Some entrepreneurs knew from an early age that they wanted to start their own business one day. Perhaps because they came from an entrepreneurial family or had other inspiring role models around them. For Dave van de Laar, things were a little different. “I grew up in a working-class family with parents who worked incredibly hard for very little pay,” Dave begins. “It was an unstable environment with a father who, due to various circumstances, was an alcoholic. The choices my parents made were always about keeping our family afloat. Even at a young age, I knew this wasn’t the life I wanted.”

Dave took on all kinds of jobs as a teenager. For example, he worked in forestry or with guard dogs. In his early twenties, he started his first jobs in security, working as a doorman or personal security guard. Not long after, he joined a local security firm, where he worked his way up to general manager. Until his boss suddenly vanished without a trace. “Some security firms do business with criminals,” says Dave. “That’s common knowledge. Law enforcement screens every company in our industry, but that doesn’t mean everything gets uncovered. I later discovered that my director was involved with shady organizations and had borrowed a lot of money. He either didn’t want to or couldn’t pay it back, so from one day to the next, he vanished off the face of the earth.”

The staff looked to Dave to solve this problem. “I had a lot on my plate,” he says of that time. “As general manager, I had to make sure salaries were paid and the company kept running.” But that wasn’t the only challenge, according to Dave. “Problems kept getting bigger, and unscrupulous creditors came to me demanding payment. They thought I was a co-owner, but I was just an employee trying to salvage what could still be salvaged.”

Big cars and wonderful trips

The security company eventually went bankrupt. But the clients who remained still needed reliable security just as much. “So I started a new company myself,” says Dave. “A number of our former clients trusted me and gave me a chance. That way, I could continue to help them, and I had my first customers. I was 23 at the time. Now, nineteen years later, Eye Watch Security Group BV ranks among the top ten security companies in the Netherlands.”

The growth of his organization initially stemmed from a commitment to making money. As a 23-year-old, Dave had one thing in mind: “I wanted to get rich and leave the life of my youth as far behind me as possible. My commitment was to making a lot of money, and to do that, I simply had to build a large company. All I could think about were big cars, travel, and material possessions.”

Many entrepreneurs start out driven by a commitment to financial success. Only once you’re no longer under financial pressure can you look beyond revenue and profit. “In my first year, I made maybe two thousand euros in profit,” Dave recalls. “I was very driven to change that. My mindset was: I’m just going to become the biggest and the best, and I don’t care what it takes to get there. I steamrolled over everyone, but it did give me the momentum I needed at that point.”

Dave was able to build Eye Watch Security Group BV from the ground up. “I started with a few small clients I took over from my previous company. Through my network in Wanssum, I eventually began providing security for the village’s industrial park as well. That was my first major client. Eventually, my client base spread like wildfire all the way to Venray: a logistics hub in the Netherlands. I provided security for a few logistics companies there, and that’s how I came into contact with international players.” Dave secured a number of major international clients. With that move, he significantly increased his impact on the industry.

Monk

For years, Dave kept his eyes fixed solely on growing his business. “That did mean I burned some bridges along the way,” he says. Anyone who couldn’t or wouldn’t keep up with Dave’s pace was left behind: “I moved very quickly and had absolutely no patience for people who needed more time. Anyone who couldn’t keep up was free to leave. Slowing down wasn’t an option for me.” By 2015, he had cut so many people out of his life that his company was on the verge of bankruptcy. “My approach led to lawsuits,” Dave explains. “Fired employees filed lawsuits against me. I, in turn, filed cases against former colleagues who were poaching my clients. The company then went into serious decline. It was also a turbulent time personally. At the same time, I was going through a bitter divorce that took a toll on me. This clouded my vision and my direction.” In response to what was happening in his life, Dave delved into spirituality. For the first time, he was open to viewing himself and the world through a different lens. “I did go a bit overboard with it. At one point, I was practically a monk. But it did bring me a certain peace and clarity. I could see that everything happening around me had been created by me.” Armed with that insight, he got through that period and was able to rebuild his business.

The inner stance of a bouncer

A few years later, a business acquaintance introduced Dave to the world of Straight-Line Leadership. “I’d been on good terms with the owner of a marketing firm for years. We often worked together, so he witnessed all the ups and downs firsthand. At one point, he said, ‘When I see the challenges you’re facing and the struggles you’re going through, Straight-Line Leadership is really the right fit for you.’” Dave then contacted a Straight-Line Consultant and joined the Mentorship program. There, he gained a deeper understanding of what he was creating in his life and business. “I started my career as a bouncer,” Dave begins. “That shaped how I saw myself: as someone who could dish out hard blows when necessary. But I didn’t know there was another world out there. I just thought: this is who I am. Through Straight-Line Leadership, I’ve come to see that I don’t always have to knock someone out to get from A to B.”

He began to see the profound impact of his inner dialogue, which led him to make a new commitment: a commitment to maintaining calm and perspective, so that he could make decisions from that vantage point. “If I’d done that sooner, I could have kept a few valuable team members on board and certainly burned far fewer bridges. That’s why I made a commitment to myself to stop being that old Dave. Instead, I operate from a place of calm and space. Because my old behavior cost me a lot of time and energy—time and energy I could have spent on more important matters, such as slowing down and focusing on the bigger picture.”

Giving others a chance

Thanks to the help of Straight-Line Leadership, his internal dialogue no longer dominates his thoughts. He can now view his company and the situations that arise with a clear perspective. “I constantly ask myself: Where are we headed together? And how can we make this company even more successful together? It’s no longer just about me.” That’s why Dave now supports his team members in their growth, so they can succeed together. “I came from nothing and am a kid from the streets. I sometimes use my own story to show people on my team that commitment and focused action can take you anywhere. Why shouldn’t you be able to become who you want to be? You don’t need a college degree—you need a commitment to your mission.”

Dave regularly explores ways he can contribute to his employees’ lives. For a select group, he goes a step further: they are given the opportunity to join the Ownership membership program, allowing them to develop themselves even more intensively. “Ultimately, everyone reaps the benefits. They become stronger individuals, and as a result, the company becomes stronger too.” A side effect of this is that those team members can take over some of Dave’s responsibilities, allowing him to focus on the legacy he wants to leave behind. “If I keep working the way I do now, I can’t make much of a difference in the world. So it’s time for me to let go of some things and give others the chance to grow the company.”

Shift focus

Even at the age of 23, Dave wanted to leave something meaningful behind. But he didn’t know how to go about it. Now he has a clearer picture of that. “I spent some time traveling through parts of Africa, and what I observed there made a deep impression on me. I saw a level of poverty that we in the Western world cannot imagine. I saw extraordinary animals, such as the Big Five, that are threatened with extinction. I imagined that one day my children would only be able to see these animals in a museum.” That’s why Dave has set himself the goal of establishing a foundation to help underprivileged children and endangered animals in the region. “To that end, I’m in contact with a woman who is setting up schools in Ghana. She is originally from the country herself and fled to the Netherlands as a child. I help her and others identify where they can make the greatest impact and how to develop key initiatives.”

Financial resources still play a major role in Dave’s life. But his focus has shifted. “To make a difference on this scale, you need serious money,” he says. “So I’m still committed to money, but there’s a different purpose behind it. It’s actually a commitment to contributing to the well-being of others. Now that I’m implementing the work of Straight-Line Leadership, I’m much more focused on what I, as a powerful person, can contribute to my community. And how I can leave my legacy in that way.”