Dare to act

Since 2016, Average Rob has worked for Belgian magazine Humo and presented the radio programme BOITLYFE on youth channel StuBru. He is known for his YouTube content, iconic videos for Humo and his content on social media (@averagerob). With great fascination for Belgian culture, and together with a group of talented people, he created clothing brand Haha. and beer brand Tout Bien. Last but not least, he is hitting the big festivals together with Jasper Donkers as DJ duo Omdat Het Kan Soundsystem.

Rob, you are a tremendously versatile entrepreneur. How did you take the first step?

There is no such thing as a manual for becoming an entrepreneur. Although I did not grow up in an entrepreneurial family, I have always been very independent, especially since my parents’ divorce. Ever since I was little, I knew pretty well what I wanted to do. When I started college, my dream was to become a creative director at a big company like Nike or Adidas. Along the way, Average Rob was born in order to do some fun projects on top of my studies. By the time I graduated, Average Rob had become so big that I rolled into entrepreneurship, so to speak. I have been rolling down that hill ever since.

So, becoming an entrepreneur does not happen overnight. After all, Rome was not built in a day either. You have to be patient and spend time building your brand and developing a community of loyal customers. This is hugely important, especially in the fast-paced world we now live in.

In addition, passion is absolutely essential in order to succeed. Entrepreneurship requires a lot of energy and in the beginning you get scarce returns. Passion and fun are needed to persevere and make your dreams and goals a reality, and that is exactly what I try to translate into everything I do.

You always put 100% effort into what you do. What is your secret?

My number one motto is: dare to act and embrace failure. Moreover, daring to fail does not mean that you are going to fail anyway. The great thing about making mistakes is that you can figure out exactly what happened. It is a learning process, and actually you should not think of it as failure. It is an opportunity to learn, and I still believe very strongly that experiencing something yourself is much more powerful than reading or hearing about it. Fear of failure only obstructs your learning process. So, push yourself, try new things and dare to make mistakes.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with having doubts once in a while. I too sometimes question how I am going to achieve certain things and whether I can do them. My strategy? Consider what you have to lose. A lot of people today have it worse than us in terms of standard of living. When you think about that, your fear or doubt suddenly seems very trivial. So, do not worry too much about what others think of you, but try and give it a chance.

Getting the right talent in-house is not a given today. Why is talent so important?

These days, it is more important to have the right talent in-house than to have the latest gadgets. In social media, for example, it is not about having the best camera, the prettiest sound or the most sparkling light. It is all about telling the story, capturing your audience and showing who you are.

Besides, training talent takes a lot of time and effort. I strongly believe that everyone has a talent and, if you manage to recruit someone who excels in something you are looking for, you can move forward immediately. I am hugely creative, but all my projects are co-supported by people who excel at their craft. I surround myself with the right talents, the right people who can support and assist me. Because that is the power of talent, you can always count on it.