Brent Luyckx (27) is co-founder & CEO of 4GOLD, an Antwerp health tech company that helps people optimize their health and performance based on DNA insights and scientifically validated sports and health supplements. As a former cyclist, the young entrepreneur is still passionate about sport. “The fact that I can now help other people pursue their dreams gives me great satisfaction.”
What have you learned from your most difficult moments?
“I myself suffer from Crohn’s disease and At the end of 2017 I had a life and death operation, where the doctors could not say beforehand whether I was going to wake up. In the end everything turned out well, but afterwards I was told that I had crawled through the eye of the needle. It made me realize that life can be over and that you better enjoy every moment, both good and bad.”
What is your idea of (work) happiness?
“I personally really like creating new things. I love the idea of leaving something bigger than yourself behind! With 4GOLD we help world champions, competitive athletes and people who want to optimize their health and/or performance. The fact that I can now help other people pursue their dreams gives me great satisfaction.”
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Knowing more?
If you couldn’t choose yourself, which entrepreneur would you like to be? And why?
“Then I would choose Ben Francis, the founder & CEO of Gymshark. I’m personally a big fan of the brand, but the story behind Gymshark is perhaps even more impressive. He founded the company at the age of 19 and built it into a +300 million turnover company. The way Gymshark approached its marketing – they were one of the first brands to have brand ambassadors on social media – was genius and ultimately led to a strong global community.”
The way Gymshark approached its marketing – they were one of the first brands to have brand ambassadors on social media – was genius and ultimately led to a strong global community
What do you consider to be your most important (entrepreneurial) characteristic?
“Get shit done. Ensuring that we get things done in a short period of time and with limited resources.”
What small, everyday event can make you happy?
“Since November I became a father of a son for the first time. Every time Léon smiles, it is a moment of pure happiness for me.”
“Furthermore, I like to change my mind a few times a week to keep going to play sportsthese moments are very important to me and I also need them to be as productive as possible every day.”
“In the field of work, I can be happy constant optimization and then, after a few months, look back at where you ultimately came from.”
What mistake do you have the most tolerance for?
“I believe that people in a start-up or scale-up should be given the freedom to make mistakes, this is good for their personal development, but also for faster growth of the company. The most important thing is, of course, that lessons are learned from the mistakes and that they are not repeated. A company where there is no room to learn from mistakes will never really be able to make speed.”
