Ep 106: WTF? This is the best secret to unhappiness | Xav Desmet, Head of Digital Natives, Startups & Unicorns for Asia @ Zoom

Xavier Desmet is the Head of Digital Natives, Startups and
Unicorns for Asia at Zoom.


And in this episode, we talk about all:


Tiger Mums (or for the French, “Jewish Mums”);

Xav’s “WTF” moment when he realised that management
consultancy wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life;

His journey in the startup world and why he decided to leave
Paris;

Whether your life ends when you have kids;

How words can change your brain;

How Xav’s initial months at Microsoft were “absolute hell”
and how that changed; 

The cultural differences working in the startup world in
France, Australia and Southeast Asia; and 

So much more.






Want the details?


You’ll have to listen to Xav Desmet’s episode.





Highlights:


2:50 We are all grown up children

5:35 Having a “Jewish Mum”

7:07 The French education system is violent & elitist

12:08 How entrepreneurs are viewed in France

13:47 Why leave management consultancy to run a startup?

15:38 Breakthrough moments

18:34 Finding like minded partners

21:56 The average lifespan of a startup is…?

28:57 Going on a 11 month sabbatical

34:51 How you can find the values in your life

37:25 The first 6 months at Microsoft were “absolute hell”

40:18 Four reasons Microsoft became great

43:26 Shutting down his startup

43:36 You’re a failure

49:33 Moving to a startup called Zoom

52:31 Delivering happiness

54:12 The difference in startup culture in France, Australia
& Southeast Asia

58:16 Startups that Xav wants to help with

59:48 Mentors






Show notes: www.sothisismywhy.com/106 


 Weekly STIMY Newsletter that deconstructs how you can find
success on your own terms:
https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062


Sponsored by Descript: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=sjT9JA





Official Bio


After graduating as a Computer Science Engineer in France and
completing a Postgraduate Master of Technology Management at
UNSW, Xav quickly realised that his passion wasn’t in coding in C
but in people, technology and entrepreneurship.


He started his career as Management Consultant in the UK but in
2005, his entrepreneurial nature led him to co-found and develop,
Mome Sweet Mome, the master Franchise of Les Petits Bilingues,
the first and leading network of immersive English learning
centres for children from a very young age. He sold his shares in
2011 and today, Les Petits Bilingues are still the leader in
France with more than 10,000 children enrolled each year. 


The same year he decided it was time to discover new horizons and
moved with his wife and two new born children from Paris to
Sydney, becoming also Australian in the process.


Down under, he joined Microsoft in Enterprise Strategic roles
while also experimenting with ventures on the side (Perenne
Investments and Solana) and becoming a sport addict through
triathlons and long distance trail running.


He relocated to Singapore with his family in December 2020 during
the pandemic and recently joined Zoom where he now leads the
Digital Natives sales activities for Asia.


In his free time, you will find Xav influencing his family and
friends to adopt a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle such
as adopting a plant based diet."