Simone Vincenzi has delivered over 2,000 presentations, spoken at events across the world, and built a training company that helps founders get clients every time they step on a stage or run a webinar. He is a multi-award winning entrepreneur who writes for Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine, and co-founded GTeX, one of the fastest growing expert training companies in Europe.

In this episode, Marcel sits down with Simone to break down the complete framework for selling from presentations, from the first minute of your talk to the moment you close. This is 14 years of hard-won lessons in one conversation.

What you'll learn:

Timestamps

00:00 Three things you'll learn today

Connect with Simone Vincenzi:

Connect with Marcel Wijermars:

Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club: https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/

The podcast is produced by 301 Studios and Marcus Engel: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/ - [email protected]

Esther Jacobs, known as the No Excuses Lady, writing 30 books, speaking in 70 countries, raising €16 million for charity and building a globally recognized personal brand, celebrated her 55th birthday with a one-off theater show in Amsterdam. The occasion? Her retirement. 

But as Marcel quickly finds out in this conversation, "retirement" for Esther means something most founders have never considered: stop doing what drains you, keep doing what you love, and trust the money follows.

Esther didn't burn out and quit. She made a deliberate decision to flip the ratio, from a life of doing with islands of being, to a life of being with the occasional bit of doing. The theater show was her way of drawing a line in the sand and making it public, so she'd have to follow through.

In this episode, Marcel sits down with Esther to explore what retirement actually means for a founder, and whether most of us are building toward a finish line that doesn't have to be that far away.

What you'll learn:

- What the theater show was really about and why going public made her more money

- Why "retirement" for a founder doesn't mean stopping, it means redesigning

- How to build a business around what you love and quietly cut the rest

- Why growth for its own sake is a trap, and what to optimize for instead

- How Esther raised €16 million for charity with zero experience in the sector

- Why your personal brand and your network are retirement assets and how to build them

- The doing vs. being shift: how two car accidents and what changed everything

Timestamps

00:00 One tip for founders who want to retire on their own terms

00:33 Introducing Esther Jacobs, the No Excuses Lady

01:19 How Esther approaches business: start small, test fast, roll with it

02:01 Organizing a cruise from Spain to Brazil from a Facebook ad

03:01 Skip the business plan why she tests before planning

04:13 The theater show: how she sold tickets before the venue was booked

05:33 Growing up between scarcity and abundance

06:52 Her family background: a grocery store and two very different mindsets

08:34 After her BBA: why she didn't follow the traditional path

09:51 Becoming extremely good at a few things and what that costs you

11:12 Learning vulnerability after years of high performance

12:09 The second car accident: a whiplash that changed everything

13:54 Reclaiming her time, and a major mindset shift

15:49 What retirement actually means for a founder

16:40 Why she stopped chasing growth and started designing her life

17:49 How she decided what to stop doing and what to keep

18:54 Did she have a financial goal before retiring? (The answer is no)

19:30 Why announcing it publicly made her more money, not less

20:30 What founders can learn from her decision

21:10 Don't make growth your main goal unless it truly energizes you

22:23 The world changes, retire while you can still enjoy it

23:13 How she invested for retirement: real estate and personal brand

25:18 35 years of visibility as a retirement asset

26:15 Your personal brand as goodwill  how it pays you back over time

27:25 High-ticket work she actually loves: VIP days

28:35 How to build a personal brand that attracts the right people

29:23 Ikigai: the intersection of love, need, and willingness to pay

29:52 How she uses AI without losing her authentic voice

30:31 How Esther raised €16 million for charity with zero experience

31:46 The insight that unlocked it: give people something to give away

33:02 What charities got wrong and what Esther figured out

34:49 Media, Survivor, and why everything you put out lives forever

36:29 Reality TV: what they don't tell you about casting and editing

38:08 Can everyone become a better person?

38:40 Connection is what it's really all about

40:00 How to practically retire as a founder on your own terms

40:47 Create space serendipity needs room to work

41:23 Bundle your work, protect your energy

41:53 On money: why she doesn't track income or spending

43:13 Final message: imagine your own funeral

Connect with Esther Jacobs:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherjacobs/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estherjacobsnl/

Website: https://estherjacobs.info

Connect with Marcel Wijermars:

Superconnectedfounder.com

Amsterdamfoundersclub.com

https://linktr.ee/marcelwijermars

Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club: https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamfoundersclub/

The podcast is produced by 301 Studios and Marcus Engel: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/ - [email protected]

The Strategy Behind $20M Exit and the Buy-and-Build Playbook No One Talks AboutPeter Michels scaled his accounting and tax advisory firm from 0 to €20 million in yearly revenue.

Through organic growth,

a buy-and-build strategy,

and multiple acquisitions,

before successfully exiting the business.

In this new episode of the Amsterdam Founders Club podcast,

Marcel sits down with Peter to unpack the full journey.

From washing cars door-to-door at age 11 to building a multi-million euro firm.

Including what it really takes to find and acquire the right businesses.

What you'll learn:

- How to build a business from 0 to €20M using a buy-and-build approach

- Why Peter registered his company the same day his daughter was born

- The acquisitions playbook

- Why he never sells and what he does instead

- How to recognize when you're stuck and what to do about it

- The difference between goals and habits

Timestamps:

00:00 What you'll learn today

00:25 Welcome to Amsterdam Founders Club

01:02 Was Peter always an entrepreneur?

01:31 First business at age 11: car washing door-to-door

01:53 Second business: stringing tennis rackets

04:30 Starting the accounting firm

05:33 His wife pushed him to go for it

06:07 He registered the business the same day his daughter was born

06:44 On financial risk and the entrepreneur identity

07:43 First acquisition: €30K in clients, quadrupled within a year

08:33 How he found deals through his network

08:53 "I'm never selling, I'm always telling my story"

10:01 Hustling for clients: Chamber of Commerce lists and cold letters

11:12 On being good at sales without it feeling like sales

12:44 The SIMPLE framework

13:46 Focus on income first, everything else comes after

14:28 From solo to first team member

16:01 The fear of hiring and why you have to push through it

16:41 What Peter kept focusing on as the company grew

17:33 Culture change as you scale and what to do about it

18:56 Why first hires matter and how to get them right

19:29 Hire for what you're bad at, not a version of yourself

20:16 When to bring in your first manager

21:21 The four keys to growing a business: passion, plan, mindset, fun

23:19 How to write a job offer that actually attracts the right people

25:00 Sell the story to potential employees, not just the job

26:15 When it's not a fit: having the hard conversation early

28:56 The Formula of Happiness and letting people go with respect

30:21 The journey to private equity: feeling stuck pre-COVID

31:07 The moment he decided to sell

34:13 The Sunday that changed everything

35:18 Meeting the PE partners who shared his vision

36:31 How the deal was structured: cash, shares, and staying involved

37:26 Why he said no to the first buyer

38:41 Shared vision over price: what made this deal work

39:51 Advice on equity vs. cash deals for founders

41:13 How to value your business

43:07 Life inside the buy-and-build: scaling toward €50-70M

44:41 What they learned from acquiring businesses that were too small

47:16 How to choose the right businesses to acquire

48:22 Why people resist change after acquisitions -- and how to handle it

49:46 Should you be transparent with the team during acquisitions?

52:04 Preparing your business to sell makes it better to run anyway

52:50 Key lessons from 15+ acquisitions

55:15 Why Peter didn't want to be CEO 

58:06 "Don't become the manager"

58:48 What Peter is working on now: growth coaching for founders

61:21 What "stuck" actually looks like for an entrepreneur

63:24 Zoom out to see what you're missing

64:09 Peter's 5-year vision: speaking at Ahoy

65:23 His upcoming book: working title revealed

65:39 One message to every founder in the world

Connect with Peter Michels: 

Instagram : 

https://www.instagram.com/petermichels010/

Connect with Marcel Wijermars:

Superconnectedfounder.com

Amsterdamfoundersclub.com

https://linktr.ee/marcelwijermars

Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club:

https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamfoundersclub/

The podcast is produced by 301 Studios and Marcus Engel: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/ - [email protected]

In this episode of the Amsterdam Founders Club Podcast, we sit down with Michelle Maree, founder of The Nomad Escape, Entrepreneur Network, The Inner Circle, and the visionary behind Nomad Island Fest in Madeira. From building global communities to attracting world class entrepreneurs, Michelle shares how powerful networks are built through trust, value, and long term thinking.

Michelle breaks down how she went from being homeless to building a global business ecosystem by mastering relationships, intentional networking, and mindset. We dive deep into how founders can build influence without chasing clout, how meaningful introductions create million dollar opportunities, and why real success comes from giving before asking.

If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, digital nomad, or creator looking to grow your business through authentic connections, this podcast is packed with real stories, practical networking frameworks, and mindset shifts that can change how you approach business forever.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Building a Global Network

02:08 – The Ken Honda Story & Leading With Authenticity

09:13 – The Power of Community Builders

14:46 – From Homeless to Home Free & The Triple Growth Formula

16:47 – Vision Clarity: You Can’t Scale What You Can’t See

20:50 – Global Tax Strategy & Location-Independent Business

24:05 – How to Build Strategic Relationships the Right Way

30:10 – Give First: The Foundation of High-Level Networking

42:39 – The Practical Networking Event Playbook

49:59 – The Strategic Network Tracking System

55:44 – Why Micro Events Are So Powerful

01:02:03 – Designing Interactive, High-Impact Events

01:13:42 – Energy, Attraction & Showing Up With Confidence

01:29:07 – How to Organize Your First Event (Even If You’re Not an Expert)

01:39:58 – 10-Year Vision, Impact & Legacy

Connect with Michelle Maree : 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/michelle.maree.official

Website : https://thenomadescape.com/

Connect with Marcel Wijermars:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelwijermars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcelwijermars

Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club:

https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamfoundersclub/

The podcast is produced by 301 Studios and Marcus Engel: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/ - [email protected]

In this deep dive episode of the Amsterdam Founders Club Podcast, former Mindvalley CMO Alessio Peroni reveals how he helped Mindvalley scale from $25 million to $75 million in annual revenue through smart marketing decisions, funnel optimization, and audience first growth strategies. This podcast breaks down the real systems behind one of the most successful online education companies in the world and what actually drove Mindvalley’s explosive growth.

Alessio Peroni shares behind the scenes insights into Mindvalley’s marketing strategy, including the shift from evergreen courses to cohort based programs, the rise of community driven learning, and how improving course completion rates directly impacted revenue. The discussion covers YouTube advertising, paid traffic, funnel design, membership models, scarcity, and why most online courses fail to scale while Mindvalley succeeded.

This episode is essential viewing for entrepreneurs, marketers, founders, and course creators who want to understand how to grow an online education business sustainably. If you’re interested in digital marketing, funnels, subscriptions, brand trust, and scaling to seven or eight figures, Alessio Peroni’s real world experience at Mindvalley offers practical lessons you can apply immediately to your own business.

Episode Timestamps

(00:00) – Intro: Scaling Mindvalley from $25M to $75M ARR

Connect with Alessio Peroni : 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/alessio_pieroni

Website : https://withalessio.com/

Connect with Marcel Wijermars:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelwijermars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcelwijermars

Apply to join Amsterdam Founders Club:

https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamfoundersclub/

Welcome to the first episode of Amsterdam Founders Club. I am Marcel , Your Host for the Amsterdam Founders Club  podcast , but on this pilot episode, Marcus Engel hosts the Episode and I will tell  the origin story of how dinners in Bali grew into Growth Nights, organizing events for more than 2,000 founders, and our new mastermind program. If you’re building a startup, scaling revenue, or planning founder led events this episode is for you.

We dig into founder community building, event curation, selling out events, avoiding pitch heavy networking, and the exact criteria I look for in my mastermind.  Expect practical insights on organizing founder events, personal brand for founders, strategic partnerships, and scaling to €1M.

Want in? Apply for the mastermind: https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/mastermind/, or learn how to run your own founder events at https://amsterdamfoundersclub.com/. 

Subscribe for founder stories, Growth Night recaps, and playbooks to scale your business. 

Connect with Marcus Engel :

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-engel-301studios

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel

Connect with me :

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelwijermars

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/marcelwijermars