#35 Scaling from Zero to $170 Million Only to Lose it All: The Unseen Side of Success with Simon de Raadt

 

What does it really take to scale a company to $170 million—and how do you pick up the pieces when it all vanishes?

In this raw and revealing episode of Exit the Rat Race, host Daniel Kluken sits down with Simon de Raadt, a high-performing entrepreneur who defied the odds by moving from a small Dutch town to Shanghai, building a company from scratch, and riding it to meteoric success... only to watch it all fall apart.

Simon shares his unfiltered journey—from delivering newspapers at 11 years old to shipping hundreds of thousands of parcels worldwide, and then facing the gut-wrenching loss of his business. Together, they dive deep into:

• The truth behind “overnight” business success (and what really goes on behind the scenes)

• The hidden loneliness and inner restlessness many top performers experience—even at the pinnacle

• Real talk on dealing with failure, loss of identity, and starting again

• Why external success doesn’t always equal internal freedom—and how to rewrite your definition of achievement

• Navigating new beginnings, financial freedom, and the ongoing quest for meaning beyond money

Plus, Simon opens up about the emotional toll of losing his business, adjusting to life back in the Netherlands, and the inner work it takes to find sanity, satisfaction, and self-worth that outlast material wins.

If you think financial success is the ultimate goal, this episode challenges everything. It’s about more than business—it’s about resilience, self-discovery, and what it means to live life on your own terms.

These insights and many more you will discover on this latest growth cast.

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