I run a private equity business investing in small companies that are facing succession issues. We constantly have to come up with new investment ideas and concepts, as there is a lot of competition in our market.

Recently, we came up with a new idea in a new sector in Switzerland, where there are hundreds of small businesses owned by founders who are close to retirement and don’t have a successor. If they don’t find a buyer, their life’s work will die.

For the first time, we decided to use Copilot / ChatGPT to assist with the business plan. And the result was honestly astonishing: after playing around and finding the optimal prompt, the tool gave us a near-perfect business plan within a minute. It was based on market data, added a couple of great ideas to our concept, and even took into account our personal backgrounds.

Although it is obviously not perfect or anywhere near final, it served as a strong basis for refining the idea now. We started talking to experts and entrepreneurs in the space, and after 10 days of research, we now have a business plan that we have started to execute on.

I would argue that we are much faster, gained insights from Copilot that we would otherwise not have thought of, and incorporated new ideas into the concept that were surfaced by the system.

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Is this good or bad?

I’ve long been very critical of AI, and still am. When scrolling LinkedIn and, in part, Substack these days, there is so much perfectly polished content. AI has made everyone a decent writer. But at the same time, it has become so boring that I hardly read these articles anymore. I have the impression that the average writer has become better with the help of AI, but at the same time there is hardly any original content left. No edges, no fun, nothing that provokes my interest.

What if the same is true for business ideas and business plans? If everyone has access to the same AI tools and uses them blindly, will there be any original new concepts? Or will everyone come up with the same average bullshit?

Common sense suggests that AI tools should be used as tools and not as replacements for thinking.

Is there any scientific research on the topic?

Although AI tools this powerful are still relatively new, there are already some studies out there, along with a lot of anecdotal evidence from practitioners.

They all suggest that AI lowers entry barriers and makes planning faster. As a result, more people are able to create decent plans. The competition seems to shift from “can you build a plan?” to “can you build a real business?” Execution skills and human judgment matter just as much as before.

So the real game changer seems to be that entrepreneurs use AI as a tool at the right steps, while continuously improving their judgment and execution skills by staying active in the “real” world.

What this means for us

We have discovered a powerful tool to explore ideas, support them with data, and create an initial actionable plan. It can serve as a roadmap, a high-level business plan that still needs to be manually expanded and refined. Each section generated by AI has to be critically challenged.

And that is just the plan. Turning the idea into reality still requires meeting people, finding potential clients, refining the product or service, and actually building a company. There are more specific AI tools that can be used at every step along the way. For instance, we are exploring the creation of an AI agent that communicates with clients and automates simple backend tasks.

The human element will be enhanced, but not replaced by AI.

What is your experience? Do you agree with this assessment?

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Building Momentum gives you consistent, high‑impact deep dives to clarify your life vision, set meaningful goals, and turn them into decisive action | All powered by my values‑based coaching method | Ready to go further? Book a 1:1 coaching session and accelerate your transformation.

I have always seen myself as a competitive person with high ambitions. I set goals, push hard, and at times even become obsessive about achieving them. For a long time, I believed this was the engine that would shape my life: that through clarity, planning, and discipline, I would design the outcome I wanted.

Recently, I found myself revisiting a simple but uncomfortable question: What did I actually want when I was younger, and how does that compare to the life I have today?

The answer surprised me. When I look at my life now, I feel deep gratitude and a sense that things have turned out remarkably well. But when I try to trace how I got here, a different pattern emerges: almost everything that truly matters arrived unplanned, unexpected, and often at times when I wasn’t even looking for it:

• My wife came into my life out of the blue.

• Our children, although desired, arrived when we least expected them.

• We moved to Switzerland because of an unexpected job opportunity.

• We stumbled across a construction site in our small town, and spontaneously bought our dream apartment.

• I became an entrepreneur not because of a long-term master plan, but because my team and I reached a point where staying where we were simply wasn’t an option anymore.

And when I tried the reverse exercise, listing the things I clearly planned, worked towards, and achieved as envisioned, the list was surprisingly… empty.

So, is there something to learn from this? Maybe even advice worth sharing? What does this say about concepts like visualization, manifestation, or crafting a life plan?

This is where I have arrived:

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The paradox of intention and surrender

There are many aspects of my life where I have the strong feeling that they were meant to be. They appeared unexpectedly, almost as if they were waiting for the right moment to step in. And, honestly, I struggle to imagine that things could have turned out fundamentally differently.

I cannot picture having a different wife, or different children. I feel I have arrived exactly where I am supposed to be.

Whether one calls this coincidence, karma, or some form of a larger design doesn’t really matter. What matters is the underlying realization: life unfolds in ways that are far more complex and far less controllable than we tend to believe.

But does that mean we should simply lean back and let everything happen?

Certainly not.

The real “recipe”

If there is something like a recipe, it looks far less like rigid planning and far more like a combination of openness, effort, and trust:

1. Everything we need is, in some sense, already there for us. We are equipped with the abilities to grow, to act, to shape our path, and to find our destiny.

2. Life, God, or simply the unfolding process itself guides us. But it requires something from us: attention. We have to listen.

3. One of the most reliable signals we have is our genuine interest. What truly draws us in, what excites us, what we feel naturally pulled towards, they are indicators of direction.

4. Hard work plays a role. There are phases where pushing, building, and enduring are necessary. But equally important is the ability to relax, to step back, and to allow things to emerge.

5. This balance is not easy. It requires a certain level of faith in the process, in life, and perhaps in something larger than ourselves.

6. And it requires gratitude. Because once you begin to see how much of what truly matters was never under your control, gratitude becomes the only reasonable response.

A warning

There is, of course, another approach to life.

Some people operate from the conviction that they deserve certain outcomes, and that it is justified to take them, even at the expense of others. They push forward driven by ego, force, and a sense of entitlement. They build careers by undermining others. They accumulate power, influence, or wealth by taking rather than creating.

In many cases, this seems to work. But I have yet to see someone follow this path and arrive at a place of genuine fulfillment at the end of their life. Because what is taken, rather than grown into, rarely stays.

And even if it does, it carries a cost that becomes visible over time, internally if not externally.

Let’s engage!

Building Momentum gives you consistent, high‑impact deep dives to clarify your life vision, set meaningful goals, and turn them into decisive action | All powered by my values‑based coaching method | Ready to go further? Book a 1:1 coaching session and accelerate your transformation.

Click here to access the article: Frustration is great!

These days, there are hundreds of videos on YouTube about how to increase your personal power, become more effective, and manifest and transform your life. They often refer to Stoic philosophy, Jung’s teachings, and the principles of Machiavelli. While I believe many of them offer meaningful insights, most appear to be AI-generated, and the advice is often quite generic.

During our last vacation, I thought a lot about this topic—the things I’ve learned from personal experience and from books I’ve read over the years.

Below is a list of the concepts that resonate most deeply with me. You might find it useful, and perhaps an inspiration to explore one or another more deeply.

1. Train your thoughts and emotions with discipline, and make sure you feel calm and grounded at all times. Notice the moment a negative thought or emotion arises, and consciously overwrite it with something constructive. This is difficult but trainable—and once mastered, it will radically transform your life.

2. This calm and centered state of mind is the foundation of manifestation. Feel and know that everything you desire already exists. Do not fall back into doubt. Sustain this state over extended periods, and extraordinary things will begin to happen.

3. A positive mindset is necessary, but nothing happens without hard work. Work on your goals obsessively for a time—and then deliberately rest.

4. Autonomy is a superpower. When you work alone on your projects, you are often more effective, productive, and focused. A single, disciplined individual can achieve more than an entire organization.

5. Eliminate your need for external validation. Dependence on other people’s opinions makes you vulnerable and weak. When you no longer need it, you step into true power.

6. Become quiet. Do not share your real goals or what you are working on. Keep it to yourself until you are ready to launch. Be difficult to read—real power grows in silence.

7. Never complain or display exhaustion in public. Project strength and ease at all times.

8. Be the father, therapist, and teacher you never had. Stop complaining. Act.

9. Become less available. Give your time and energy only to those who treat you with respect. Do not waste yourself on people who do not deserve it.

Let’s engage!

Building Momentum gives you consistent, high‑impact deep dives to clarify your life vision, set meaningful goals, and turn them into decisive action | All powered by my values‑based coaching method | Ready to go further? Book a 1:1 coaching session and accelerate your transformation.

When I look back at the pivotal moments of my life, the ones where I made the most important decisions, most of them were preceded by long periods of frustration. I’ve come to understand that while frustration is often regarded as a negative emotional state signaling failure, resistance, or lack of progress, it can be a critically important force for good.

When I recently started looking into the topic, I found that psychology and neuroscience support my feeling. They suggest that frustration, when managed well, is not only useful but essential for growth, performance, and motivation. In many ways, it is the raw material from which progress is built.

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What science tells us

At its core, frustration arises when there is a gap between where we are and where we want to be. Rather than being purely negative, this gap serves as a powerful informational signal. It tells us that something matters and that our current strategy is insufficient.

Research on “frustrative nonreward” shows that when expected rewards are withheld, the resulting frustration influences learning, behavior, and motivation. Instead of shutting us down, this state can trigger adaptation: prompting us to try new approaches, refine strategies, and persist.

One of the strongest scientific findings is that frustration can actually increase effort and persistence, especially when individuals have a sense of agency.

Experimental research within self-determination theory shows that when people experience frustration of autonomy, they often respond by investing greater intrinsic motivation in subsequent tasks to restore control. This “restoration effect” suggests that frustration activates a compensatory mechanism: we try harder precisely because something is missing.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law

However, not all frustration is equal! Too little leads to boredom; too much leads to overwhelm. The key lies in the right amount.

The Yerkes–Dodson law, one of the most established principles in psychology, shows that performance improves with moderate levels of arousal (including stress and frustration) up to an optimal point, after which it declines:

• Too little tension → disengagement

• Moderate tension → focus, energy, peak performance

• Too much tension → anxiety, breakdown

This “inverted U” explains why mild frustration sharpens attention and drives action. It pushes us into the zone where growth happens.

My personal journey

In my personal life, frustration with the team environment and my former boss ultimately led me to leave one of the best-known companies in the world. It was a process that took months, during which I went through phases of clarity and doubt. But when the frustration with the situation became unbearable, I made the decision to accept an offer to build a private equity business at a much smaller family office.

After an enthusiastic start and genuine excitement about the opportunity to build something meaningful, I began to realize that change and dynamism were not truly welcomed. My team and I grew increasingly frustrated as we had to walk away from a number of potentially great deal opportunities. When that frustration reached a tipping point, we took a significant risk and founded our own business, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The most persistent frustrations, however, are often the ones I have with myself: not always being the husband and father I want to be, not being brave enough to take risks in certain moments, not sticking to my diet or gym routine, not eating as healthily as I would like, and at times feeling that I am not living up to my full potential. It never really stops.

For many years, I believed that business success, financial achievement, great holidays, and accumulating assets would gradually reduce frustration. But I have come to realize that as long as you have meaningful goals in life, whether material or immaterial, frustration will remain part of the journey. In fact, it is often one of the most powerful drivers of change.

There is, however, one important caveat: frustration combined with passivity is dangerous. If you allow frustration to take over without acting on it, it can slowly turn into cynicism. You become stuck, disengaged, and difficult to be around.

You have to act.

So next time you feel frustrated, try to remember: it is the fuel to build a better future!

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Building Momentum gives you consistent, high‑impact deep dives to clarify your life vision, set meaningful goals, and turn them into decisive action | All powered by my values‑based coaching method | Ready to go further? Book a 1:1 coaching session and accelerate your transformation.

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Before going “all in” on an idea and starting your own business, it is time for an honest self assessment. Being an entrepreneur sounds glamorous and exciting—which it surely can be—but it is also hard and comes with a lot of sacrifices. You need to be able to deal with risk and a lot of pressure.

In my experience of working with successful entrepreneurs and founding my own companies, it is absolutely key to know your strengths and weaknesses. To know who you are and what motivates you.

What is your motivation?

One way to find out your true motivation is by asking yourself what you loved doing as a child, or what you were dreaming of when you were young. Did you love freedom and independence? Did you dream about big ideas?

These will help you figure out if you have entrepreneurial spirit and can also hint at potential business ideas at the same time.

What are your biggest strengths & weaknesses

Block an hour and take time to write down your five biggest strengths that will help you become a successful entrepreneur. Describe them in detail and explain why they will be helpful. This is an example of what I would write:

1. Communication: I am a good communicator, which will help me pitch my business idea to potential co-founders, investors and customers.

2. …

3. …

4. …

5. …

Once you’ve come up with five strengths, also think about potential weaknesses—or let’s call them challenges—that could hinder your success. Please don’t write down five of them though, because we want to stay motivated :-)

There are challenges that are solvable or that can be “compensated” by a co-founder, and others that are potential deal breakers (e.g. “I cannot tolerate uncertainty”).

Which relevant experiences do you bring to the table?

When thinking about your new venture, it can be helpful to list a number of useful experiences that you have made in your life. These can be small or big things.

Maybe you have taken the lead on a certain project in your current job, or you have learned how to sell things. Maybe you are “managing” a family with a bunch of kids. In my case, I have been tasked with leading and expanding a department for my last employer, before we decided to do a spin-out and found our own business.

Who inspires you?

Think about your biggest role models in life, who inspires you? I look up to people like Joe Rogan, Ray Dalio or the founder of one of our portfolio companies. They all have in common that they are creative builders who had a great impact in their respective fields.

What comes next?

If you still want to go for it after having gone through this soul-searching process and you believe in your abilities, I encourage you to get started! Be creative, meet people, develop ideas and try things.

If you are looking for help finding your business idea, please check out my article about developing your business idea.

Let’s engage!

Building Momentum gives you consistent, high‑impact deep dives to clarify your life vision, set meaningful goals, and turn them into decisive action | All powered by my values‑based coaching method | Ready to go further? Book a 1:1 coaching session and accelerate your transformation.

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