I met Genís 3 years ago while working with the Catalan sports cluster INDESCAT, and we became good friends. He is a great person, passionate about helping companies and projects succeed is an inspiring dream chaser. I invited him to share his inspiring story on the blog. A great read for Monday – enjoy!

Tell us a bit more about yourself and the dream you are chasing

My name is Genís Puigvert Subirà, I’m from Barcelona and my passion is around sport and business. I have many hobbies but the ones that stand out are gastronomy and cinema. So, if you don’t find me doing some sport you’ll probably find me eating or at the movies.

I started my professional career at a top audit company but I noticed after a while that it was not for me. I did a quick introspection exercise just before I quit to figure out what my passions were and, obviously, the idea of doing something related to sports was so thrilling. I decided to study a Master’s Degree in Sports Management to know about the specificities of the industry and, while doing it, it became clear that I had to try and do something on my own, as I’ve always wanted. So I founded a company; I’ll talk about it in a bit (spoiler: it didn’t go well). After that, I found the perfect organization to start working at, which is the Catalan Sports Cluster (INDESCAT). It is an association of companies, all from the sports sector in Catalunya. Its objective is to improve the competitiveness of the whole ecosystem by participating in innovation projects, making impactful connections, etc. I’ve been here for almost 3 years now.

How was the idea for your dream born, and how has it developed over time?

I’ll explain the entrepreneurial process with my own case.

To have my own company was my dream. Once I decided that sports was the industry in which I wanted to do something, it comes the first phase came: come up with an idea that could work, which is the easiest and funniest part, because it is just imagination. After that, you have to start moving.

Figure out the team, the key partners, the business model, etc. I was foolish enough to believe I could do it alone, without a team around me, that I could outsource everything that was not my job (meaning technology, legal, etc.). But you can’t, because there is not an alignment of interests; you don’t control the timing or the money. You must bring on board people with complementary skills to yours that can take care of the key areas from the inside.

Another aspect is that you must always keep an eye on the market. That’s why controlling the timing is crucial. In my case, when I considered the product to be ready, the market had already changed, so I decided not to launch.

So, it is a failure from the business perspective, but I’ve learned so many things along the way. Having said all that, an entrepreneur always has something inside that is saying: “try again…” Maybe I will.

What are your plans for the future? What do you wish to achieve in the next 5 years?

What we are building at INDESCAT is something special, connecting people and companies and making things happen. I made the decision some time ago that I don’t want to leave the sports industry, so I hope that if we talk in 5 years time I’ll be in a place where I feel happy (which is my number one goal in life), but also bring value by helping people be happier. 

What are the most important lessons you learned along the way so far?

Just try to enjoy the journey. It is something that is often being said, but a lot of people are still only focused on the end goals. There is a possibility that you never reach those goals, so if you haven’t enjoyed the journey the disappointment will be much worse.

Also, you learn more from the mistakes than from the successes, I have no doubt about it. If I found another company in the future, I know exactly what I must not do.

How do you find work and life balance and prevent burnout?

As I come from a big audit firm, in which there were certain times of the year when you never knew the ending hour, I learned to set boundaries. There are some isolated cases where you must stay a little longer, but I made a pact with myself that I would respect my “go home” time.

Once I have this first part covered, I need to do sport. Probably an hour at the gym is enough.

I also enjoy meeting with friends for a beer or dinner in the middle of the week or going to the cinema to watch a movie that I’m looking forward to. Those are tricks that make weeks pass easily.

How do you take care of yourself – physically, emotionally, and mentally?

To me, this is a crucial part of my life. Taking care of myself while practicing sport is something that, obviously, it benefits my body and, as a consequence, my health, but also helps me be sharper mentally and more available emotionally.

What are your daily routines/habits that you believe contribute to your success?

This is clearly linked to the question above, I need a certain moment to do some sport every day. I usually go to the gym, as it is the easiest thing for me to do because it’s really close to home (and because strength training is a must), but some days it is a padel match, swimming or just walking fast.

What would you say are the three principles or qualities that can help a person make their dreams come true?

The willingness to try (while being aware that there is a high probability that you fail) is so admirable to me. This quality is so underrated.

Learn as much as possible, be curious. One easy way can be reading, yes, but another level to that is to surround yourself with more intelligent people than yourself and always try to learn. Not only about what they say, but also what they do and how they react under pressure or in certain situations. That can be by simply observing, but if you can ask directly is much better.

What inspires and motivates you when times are difficult?

I always get inspired by people who have done great things in sports, in business, or in life. Almost all of them have had a challenging path to reach the top and were still able to overcome difficulties.

What would you say to the people who are still hesitant to chase their dreams?

It is very related to question number 8, I would say: just try.

It is true that it is different if you come from money than if you have to borrow it and have to pay it back (which was my case). But in any case, if you are eager to work hard and invest your time in the project, I think it’s worth a try. And if it doesn’t work, at least you’ll have enjoyed the journey and learned many things.

Thanks so much and have a great summer!