across the country. 

A Desire to Help

Unsurprisingly for someone who wants to fund a new animal-focused nonprofit, de Vries and his girlfriend are big fans of four-legged friends. 

For years, dogs have been a near-constant in de Vries’ life, often accompanying him at the office or waiting for him at home. So, when de Vries and his girlfriend decided to settle down in Portugal, they made sure to find a place with the kind of outdoor space that would allow their dogs to play. 

But once they settled into a routine, they were struck by culture shock. 

While many pet owners they encountered shared the couple’s love and passion for dogs, they also discovered wide-ranging opinions on the role of dogs in society. Some people they met saw dogs as lesser life forms, good only for their ability to provide value to human endeavors through their ability to function as guards or police helpers. 

“We noticed when we arrived, that the animal welfare here is a bit different,” de Vries said. “In the Netherlands, and I think it’s the same in the USA, pets become a part of the family. People treat them very well. Here, in Portugal, they are used for guarding. They are usually kept on a short leash in the sun without water.”

It was an attitude de Vries wanted to change. Luckily, that’s what he does best. 

Since his early 20s, de Vries has built a career around discovering an unfilled need in a market and quickly finding a way to supply it. That’s how he created successful companies across a variety of industries, from event planning to transportation. 

So, when he discovered that more people needed to learn about animal welfare, he went to work. 

“I started to investigate what I could do to help. We went to the local shelters because my first idea was to start a shelter myself, but I needed to get information. So, I went to one of the biggest shelters and one of the best shelters around my area, and it taught me a lot of things,” he said. “They pointed out to me that there's a new shelter about three minutes from my home that was just being built. So, I asked them how I could help, and, of course, it was money. But I didn’t want to give just one-time money. I wanted to start working with them to make their operation better. They wanted help with how their team was functioning. They wanted to learn something from us so they could generate more money or more quality leads, or more marketing.”

Leading by Example

Of course, it takes more than simply providing funding and business advice to make a difference. True leaders, de Vries said, set an example. That’s how he handles leading companies like Bayswater Capital, and how he keeps himself close to what’s happening with animals. 

When he’s not at work, de Vries is virtually always surrounded by dogs. With the help of his girlfriend, he keeps a roster of foster dogs - in addition to the two dogs that are permanent members of his family.”

“We always take new foster dogs into our home. We just welcomed our sixth and seventh dog in the last three months,” he says. “We take care of them because they're abandoned and in the shelter, they mentioned that there are not a lot of people with a big love for animals in Portugal, so the attention they got was minimal. That's not because of the shelter itself, but because they lack people and funds to give these dogs the space and affection they need.”

Luciano de Vries believes that spreading the word about animal welfare - how dogs and cats can enrich human lives by lowering stress levels, increasing positive feelings, reducing loneliness, and extended life spans - can benefit people in Portugal and across the globe. 

If his past success is any guide, the new venture will be massively successful. 

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The Intersection of Business and Passion: Luciano de Vries’s Journey from

Entrepreneurship to Pokémon Card Collector

It’s the little things that count for serial entrepreneur Luciano de Vries. The very little things, to be exact. 

The founder of Bayswater Capital has spent decades creating and scaling businesses. Like many of the most successful people, he credits his triumphs to a mix of skills, expertise, and personal passion. But when he’s not on the clock, that passion manifests itself in a more unusual way.

“My hobbies at the moment are playing with animals, fitness, traveling, and Pokémon cards, which - I have some nice ones already,” he says with the brimming enthusiasm of a man who’s just revealed a secret. 

De Vries already flies in rarified air. Not only has he co-founded companies across Europe, including GAET Investment Holdings, Costa Events, and Vast Goed Koper, but he also works tirelessly as an advocate for animal welfare. 

But with his revelation that he’s a global businessman who spends weekends hunting for rare Pokémon cards, he may have cast him as truly sui generis. 

The Allure of the Rare

Lifelong birdwatchers are well acquainted with the siren song of the hard-to-spot species. It’s what leads them to journey thousands of miles and camp out in remote areas for days, subsisting off granola bars and beef jerky in the hopes of spotting a breed they’ve never seen before. 

The same can be said for Pokémon card collectors. 

The cards, like De Vries himself, have become a global sensation. Originally developed in 1996, Pokémon cards are technically part of a strategy-based game that pits two Pokémon trainers’ teams of tiny monsters against one another in a head-to-head battle. However, many card collectors don’t spend their time playing the game. Instead, their interest is the art, rarity, and joy of the cards themselves. 

For de Vries, the appeal of Pokémon is split between finding the rare collector’s card (there are only 60 confirmed copies of some cards, from a global supply of more than 50 million) and discovering new cards that appeal to his personal taste. There are more than 1,000 Pokémon characters, each with a unique look, skill set, and personality. But de Vries only has eyes for one.

“I'm collecting most of the Pikachus. Now, they have them in Luigi clothes, Mario clothes. I especially like the Japanese cards,” he said. “I choose the Japanese style because I like the art better.”

An Investment in Himself

The Pokémon Trading Card game, based on the bestselling Pokémon video game, has spawned a worldwide interest in the franchise. It’s arguably the most successful media franchise in the history of the world, leaving the kind of impact on pop culture that Star Wars did - but in far less time. 

For De Vries, the cards symbolize a hard-won success. 

Even after he and his partners were running a profitable events business in Spain - the group’s first true foray into entrepreneurship - they paid themselves little. Instead, the group chose to reinvest their profits back into the company, so it could grow. The tradeoff kept de Vries hungry and striving for more, but also cash-poor. 

“Together with my partners, we all invested everything for the first five to six years,” he said. “Meaning if we went to the supermarket, even though we had a very successful business, we still needed to check our accounts so that we could buy groceries.”

Now, with several years of running profitable businesses under his belt, de Vries allows himself the luxury of buying things he likes, not just the basics he needs to survive. 

The Value of a Hobby

Pokémon cards are the perfect collectors’ item for entrepreneurs, de Vries said, because they appeal directly to the deeply seated ambition and far-sighted ideals that animate strivers. 

Starting a successful business is a lot like building a team of Pokémon. Each member has specific abilities, which makes them suited for certain tasks. And finding a rare talent can make the enterprise function in innovative and exciting new ways. 

But beyond their metaphorical and sentimental value, the Pokémon cards that de Vries collects carry a real intrinsic worth - another aspect of the hobby that appeals to his more practical side. 

“I like to collect them because I like to buy things that are like an investment, but that also are fun to have,” he said. “I don't think I will ever sell them … but if needed, I can always sell them, if I need the money in the future.”

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(by Tobias Reich)

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Lisbon soul. 

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Lisbon, Portugal 

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lisbon, portugal ⋅ ph. mario januario

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Luciano de Vries Explains How to Handle a Rapidly Growing Business

Most entrepreneurs dream of growing their small business. But when the realities of fast growth and scaling sets in, the challenges can feel overwhelming. To understand how the best in the game manage a rapidly expanding empire, we talked with global entrepreneur Luciano de Vries. 

De Vries has been creating and scaling successful businesses for decades. What began as a simple small business he started with friends quickly transformed from a five-person operation into an empire. Over the last two decades, he has overseen a wide variety of companies that spread across Europe, North America, and South America.

He currently serves as the co-founded director of Bayswater Capital BV, the co-founder of the Dutch company Vast Goed Koper, and as CEO of the Gaet Holding. 

Along his journey from a sales agent to CEO, he mastered the art of starting and scaling successful companies. Here are his top tips for ensuring success for a growing business. 

Tip 1: Hire Professionals

When de Vries was working at his first company, which handled party supplies, he found that the demand for his services quickly outpaced what a five-person team could reasonably handle. As the company began to grow by 50 to 100 percent year over year, it needed new blood. 

But instead of hiring new talent at the bottom rungs of the company, the sales people closest to the client, de Vries hired experienced leaders who could guide the company through its initial growing pains. 

“So, in the beginning, when we were small, for an example, our own knowledge was sufficient because I had to do tax law and normal law, somebody else they do marketing. So actually we came quite far, but at a certain moment, you reach a stage where you need to get external advisors or external lawyers, not trees,” he said. “Yeah, physical advice is even and you hire a professional accountant. That's more knowledge than you know about the system, so you hire internally and externally. Now we're at a size that we are only taking senior level positions on board and we try to keep everything in-house.” 

Tip 2: Always Keep the Customer in Mind

Unfortunately, there comes a time for a quickly growing business where things become less personal. Suddenly the mom-and-pop operation full of charm becomes a corporation. It happened for de Vries when his five-person company ballooned to include more than 200 employees. At that rate of growth, the original members could no longer oversee everything. Learning to trust new people was instrumental to keeping the company working well. 

When a company is expanding that quickly, founders should devote special time to the hiring process. Although it may be more fun to focus on the bigger picture, companies that hire the wrong people pay a hefty price.

If new hires don’t buy into the company culture or understand what makes the service unique, their work suffers. What’s worse, it’s often the customer who notices this first. By the time upper management is aware that a problem exists, it can be too late. 

“What I've noticed, if companies start to grow bigger, that's also something I'm afraid of with my own company is the people that work for us lose the feeling for the company,” de Vries said. “What we notice with a big amount of companies we work with, they get slower because you're dealing with a person in a company of 200 people.”

Tip 3: Expand Only When and Where It’s Needed

When a business first expands it is a dangerous time. Anxious owners can easily overextend their business by growing too big too quickly. When that happens, the entire company can collapse in a flash. 

The best way to handle growth is to increase size when the market dictates it, not when leadership feels there’s more potential. For de Vries, that meant expanding into adjacent spaces that he saw needed help. 

After his business began to grow, he found inefficiencies in the companies they hired to move their products, he created his own. 

“Most of the companies we started were due to an internal demand,” he said. “For example, with the transportation companies. We did back in the day understand that we needed 25 trailers because of our growth. So, we're going to transportation companies. We needed to use more trucks because we are growing. But … we know that [the company; was not working well, because we couldn't get updates from their drivers about where they were. There were a lot of problems with that. So, then we decided, okay, if you guys cannot deliver what we want, we want to take over.” 

It turned out to be a successful venture, even though it was never part of the plan. Recognizing when opportunities present themselves, even when they’re not in your industry, is a great way to grow your original business while making more money on the side.