A few days ago, I wrote a post in LinkedIn. You know. Usual stuff. Criticizing something that… let’s say… could be better. End result… of the project, I mean, was public bailout. Of course, bonuses did not need to be handed back. Of course, not. End result… of the post, I mean, is that I was oversimplifying. That the project was not bankable in the first place. That they needed warranties to make it bankable. The silence of the cricks when you ask… why didn’t you explain how to make it...
2 days ago • 1 min read
If you don't know Alex Hormozi, you should look for him... he is everywhere. If you want to sell something, you should read his books. If you want to get inspired, you should read how he started from broke to something. Yesterday I saw one of this posts... it was so powerful, that I wanted to share it with you: Instead of trying to get rich. Do this. Try not being poor. This is what poor people do:1. Start many projects, finish none. 2. Think that understanding the basics and doing the basics...
3 days ago • 1 min read
I once had a client that thought they were running a design-build project.Except they weren’t.They were in a PPP. But nobody told them.Or worse… they didn’t want to know. Their consultants kept “refining the design.”Week after week.Change after change.Every corridor got moved.Every façade got re-imagined.Every mechanical room had a “better idea.” They thought this was free.Like playing with Lego. Except…In PPP, every “little tweak” costs millions.Every delay hits financing.Every change...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Visualize this. A major bridge. Somewhere in North America. Very long. Two box girder, i.e., two boxes holding two decks with three lanes each. One requirement. “One footpath to connect the two abutments” Two years after the contract is signed, the designers designed the footpath on one of the laterals of the bridge , the client accepted it. Life was good. But I asked. “What is this footpath for?” A burial in the Artic seemed like a party. Not even the cricks spoke. Nobody knew. Is this for...
5 days ago • 1 min read
They thought they had it all figured out. As usual. Nobody wants to recognize that they went for drinks too soon. Especially, when you have a dream team of financiers and consultants. Kenya, the World Bank, the UK, the Netherlands, the European Community… all sitting at the table in 1977. The plan? A massive irrigation and settlement project in Bura. Price tag: USD 112 million. Return: a promised 13% ERR. Wet dreams on paper… Except… they didn’t really know what they were signing. Yeap…...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Imagine the conversation. “How are you doing to calculate the cost of the project?” “Easy, we have divided it in 3 sections” “But, have your consultants done a project of this size before? Or at least a project similar to it in scope?” “No” “So, how do they calculate the cost?” “We divide the packages into small packages, so that they are easier to handle and calculate cost” “Seriously???” “Yes, what’s wrong?” “Imagine that you want to replace the switch on that wall… who much is to change it...
7 days ago • 1 min read
London Underground. Early 2000s. Two monster 30-year PPP contracts to upgrade and maintain nine lines. The lenders? Lined up to pour in £2 billion. Why so confident? Because the government had guaranteed the loans. The Problem When you know you’ll get your money back no matter what… …you stop asking hard questions. No one pressed the consortium on delivery capacity. No one dug into whether the timelines were fantasy. No one cared if the contractors were in over their heads. The guarantee made...
8 days ago • 1 min read
One of the best parts of coming back from holidays is opening your dashboards. And seeing you’ve been making money while you were away. I track my investments daily — mostly short-term rentals — and yes, I work with experienced managers. But you still keep an eye on them. Especially after a trip, when you’ve collected fresh ideas from top places you now want to steal… sorry, implement… in your own investments. Simple. While others try to “disconnect” and “recharge batteries,” I stay...
9 days ago • 1 min read
When one of my worst projects comes to an end with the sale of the last apartment in a few days, I remember a piece of advice given to an entrepreneur by one of my mentors. “… you need to give your project a proper burial—yes, a burial in which you thank it for everything, write down what you’ve learned, and take advantage of the moment to share that with all the little people around you who’ve been part of this phase with you.” When your project is not providing cash is a hobby. Or worst, a...
10 days ago • 1 min read