I gave chances to various sports, travel, and business ideas. Many of them felt unnatural or against my “nature.”

I also followed the needs and views of others to a greater extent, even at my own cost. Sometimes out of respect, sometimes out of pure curiosity. To be honest, it rarely served anyone.

I felt a little bit lost in the game. I’ve always dreamt about building a holding company, and here I was, full of questions about what’s next.

I realized that my choices now will decide my late 30s.
1. Should I adopt a more passive or hands-on leadership style?
2. Should I incubate new businesses on a large scale or focus on champions among the existing ones?
3. What about using external capital as leverage?

So, the real dilemma I faced was creating a model for my future. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend a whole year weighing different options.

But as the old quote says, 分久必合, 合久必分. “Things long united must divide; long divided must unite.”

After a time of scattering, I started to take a firmer grip on XXII Ventures’ reins. I felt a familiar sense of agency, which is one of my core values. Department after department and company after company, I am realigning everyone around one vision. As one, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

I accepted the fact that I thrive as the central leader for our teams, an architect of the whole system, and a mentor for my fellow entrepreneurs. No more doubting when it comes to the direction, at least for some time.

The same consolidation happened in my personal life. Here, it was way easier, as I am surrounded by truly great people, and decided to propose to the best person I have ever met, Mira.

Life is all about playing our roles. Perhaps during this exploration period, I didn’t want to decide firmly on the future scenario because:
- Being a leader comes with responsibility.
- Being a husband comes with commitment.
- Being an architect makes you responsible for the system’s performance.

But I love this grit, and I am ready to commit.

All the tough calls, the long hours, the risks, and the dilemmas - it’s part of the game. And it's a game I love to my bones :)

Stay on the offensive,
Frank