Steny

Before we start, let me make one thing clear: I’ve never read a book in my life. It might sound surprising, but it’s true. Luckily, my team gave me a list to organize my thoughts. But fair warning: I’ll probably go o track because I love talking. So, sorry in advance. Ready? Let’s go. I’m Mickael Renaux. I’m 36 years old, and I come from a really poor family. I’ve always had this entrepreneurial spirit, this drive to work hard. No one ever had to tell me, “Come on, lazy, get up and do something.” It was the opposite, actually—I was the one motivating my friends. I had no choice: my parents couldn’t a ord to give me anything. I had to work. But I didn’t mind; I loved it. As for school, I needed help starting in middle school. I ended up in a vocational high school I jokingly called the “school for dummies,” more than 30 kilometers from home. There, I took a prevocational track, then pursued a technical diploma in electrotechnics to become an electrician. My goal? Fixing machines, ovens, dishwashers, fryers, walk-in refrigerators. But one thing was certain—I didn’t want to spend my life on construction sites. At the same time, I worked every evening, seven days a week, from 6 PM to 11 PM, in a pizzeria. I did that for four years without missing a single day. After graduating, I quickly found a job in my eld. Professional kitchen installer—that was the job. Back then, it felt like I was living my own version of the American dream. I went from a pizzeria job where I barely made 600 euros with tips to a position earning 1500 euros a month. Actually, I was hired at 10% above minimum wage and got a work phone and a company car. For me, it was huge. When the boss said, “You’re hired, but I need you in August,” I canceled my vacation plans to start working for him. That was my way of showing gratitude. With that mentality, I quickly climbed the ladder. I worked nonstop, giving it everything I had. Sometimes, I’d sleep in my van. Often, I’d nish work at 9 or 10 PM. The company was two hours from my house, and I needed to be at the client’s by 6 AM. So I’d think, “Why bother going home? I’ll just grab a kebab and sleep in the van.” I even o ered to work overtime without pay just to learn. My boss was amazed. He kept insisting, “I have to pay you.” And I’d reply, “No, just let me work with the veterans so I can learn faster and become independent.” It was crazy, but it showed how determined I was. In less than two years, I went from earning 1500 euros to 2700 euros. After that, I switched to a company specializing in a brand I wanted to master. Then, I started my own business. And here’s the funny part—everyone kept saying, “You’re crazy to go solo when you’re making good money.” But I thought, “So what? I don’t care.” I went ahead and became self-employed anyway. A month later, I sold my car, a brand-new Mazda 3. I sold it to buy a van. But a month after that, the van caught re. ff fi fi fi ff ff I’ll never forget that day. My wife was in tears, screaming, “You always say, ‘It’s no big deal’…” Because me, I don’t let setbacks get to me. I just tell myself, “It’s not a big deal; let’s move on.”