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.
