As business manager of NB-Estates, Carl Vorsselmans (46) helps Flemings in their search for a house or apartment in Tenerife, Costa Blanca, Ibiza and Costa del Sol. In itself nothing noteworthy, were it not for the fact that until 2018 the man was commissioner of the federal police and head of service of POSA Antwerp, the central directorate of special units. Like his girlfriend Freyke, Vorsselmans traded in his police uniform three years ago for an entrepreneurial adventure in real estate.
How important is money to you?
"Money is important to me to a certain level. As long as I can do what I like to do, I'm satisfied. For example, I'm not saving for something or anything. If I win the lotto tomorrow, I wouldn't know what I would change or buy 'extra'."
What has been your best investment so far? And your worst?
"The best investment is undoubtedly a purchase of a new construction project that currently has a serious capital gain on it."
"The worst is buying Fortis shares and when they dropped even further, still putting extra into my investor portfolio. However, I try to look on the bright side: that negative experience made me vow to myself to do only real estate, and I'm extremely happy about that."
What do you regret professionally?
"I worked as a Federal Police Commissioner for 15 years. It was my childhood dream to do so, more specifically to join the Special Units of the Federal Police, formerly Group Diane. When I succeeded, it gave me immense satisfaction. And yet, in retrospect, maybe I should have taken the step to my own venture a little sooner."
Are you someone who frets often at all? What keeps you up at night?
"What we sometimes fret about now is getting paid for outstanding invoices. Especially after you've delivered your work, sometimes that's something that does worry us."
What is the most fun for you about being an entrepreneur?
"The most fun is being able to turn creative ideas into your own realizations. When that succeeds, it just gives incredible satisfaction. Taking risks and anxiously waiting to see what the outcome will be, that just kind of continues to give you a thrill."
'The best part is being able to turn creative ideas into your own realizations. When that succeeds, it just gives incredible satisfaction'ç
What big entrepreneurial dream do you still cherish? Where do you see yourself standing in 2-3 years?
"What we are trying to achieve is further international growth. For example, we also see interesting opportunities outside of Spain for our real estate offering. At the same time, we want to further expand our sales market. For example, we recently started a representation in Poland and I must say: it tastes like more. Other countries will therefore undoubtedly follow."
What sacrifices do you have to make in your private life in order to be in business?
"The sacrifices are great, of course, because with your own business you get up and also go to sleep. It never stops. And when you think, now I'm going to do 'nothing' for a while, still that phone call comes in of something you can't resist."
Do you have other major passions/hobbies besides entrepreneurship? Do you set aside enough time for those?
"My big passion is kitesurfing, once on the water you forget everything for a moment. In Spanish they say it very nicely: 'desconectar'. But unfortunately there is no time for that at the moment, because we are completely absorbed in our work."
What is the most important entrepreneurial lesson you've learned in recent years?
"Even when the news is ominous, you have to keep going for it. Because there are always new opportunities to be found somewhere."
"For example, who would have thought that prices in residential real estate would rise so much? It's true that we had very many cancellations. But we turned that heavy downturn into a time to focus on things we didn't have time for before. And with which we will undoubtedly be able to offset corona losses in the future."