Over the last several years, It has been my privilege to spend a great deal of quality time in the company of some enormously successful, high-profile individuals and talk with them in-depth about their lives.

From gold medal-winning Olympic athletes to world-class entrepreneurs, I’ve made it my mission to learn precisely what all of these amazing people have done, at a fundamental level, to become so extraordinarily successful in life.

I then helped each of them document their stories of success, their wisdom, and their most valuable advice, so we could share this with anyone who aspires to do really well in life, to help them on their journey, too. This led to our first book, A Few Wise Words (Volume One).

While I’m currently working on Volume Two, my aim for this Substack is quite simple: to share the insights, knowledge, and wisdom I have gathered (and continue to gather) to both enlighten and enrich the lives of all who would like to join me.

Include A Few Wise Words as one of your trusted Substack subscriptions, and you will learn more about the fundamentals of what it really takes to achieve success, fulfilment and happiness in your life, from some of the most successful and inspiring people of our time.

Subscribe to A Few Wise Words and receive new posts every week.

While most will aspire to excel in life through having a successful career, our individual journeys will usually play out like a game of snakes and ladders: full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and mostly quite unpredictable!

Obstacles will naturally confront us along the way, but opportunities will present themselves, too. How we conquer those challenges and make the most of these gifts will determine our future success.

…and Luck will always have a big role to play as well, in how our journeys unfold.

One of our biggest challenges today is that the world is changing so fast.

We may have an idea of where we’d like to be in (say) five years’ time, but by the time we get there, we’ll probably be in a completely different place, and heading off in a totally new direction!

Preparation for whatever the future may hold is key… It starts with being curious: What can I do from now to become the very best version of me? What soft skills do I need to acquire or improve? How can I begin to attract great opportunities?

First, we need to acquire a deep understanding of the fundamentals of what it takes to succeed... Because once we do, we will be far better prepared to navigate our journey ahead with confidence, purpose and direction.

Life for me has certainly been very interesting, eventful, and often highly rewarding (and I’m not finished yet 🙂)

I’ve done many exciting things and had lots of adventures over the years, and like the best of us, I have also experienced many ups and downs and challenges along the way… But I have also learned so much about life, people, and about me during my long journey so far…

Occupationally, I’ve been (amongst many other things) a salesman, a marketing consultant, an entrepreneur, a professional photographer and now, an author and writer. I am also a very proud Dad!

A big chunk of my life has been involved in business. After a fascinating few years of consulting and travelling, I co-founded a company in London in 1992. This was to be an amazing adventure that led from start-up to building an international franchise network, to AIM listing, to acquisitions, to an eventual management buy-out just two years before the banking crash of 2008, when we sadly had to close down.

After picking myself up again, I decided to take a break from business for a while and turned another one of my passions, photography, into a profession. I would soon establish myself as a leading architectural and interiors photographer, working with interior designers, property developers, architects and private clients.

I also expanded my deep love for landscapes and Nature photography into shooting for calendars and photo libraries such as Getty/iStock. My images have regularly featured in major publications across the globe, over many years.

This time has certainly been a wonderful part of my life, enabling me to travel extensively (often taking my young family with me) to lots of exciting places in the world; it would not be unusual to see me hanging out of a helicopter (with a harness!) over the Seychelles, or a hot-air balloon in China… or capturing Grizzly Bears in Canada, or perhaps - a little less dangerously - a yacht interior in Monaco…

I absolutely adore nature and never fail to marvel at how beautiful our planet is, and how much inspiration and pleasure we can all draw from discovering so much about it. Photography has always been a wonderful way for me to do just that…

In late 2020, my first book, A Few Wise Words (Volume One), was published. My partner on this project has been Lord Mervyn Davies CBE, the ex-government minister and celebrated businessman, whose friendship, help and encouragement have been totally invaluable throughout.

The book would be the culmination of a four-year journey, meeting in person with numerous hugely respected luminaries, many of whom would then be invited to contribute a chapter. A Few Wise Words would then provide a unique platform for these amazing individuals to share - in their own words - their stories of success, wisdom and advice from which others can draw inspiration.

I have now largely retired from commercial photography so that I can focus my time and attention on A Few Wise Words. This will encompass both writing for my Substack while also travelling to meet with many more exciting and inspirational individuals who will eventually contribute to Volume Two of the book series.

You can find out more about our book here: A Few Wise Words Volume One

Thank you, Margaret Williams, MS, ACC, Patti Wohlin, Sue Reid, and many others for tuning in as well!

Please do check out Brenna’s brilliant Substack here: The Eudaimoniac

Watch on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/zdvSVbRPeRc

Based in the Netherlands, Jari is a founding partner of Write Build Scale and The Link — two highly respected publications followed by thousands of creators here on Substack and beyond.

In this conversation, we explore:

•   How Jari became a digital entrepreneur – what first motivated him and the lessons he learned along the way

•   The early mistakes he made that shaped his success

•   How endurance sport helped him to become a stronger business builder

•   Some surprising revelations about his business partners and how they all work so well as a team

•   His philosophy of “being a guide, not a guru”

•   How anyone can monetise their knowledge, the potential we all have, and what we need to do next in order to excel

•   Why so many aspiring creators put limits on themselves, and how to overcome them

•   The real impact of AI on solopreneurs (and how to use it wisely)

• T  he bold two-year vision that he and his partners, Sinem and Philip, have for Write Build Scale and The Link, and how they intend to help their audience to excel in their own journeys

Find out more about A Few Wise Words here: www.afewwisewords.com/links

And to learn more about Jari, Write Build Scale and The Link click here: https://writebuildscale.substack.com