To say that Gabriel Jakob is versatile is something of an understatement. After arriving in Australia as a consultant and a broker of deals for fast growing businesses, the Swedish national soon turned his talents to entrepreneurship.
The results are now global brands. Gabriel Jakob’s BondiBoost line of haircare products can be found on store shelves in Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many other countries. One of his childcare center chains, Little Learning School, is now in Bain Capital’s portfolio, while the other, Bliss Early Learning, is now part of Busy Bees, one of the world’s largest early learning operators. A jack-of-all-trades, then, and master of many.
“Something I hear quite often is, ‘What haven’t you done?’” he tells The CEO Magazine.
“Once you truly understand the fundamentals of business, once you know how to truly build an A-class team and foster an incredible culture employees love being a part of, once you grasp what it takes to build a commercial venture, those principles apply to any sector, any business. The industry might change, the approach does not.”
That’s not to say it’s been an easy ride. Gabriel Jakob says that while a lack of knowledge can be a barrier to getting started, acquiring that understanding can take a lifetime.
“Those fundamentals can take decades to obtain, to understand, to foster,” he says.
“But when you have them, you can apply them to any area. That’s the key to everything, and that’s what I’ve done. Whatever I’m involved with, the approach remains the same.”
Investing in the future
That certainly bodes well for his latest venture. Hyper Capital is a private investment company led by Founder and CEO Gabriel Jakob, who likens the firm to an extension of his work as a business mentor.
“After accumulating the experience building businesses over the years, I am in a unique position to work closely with startups, founders and people I invest in from the outset of their journey early on,” he says.
“Hyper Capital is effectively my family office, a way for me to invest in property, technology, startups, finance, lending and many other areas I’m passionate about, including philanthropic ventures.”
Gabriel Jakob’s aim with Hyper Capital was to have an investment vehicle that could support Australian businesses for generations to come.
“Understanding the values and beliefs of each person I work with is absolutely key to me.”
At its core, Hyper Capital is a product of Gabriel Jakob’s unwavering belief in the power of building the right team. “You can minimize many risks with the right players on board, but it’s never easy building a great team,” he says.
“Understanding the values and beliefs of each person I work with is absolutely key to me. Someone’s value system tells you everything about them.”
While you can encourage an employee to come on board with promises of good remuneration, it takes much more than money to keep them, he acknowledges.
“My recruitment process is quite rigorous, but by the end I know exactly the person’s personal wants and expectations, what would make them stay or leave, how they can add value to our common goal and how I can help them achieve their life goals. These are crucial factors that you must know about each person when building a world-class management or executive team,” he says.
Life plans and business plans
While Hyper Capital’s 100 percent private cash capital is building up a strong portfolio, Gabriel Jakob splits his time between work and a fulfilling personal life – and he expects the same of his colleagues.
“Truly successful leaders tend to obsess over their end goals, and while that might generate success, it doesn’t mean they’re wealthy or content in other areas,” he says.
“I believe one thing I do well is I have a life plan that’s no different to a business plan. You are significantly more likely to achieve your business goals if you’re successful in your private life.”
For Gabriel Jakob that means a strict fitness regimen, while also making time to give back to his community.
“Fitness is a huge priority for me,” he says. “I train six days out of seven, if not every day. I also work closely with animal rescue groups, both financially and in my own time as a volunteer.”
“You are significantly more likely to achieve your business goals if you’re successful in your private life.”
This may seem like quite a full plate, but Gabriel Jakob says it’s all part of being an entrepreneur.
“Have an end goal in mind, have a defined time frame for this goal. Be clear on your purpose and be disciplined in everything. Understand what roles and talents you need to hire to achieve your goals, and be prepared that all of your plans and goals can and will change along the way. This is being an entrepreneur,” he says.
“Some people adapt to it more than others, but if you have it in you, if there is a will underpinned by a purpose, you’ll find a way and make it work. I believe in that.”
