Chapter 27 "Business Class"

Because the next chapter contains “classified information,” the names of James, Matthias, and Lucas are not real people — the names of whom have been changed. 

I felt we had only just closed the deal with Peak when I received a message on LinkedIn in mid-March 2018 that immediately sparked my interest. 

Hey Thijs, I don't quite remember how we got in touch on Linkedin, but lately, I have been seeing a lot of good news about United Wardrobe. 

At [X], we are very excited about the fashion market. I was wondering if you'd like to catch up and see if there's anything we could learn from each other. Regards, James.

James' company turned out to be a huge player in the venture capital world — a world of money where big companies gobble up small ones. James came by for a cup of coffee in our bar (we had a real bar at the office, the United Bardrobe, which two of my friends, Hans and Sjoerd, had put together). We made small talk. James, of course, wanted to extract every piece of information he could from us, but I had been given strict instructions by Johan from Peak. He had advised me not to reveal anything, just to wait and see what James would come up with. His company was known for buying start-ups with high numbers. So this could suddenly mean a very big exit. 

When the conversation was drawing to a close, and James was getting ready to go home, he casually said, “You should drop by our headquarters sometime. Matthias, a colleague who knows everything about marketplaces, is based there.” 

I knew that their head office was located in a warm country on the other side of the globe. 

“Fine,” I replied, “if you pay.”' 

“No problem,” James said. 

I laughed – I wasn't quite sure who I was laughing at, him or myself – and said, “I look forward to the tickets!” 

A couple of days later, James slid into my inbox again, asking if I could provide my passport number, as well as Thijs S.’s and Sjuul’s. Wait, what?

“This is a joke,” Sjuul said immediately. Thijs S. certainly did not trust it at all. 

I called James and subtly asked if he was kidding.

“Of course not,” James said. “Just send me that information, and I'll book a great hotel for you right away.” Say what? 

This was real. We really were going to the other side of the world. Holy shit!

What cast some shadow over this bizarre invitation was that Rick didn't join us. Only the three of us, the founders, boarded the flight on Wednesday, April 25, 2018.

On the plane, I had completely forgotten about my semi-burnout. I felt the adrenaline rushing through my veins, and I enjoyed it to the fullest. We arrived at the airport late in the evening. I received a text from their office manager that an orange BMW with a driver was waiting for us “because you guys are Dutch.” I still don't know if it was a coincidence or if they really arranged an orange car for us. The driver took us to the hotel full throttle, where we started drinking gin and tonics straight away.

Euphoric and tipsy, we sat at the hotel bar. We knocked back drinks and lit one cigarette after the other. After yet another gin and tonic, we noticed that we had been watched for some time by a young man further down the lobby. When he noticed us noticing him, he walked over and introduced himself as Lucas. He founded one of our international competitors. His company was like United Wardrobe but in a different country. They had already expanded into two continents. Company X, who wanted to buy us, had a master plan that immediately became clear to us: they wanted to introduce us to this competitor, see if there was a connection, and if they could merge the two companies. Together, we could then stand up to Vinted.

The next day, we woke up with a hangover for the first meeting. For the second time, we were picked up by the orange BMW and taken to Company X’s headquarters. While driving, we saw the beauty of this country. The nature. The people. What a country. At their headquarters, we met Matthias and a colleague of his. I got dizzy from all the stress. So this is it, I thought, these guys are actually going to buy us. We had a long meeting. Matthias turned out to be a nice guy with a lot of knowledge, who once again pointed out that everything during our stay would be at the expense of the company. Including the dinner, we would have that evening. Yet something important was not discussed during our first meeting — a potential deal. Matthias made no remarks about what they really intended, what they would put up for United Wardrobe. But we felt it would be big money. Or maybe we just told ourselves that.

Back at the hotel, Sjuul, Thijs, and I were over the moon and jumping with excitement.

“We're going to be millionaires!”

“We have to take this deal!”

“Whatever it is, yes to everything!”

We made sure we looked our best when we headed back into town. It was Thursday evening, and it looked like this city had a great nightlife. Everywhere we looked, people were walking around in beautiful outfits. We had arranged to meet Matthias in a trendy restaurant. The entire evening, we talked about United Wardrobe, comparable marketplaces, the changing market, the game, and the dies. We laughed, we drank, we were feeling it. But since Matthias had just become a father, he left quite early. The evening was still great, but no longer free.

Still, we made the most of it that night. Lucas, the competitor, was still feeling it too. The four of us ended up in a filthy techno club where we screwed our heads off. Then we went to a bar in a beautiful courtyard. We started talking to a group of friends who were on their way to the next club. Drunk. By car. Not a good idea, said Thijs S. – always the wise man among us all. But Sjuul, Lucas, and I thought it was all well and good. We were in love with the city, with this night, with the money we could already feel in our hands. We were on top of the world. In two small cars, crammed into the back with the drunk girls, we raced to the next club. We arrived in one piece and danced until dawn.

The next morning, we went to lunch at some way too trendy vineyard. A table had been set for us on a glass floor, under which pheasants roamed freely. We had another big fat hangover, and I started sweating when the suit-clad waiter showed us the wine list.

“Here we go again,” Sjuul sighed.

And off we went again. We ate venison, drank great wine, and talked about merging our companies. Apparently, Company X was really impressed with what we had delivered. In case of an acquisition, they even wanted to transfer the entire platform to United Wardrobe.

Hours later, and semi-drunk, we stepped outside again. Matthias had arrived in a white Audi A5 convertible. An extremely sweet ride. Of course, I wanted to ride along, so we raced through the city, and for a moment, I felt really powerful in this amazing car with a top executive of an international company at the wheel. I closed my eyes and could already see what my new life was going to look like until Matthias suddenly slammed the brakes in the middle of what looked like a highway. I was shocked, but Matthias let out a cheerful cry, “There's my wife!”

And sure enough, his wife and newborn child were walking on the side of the road. I was introduced to her and was even allowed to hold the baby in my arms for a while. I remember thinking, Matthias, now I am holding your child – will you be holding my child soon?