Christophe Suerickx came very close to never becoming an entrepreneur. His original plan was to join the French army. As a teenager, he had been practicing martial arts for years and played on the national rugby team. The army seemed like the perfect place to put his talents and abilities to use. “But my mother thought I should go to college first,” Christophe begins. “I earned a master’s degree in economics and then spent two years traveling the world. When I returned to Belgium in my twenties, I was getting ready to join the French Foreign Legion.” But a chance encounter in a café set his future on a different course.

Sleeping in the truck

Shortly after his trip, Christophe took a temporary job as a bartender. Every Friday, a group of entrepreneurs would gather at the café where he worked to have a beer. One of them approached him. “We started talking,” says Christophe. “He said to me, ‘You know how to work; I can tell you’ve got common sense. Do you want to take over a business with me?’” As a 24-year-old bartender, Christophe didn’t have enough money to buy into the business. The entrepreneur from the café then decided to act as his guarantor. “I borrowed my grandmother’s car to go to the negotiations,” he recalls. Overnight, Christophe became a co-owner of a roof cleaning company with three employees. He had a debt with the bank and no clue about the industry he was entering. Christophe: “My business partner was only a financial co-owner. I worked day and night to keep the company running. To pay off my debt as quickly as possible, I slept and lived in the truck.”

The sky was the limit

A few years later, Christophe started a new company with his brother, which would eventually grow into Group Suerickx: an organization specializing in large-scale industrial construction and renovation projects. Group Suerickx now carries out work for companies such as Ineos, Evonik, Pfizer, and Duracell. The path to getting there, however, was not exactly a straight line. From the very beginning, Christophe’s well-being was put to the test on several occasions. One of the most challenging periods arose in 2012, when their company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Two years earlier, in 2010, Group Suerickx had doubled in size. “You have to remember, the sky was the limit,” explains Christophe. “We had started out with three employees and maybe 500,000 euros in revenue. At one point, we were running four different companies.” Things were going so well for the brothers that in 2012, Christophe decided to invest in another organization. That turned out differently than expected. “I invested in a large company specializing in horizontal drilling,” Christophe begins. “That company went bankrupt, putting everything under pressure. Group Suerickx was growing very fast, and at the same time, the company I’d put a lot of money into went bankrupt. Alarm bells were ringing at the banks everywhere.” The banks subsequently withdrew their loans. “There were times when there were ten cars sitting in the garage that we couldn’t put into service because the leases had been canceled. Suddenly, we couldn’t pay wages anymore. The pressure I felt was enormous, because I also had three young children at home.”

Distinctions by phase

In the end, Christophe managed to weather that period more successfully. But four years later, the company faced financial difficulties once again—even though it had initially been very successful. “In 2016, Group Suerickx grew by 55 percent. It happened so fast that we had to hire a lot of new people in a short time. But back then, I wasn’t yet able to make the distinctions needed to choose the right people.” As a result, he ended up with a whole team of employees who weren’t doing what they were supposed to do. With all the consequences that entailed. “A consultant helped me realize that the people I had on board did have impressive degrees, but they weren’t doing what was necessary during that growth phase of our company.”

In both situations, Christophe managed to take decisive action under pressure to save his organization. He prioritized his personal well-being, even as his financial situation continued to deteriorate. This enabled him, for example, to lay off all executives in 2016 and hire practical, hands-on people—the kind of employees needed to build up the company during that phase. “I did have the occasional sleepless night,” Christophe admits. “But I have to say I was able to handle it pretty well. My mother always said, ‘If it isn’t hard for you, you’ll never enjoy it.’”

Look up limits

When life gets tough, most people stop doing certain things. Often, the first thing to take a back seat is taking good care of their bodies. But even during his toughest times, Christophe worked out several times a week. “From 2008 to 2020, I had a gym with a personal trainer right near my business,” says Christophe. “He was available 24 hours a day to train with me—from early morning until late at night.” No matter what happened, Christophe continued to prioritize his physical well-being. He still does that today. “My commitment is to train seven times a week, but in reality, it’s often nine times,” he explains. “It gives me energy and makes me feel comfortable in my own skin. I also like to push my limits.” Next year, he’s heading to Spain to go rafting, canyoning, and running for 48 hours straight. “That’s really the best,” he adds with a smile.

Strong network

His competition in Spain is part of a bigger picture. Christophe recently realized that he needs to reinvent his network. One of the first steps toward that goal: finding like-minded entrepreneurs to take on sporting challenges with. He explains: “Early in my career, I did a lot of networking. Recently, I was invited again to a networking event for entrepreneurs in the Kempen region. I listened to the people sitting across from me and I knew: I don’t belong here anymore.” He is now building a network around himself of people who add value. People who challenge themselves significantly, but who also don’t pretend to be bigger than they are. “I want to connect powerful people through sports. Because I’m done with yet another networking event.”

The biggest test so far

Christophe’s physical well-being also allows him to maintain a strong bond with his children. “I can always play with them and do everything with them. That’s a huge plus. I teach my children martial arts, and in the morning, before they go to school, I train with them.” His fifteen-year-old daughter doesn’t always enjoy working out. “But thanks to Straight-Line Leadership, I’ve found ways to motivate her anyway.” The insights he gained through Straight-Line Leadership have helped him in many areas of his relationship with his children—especially when their bond wasn’t as strong. When Christophe and their mother were going through a divorce, he faced the greatest test of his personal well-being to date. “My daughter wouldn’t even give me a hug,” he shares about that time.

“Dad, that’s a comfort choice.”

“At the start of the divorce, my interactions with my children were a lot more strained,” says Christophe. “As with most couples going through a divorce, there was some tension between us at first. My own parents were divorced, so I knew from experience that it was best not to speak ill of the other parent.” Christophe realized then that the only way he could help his children was to help them see the distinctions for themselves. “I explained the difference between being a creator and a victim, without blaming anyone. I told them what a comfort choice and a growth choice were and what consequences they had. Those insights had a huge impact on them. Their school performance has even improved tremendously.” As a result, the way his children viewed him began to transform. Their relationship improved tremendously—and continues to get better. “It’s become a game. For example, if I’m late, my kids say, ‘Dad, that’s a comfort choice.’ We laugh about it and hold each other accountable. Today, we’re so much stronger. That makes me very happy, because I’ve come from a very low point.”

The Big Insight

What has driven Christophe forward the most in recent years is the realization that he wasn’t previously aware of his personal well-being. “The biggest setback in my career came from not knowing who I was supposed to be,” he says. “That was my major insight. I had knowledge. I speak several languages and have always studied a lot. I had skills, too. But what I didn’t have was a sense of who I was supposed to be. That’s crystal clear to me now. In every situation, I ask myself: who am I right now? No one sees that, but everyone feels it.” When Christophe established a powerful inner stance, every aspect of his life transformed. “I’ve learned how to put my children first,” he begins. “My company’s results have fundamentally improved. My relationship with my girlfriend is many times stronger. Huge strides have been made at every level.” According to the entrepreneur, you live powerfully when you prioritize your personal well-being, even when things are tough. You have to be just as strong in bad times as in good ones. “And the ultimate straight line doesn’t exist,” Christophe adds. “If you look at my athletic performance from a distance, it seems like a straight line, but up close you see small peaks and valleys. Those will always be there, both in my training, in my business, and in my life. But they are becoming less pronounced.”