The first year of Laurens DC

Table of Contents

And with every year that goes by, time seems to be passing faster and faster…

Our beloved ball of floating earth has gone all around the sun since I started my business, one year ago.

I made quite a jump. But it didn’t feel like it.
And I learned a lot. Really, a whole damn lot.

Early stages - No more development

Honestly, I was a bit burnt out on development. And on company life.

You know how the biggest learnings don’t come when everything’s going well?
Rather, they appear in the darker, more difficult moments.

Well, here’s my learning: Working on the payroll in a company simply does not work for me.

Maybe it’s my brain, my outlook on life, or my ideas about software engineering and leadership.
Maybe it’s the way I want to work, aiming for good, simple design, expressing creativity in my work, prioritizing the well-being of others.
Maybe it’s a blind spot I have, and I’ve yet to figure out a way to deal with corporate business life.

I felt a strong need to get away from that dizzying code and to be there for other people.

Me, the godfather and my godchild — I’m a (/the) godfather now. And don’t worry my godchild, your beautiful face won’t be harvested by the LLM machines today.

The personal development coach

So I did what any business starter would do: Get super excited about an idea and go all-in to move it forward!

Since I already was very passionate about coaching and took a bunch of courses and certifications over the years, I wanted to go all-in and support people directly in their personal growth.

I took on a personal branding trajectory, clearing up who I want to help, who I am, and how my unique style and personality fits the market.

I learned a lot! I got crystal clear on my core mission and values, found that I want to help reflective medior software engineers who are going through the same struggles that I’ve faced throughout my 8+ years in the industry.

Confidence compass overview — I developed a complete learning trajectory to overcome impostor syndrome

I revamped my whole site with go and Tailwind and developed the “Confidence Compass” – a personal trajectory to help people overcome impostor syndrome.

I went on the road, talked to as many people as I could, and made a lot of noise about my coaching on offer!

But, alas

But as the metaphorical (or real, undiscoverable and supersensible) river of life would prove once more, we cannot force our way forward.

Reality and life will not shape themselves to be the way we want it in our minds.
– Laurens DC as well as some Buddhists somewhere

I was forced to face the reality that my idea and passion for coaching simply wasn’t landing. Not at this time and in this place, at least.

Workshop space — Look at this cozy space for winding down and opening up a bit for self reflection.

Maybe Belgium isn’t ready for investing in personal growth.
Maybe people are simply too distracted and focused outward in these times.
Maybe our culture taught us to crash and burn before seeking help.

There are a lot of things I could attribute this to, and the truth is, I’m simply not sure.

And then??

Well, where one door stayed kind of closed-ish, others opened.

I’ve tried, pivoted, embraced opportunities, and thankfully, I’m still going, and my business is still here!

But that’s a story for later. I’m done writing for now!
To be continued :)