Frequently asked questions

About the Initiative

What is The Hedonist Entrepreneur Initiative™?

A private members' club of entrepreneurs who believe business, and life, are meant to be enjoyed, not merely endured. It brings together owners who want to build exceptional companies and live exceptionally while they do it. It is a room, not a course: members work with us, and with one another, to systemise, grow, scale and, when the time is right, exit on their own terms.

Is it a club, a consultancy, or a programme?

A little of each, by design. At its heart it is a private members' club. Around that sit the ways we work with you: education, execution, and exit, delivered privately rather than off a shelf.

How is the Initiative different from a consultancy, a mastermind, or a coach?

A consultant advises and leaves; a coach asks and reflects; a mastermind gathers peers. We are a little of each and none of them. The Initiative is a private members' club: its members put capital, board seats, mentoring, and hard-won experience into a small number of businesses they choose to back. There are no open cohorts and no shelf of packages, and we don't need the work. We invite the owners we believe in, and do it in good company rather than alone.

Who is it for?

People who love what they do, in a company they love. Established, profitable owners who are ready to think bigger about how they build, and who would rather do it in good company than alone. It isn't for someone testing an idea; it's for operators ready to go deeper.

What kind of businesses do you work with?

Established, profitable ones, run by owners who love what they do. Companies that are, or intend to become, exceptional in their industry, usually looking toward investment in the next year or two, or an exit in the next three to five. We are not for someone testing an idea, or a startup testing the waters. Size matters less than fit: driven by purpose, with passion living in the team, not just at the top.

Who founded the Initiative?

A small circle of private equity investors and serial business owners who chose each other, in Berlin in the early 1990s. It ran informally for two decades and was formalised under agreement in 2014. Paul Lange is one of our co-founders; you can read more about him at paullange.com.au. Today the Initiative works from Berlin, Amsterdam, and Sydney.

What's the difference between a client and a member?

A client works with us. A member is part of the Initiative itself. Both come by invitation, but membership is the rarer, harder door: the Initiative is a near-closed circle of private equity investors and serial business owners, and it stays that way. New members are invited, never enrolled, and we reach out only to the very few who fit. Most people who work with us are clients, not members, and that is exactly as it should be.

How we work

What do we actually do together?

We work across three phases: Education (learning that becomes knowledge because you experience it as you learn it), Execution (turning ordinary action into exceptional action at every touchpoint), and Exit (planning the journey of a lifetime, on your terms). Where you start depends on where you are. If you're not sure, Help Me With is a good place to find your way in.

What's the first step?

A conversation. Tell us where you are and what you're working on, and we'll show you the way in. There is no form to fill in and forget: the first step is simply a message.

Do you invest in the businesses you work with?

Sometimes. Alongside the education, execution, and exit work, members do put capital into businesses they believe in, take board seats, and back founders they rate. It isn't automatic, and it isn't the point of every relationship: investment follows conviction, not the other way around. Where it fits, we'll say so plainly.

Can anyone work with you?

Not everyone who reaches out becomes a client. Working together is by invitation, and fit matters far more than volume. It isn't something money buys: if the fit isn't there, no amount of money changes that.

The practical questions

What does it cost?

It depends entirely on how we work together, so we don't publish a price list. We'll be clear and specific once we understand what you actually need.

How long does working together usually take?

It depends on where you start and where you're heading. Owners we work with are typically looking at investment inside one to two years, or an exit within three to five. But the work is not a fixed programme with an end date stamped on it: where you begin depends on where you are, and we go at the pace the business actually needs.

Who operates the Initiative, and where are you based?

The Hedonist Entrepreneur Initiative™ is a private members' club; its practical operation, and the legal detail, sit with its operator of record, set out in our Legal Notice. We work with owners internationally.

I still have a question.

Good. The best answers start as questions. Contact us and we'll come straight back to you.