From Hypergrowth to Alignment: A Founder Redefining Success [STARTUP LIFE]

Cyril Dhenaut scaled fast, built companies and lived inside high-pressure startup environments.

Then life changed and his definition of success evolved with it.

In this episode of Asian Business Owners, I sit down with Cyril Dhenaut, an entrepreneur shaped by Southeast Asia’s intense startup ecosystem, who experienced hypergrowth, agency building, exits and executive roles before making intentional career and life shifts after becoming a father.

We talk about:

the real cost of hypergrowth
how success evolves as founders evolve
startup exits and identity
balancing ambition, health and family
choosing alignment over constant acceleration

Listen to the story of an entrepreneur entering a new chapter, moving away from a successful path to find alignment in another successful one.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction to Asian Business Owners Podcast

(00:31) Meet Cyril Dhenaut: A Journey Through High-Intensity Careers

(01:37) Misconceptions About Success

(04:16) Early Career Ambitions in France

(07:06) First Steps in Malaysia: A New Beginning

(08:40) The Fast-Paced Startup Environment

(11:22) Unexpected Layoff and New Opportunities

(14:00) Founding the First Agency

(16:43) Scaling the Agency Quickly

(22:40) Acquisition and Transition to CMO

(24:44) This or That Questions

(26:08) Reflecting on Career Choices

(26:29) Embracing Transitions: Career and Country Changes

(27:46) A New Opportunity: Joining a MarTech Company

(28:52) A Short Stint and a New Agency Idea

(31:22) Founding A Second Agency

(32:56) Balancing Entrepreneurship and Personal Life

(34:29) Scaling the Agency and Facing Challenges

(43:02) Exiting the Agency and Choosing Family

(48:14) A New Chapter: Interim Executive and Advisor

(53:31) Defining Success and Lessons Learned

👉 To find out more:

Cyril on LinkedIn

To follow my journey:

💬 abo.pod

📲 Find me on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe to Asian Business Owners wherever you listen to it!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(201)

Entrepreneurship Is Like Therapy, But Accelerated

Entrepreneurship changes much more than the way you work.Recently, I was invited by Robin Wong on his podcast Leaders Beyond the Stage for a conversation about my journey from corporate life to entrep...

30 Syys 8min

Building a Consumer Brand With $20K | Ryan Black, Founder of Buddy Bites

What does it actually take to build a consumer brand from scratch?In 2020, Ryan Black was working in commercial real estate when a dinner with his now co-founder, Chris Lee, sparked an idea.That conve...

23 Syys 53min

What If the Path You Chose Isn't the One for You?

What happens when the path you've been following no longer feels like yours?In this special episode, I bring together stories from three founders, including me, who changed direction.One thought he wo...

17 Syys 17min

Success Wasn't Enough | Romita Ghosh, Founder of Maap AI

What happens when you achieve the success you once thought you wanted and realise it isn't enough?Romita Ghosh has spent around 20 years building companies. She's had successful exits, awards and the ...

9 Syys 48min

Does Growth Always Mean Going Faster? | ☀️ Summer Series

Does growth always mean going faster?In this last episode of the Summer Series, I chatted with Julien Gaubert for the second time. Julien runs Ykone, a creative influence agency operating across Hong ...

26 Elo 26min

You Can't Do It All | ☀️ Summer Series

Faye thought she could do it all:Run her business, be a present mum, finish every project, keep every opportunity moving.But she realised she can't keep every plate spinning at once.In this episode of...

19 Elo 24min

She Stopped Limiting Herself | ☀️ Summer Series

☀️ This summer, I'm asking founders six short questions to understand what's on their minds.Today's guest is Sara Vazir, founder of Sara's Henna. For years, Sarah introduced herself as a henna artist....

12 Elo 26min

I Stopped Fighting the Way I Work | ☀️ Summer Series

☀️ This summer, I'm asking founders six short questions to understand what's on their minds.Questions about joy, uncertainty, change and the things they can't stop thinking about.In this episode, I si...

5 Elo 22min