Close to the Wind

What does it really take to turn an idea into a global business?

This is the candid, entertaining and often unpredictable story of an eight-year entrepreneurial journey that began with a simple idea and grew into one of the world’s biggest boating marketplaces, with more than 60,000 boats listed across sixty-five countries, and teams and offices spanning four countries.

From the early days of crowdfunding and thousands of investors to venture capital, rapid growth, acquisitions, boardroom battles and the extraordinary challenges of a global pandemic, this is entrepreneurship without a filter. There are hard lessons about money, leadership, hiring the right people, working with friends, managing investors and surviving the inevitable setbacks, politics and betrayals, but it also shows what can be achieved with sheer resilience and determination.

This is more than just a book about business. It’s a personal account of balancing ambition with a working wife and young family, while pursuing a passion for boating and discovering exotic destinations along the way.

Honest and insightful, this is a story of brutal high-wire entrepreneurship with a glamorous backdrop and a cast of characters, showing what happens when you just refuse to give up.