Amp It Up

2My Journey from Teenage Toilet Cleaner to Serial CEO

Before we continue, I should give you some background on how I developed and arrived at my “Amp It Up” approach to business. It has truly been a lifelong evolution across every job I've ever held. You'll hear more about my experiences in many of these roles in future chapters, but here is my overall journey.

A Childhood Grounded in Discipline

There is not much in my background that would foretell success as a Silicon Valley CEO. I grew up in a middle‐class family in my native country of the Netherlands. I was the second of four siblings, half boys, half girls. We were never deprived of life's essentials, but there wasn't any money left over at the end of the month either.

My father was a veteran of two wars, and although he retired from active duty in the 1950s, there was a measure of discipline in our household. Walk straight, shoulders back, don't slouch. Proper meal etiquette: Nobody chowed down until everybody was properly seated, and somebody said, “Eet Smakelijk,” the Dutch language equivalent of “Bon Appetit.” Quick correction on improper use of silverware. Greet people with a firm handshake and look them in the eye. Never address elders by their first name. Don't let them catch you doing nothing, or they would find a chore for you to do. Play outside, never inside.

I had an episode in my early teens when my school grades were failing. My dad didn't say I needed to get better grades, merely that I had to work up ...