Reflection, Gratitude, Motivation

Late in October 2022, my new venture, Dossier Research, signed its first five clients. Yes, the price point was entry-level and the technical complexity of the service I provided was limited. But considering the year I had just had, I was off to a new start—and that was all that mattered.

Two years on, the first chapter of my comeback is written.

The Fall

By the winter of 2022, it became painfully clear that my partners and I had lost everything we'd worked years to build. A perfect storm of Brexit, tax hikes, and lockdowns meant that our fledgling hospitality business - with 2 successful London restaurants, 2 signed leases, 1 active pub, 10 more in acquisition, and 11 serviced accommodation apartments - was slowly being taken apart by forces greater than we could withstand.

As I surrendered the last remaining pub back to the brewery in Sep 2022, I was a man much humbled and at one of the lowest points in my life.

Defeat. A term I never wanted to come to terms with had finally caught up with me. I had staked everything on realizing my dream of being a rising hospitality entrepreneur and had lost. But it was at that moment that I heard the words of a coach whose name I had long forgotten: 'The best thing about hitting bottom is the realization that from here, you can only go upward', he said.

'The best thing about hitting bottom is the realization that from here, you can only go upward'

Gratitude

My formidable wife had not enjoyed this rollercoaster but never let doubt in. My loving children were all I could wish for. My sister, brothers, and parents all pulled together, supporting me and my family with frequent visits, whatever money they could spare, and words of confidence and encouragement. Faith was there to hold my hand. And there were many friends and kind people who knew that the sum of me was greater than my bank balance.

These good people reminded me that there was still a way for me to serve and be valuable, and I knew I had to repay their kindness—by succeeding, being helpful, and rising above my circumstances.

Connecting the Dots

You do something without giving it much thought; then, 20 years later, it suddenly makes sense. Being able to look back at one's life and find meaning in what otherwise would be isolated, random events is called connecting the dots.

In my early 20s, I had a relatively successful yet short gig working as a database administrator in a dotcom startup and a large multinational blue-chip company. I parked all of that and developed a career in hospitality, but now, scattered pieces of the puzzle—my early experiences with tech, code writing, startup dynamics, and corporate structure—combined with my more recent commercial experience in raising capital, investor relations, business building, and working with accounting and legal teams across our hospitality portfolio - and years of running service teams across hotels, restaurants, and bars all fell into place and formed the picture: the vision for what lay ahead for me.

Momentum

The beauty of momentum is that it allows one to see where things are heading, even if objectively, the assessment of current performance falls drastically short of where you want to be.

While I must admit that my early product wasn't as good as my intentions, all my early clients; David Carter, David Harris, Tim Levy, Carmen Mello, Amit Frenkel, Peter Miles—are people with whom I still have great relationships. Some are current clients of DR-Ventures, some are friends, and some are both friends and clients. Good signal for the way ahead.

I have worked with, advised, and served over 100 founders since then. There's no such thing as 100% success in any business, but I am proud of always being honest, working hard, and never giving up on my clients—just like my own friends and family never gave up on me.

So, let's take a look at where I am today: an amazing portfolio of actively raising companies from pre-seed to Series B, strong partnerships with family offices, early-stage funds and other ecosystem advisors, a fast-growing pipeline of deals and funding opportunities, and a network to be envied.

We are now actively designing the thesis of our own venture capital fund, still in stealth mode, but with the hope of successfully closing by this time next year.

Reflection

I'm nowhere near where I want to be yet. The debts and deficits (in money, mental wellbeing, and relationships) created by the loss of my past businesses, combined with the cost of building a new business, will take some time to pay back. But if anyone had told me, as I was packing up my things and leaving the pub that was my home back in the winter of 2022, that in two years I would be running a VC advisory called DR-Ventures—having built the reputation, relationships, and contact book we now have—I would have told them to shut up and pass the masking tape.

But here I am.

If anyone had told me, as I was packing up my things and leaving the pub that was my home, that in two years I would be running a VC advisory...I would have told them to shut up and pass the masking tape

The Work Ahead

2025 is going to be a year of growth and repair. My health and that of my family could do with some pampering. I need to raise millions for my clients and many more millions for my new fund. I need to repay debts and credit lines. I need to look after the friends and partners who have helped along the way. I need to make it to Slush 2025. I am both overwhelmed and pumped up with excitement thinking of all the work ahead.

But most of all, I am humbled by the love and support I have enjoyed and by the magnitude of the opportunities ahead. One day the story will be told—'waiter turned VC.'

That day is not yet, but the first chapter is done, and the game is on.

Here's to 2025.