From adrenaline to exhaustion: my Salesforce story
Ditch the earn-more, spend-more trap
This newsletter helps ambitious professionals take control of their money and build real financial freedom without stress, jargon or overwhelm.
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After 18 years in sales, I can honestly say I loved so much about it. Here's what made me jump out of bed every morning.
I loved...
High-performance culture - Getting pushed to achieve more than I thought possible. Breaking records. Always growing.
Being part of something bigger - Working for Salesforce while it was exploding. I remember walking through Schiphol airport seeing a massive Salesforce billboard with a picture of a customer that I signed. That moment was special.
My daily commute - 28km on the bike every day. Staying fit, clearing my head, perfect transition between work and home.
Travel - 2 Weeks bootcamp in San Francisco, watching Metallica at Dreamforce, the ranch in Santa Cruz. Meeting customers across Europe. Seeing the world on the company dime.
High expectations Managers who pushed me to close bigger deals, earn more commission, get promoted faster.
Tight deadlines Quarter-end pressure, daily forecasting. The intensity drove results and kept everyone sharp.
Team nights out Amsterdam with the minibar crew. Legendary celebrations after big wins. They were some of the best nights of my life.
Networking Every conference was a chance to meet fascinating people and build relationships that mattered.
Great money Commission checks that let me buy nice things and live well. Financial rewards for performance.
Leading teams Coaching young reps, watching them grow, celebrating their wins. Building something together. My best day was the last day of the year in January 2020. That day we closed more business than in any other month that year. And everyone contributed, such a rush!
Stock options and bonuses Feeling like I was building wealth while building my career. Golden ticket stuff.
I genuinely loved all of it.
Things I didn't love...
After years of loving my career, some things started wearing me down:
High-pressure environment Constant demand to outperform last year. Never being able to just enjoy success.
Corporate bureaucracy Endless meetings about meetings. Talking about work more than actually working. Wondering what else I could be doing with that time
Daily commute Eight hours a week of my life I'll never get back. Drenched rides through Dublin traffic. Leaving in the dark coming home in the dark.
Constant travel 4 a.m. flights to places I didn't want to be. Hotels and delayed trains. Time away from home.
Unrealistic expectations Goals that felt impossible. What's the point of trying when success isn't achievable?
Forecast fatigue Morning updates, lunch check-ins, afternoon revisions. We forecasted more than we sold.
Mandatory socialising Nights out felt like obligations. When had I become the dad at the party?
Fake networking Coffee chats with people I'd never see again. Relationships that went nowhere.
Team turnover Always starting over with new people. They were amazing talented people but the 10 one-to-ones all started to sound the same.
Great money
Ok, I still loved that.
But I understood I no longer needed that Sales Director salary. I had 'enough'
By year 18 of selling, I was done.
Did you spot it?
Those are the exact same lists.
It wasn't Salesforce that changed. It was me.
The high-performance culture that once energised me eventually exhausted me. The travel that felt like adventure became a burden. The pressure that drove results started feeling pointless.
Here's what I learned: the things you love about your job today might not be what you love in 15 years.
Your priorities shift
Your energy changes. What feels exciting at 25 can feel draining at 40.
But here's the thing most people don't realise: if you've managed your money properly while you were loving the ride, you get to choose when to step off.
You don't have to stay trapped in golden handcuffs. You don't have to keep grinding because you "need" the salary.
I left Salesforce not because I hated it, but because I could. I'd set myself up with enough financial freedom to walk away when my priorities changed.
And I felt excited about something new.
Something for myself.
Something that changes lives.
That's what real financial planning does. It doesn't just build wealth. It builds options.
The best time to prepare for the day you don't love your job anymore?
When you still do.
German BDR
Just yesterday, I spoke with a 25 year-old German Business Development Rep.
He was so excited.
When we started working together a few months ago his net worth was €72,000.
Today it's €97,000.
Almost at €100,000.
And the first €100,000 is the hardest.
Everything gets easier after that.
He told me: "I admire what you are doing and I want that at some point. To build a business that I feel passionate about."
And he will get there. But until he does, his company now has an employee who is more driven than ever.
The Next Workshop
Recently, I have come to the realisation that everything I taught the German BDR, could also have been shared in a group format.
For this reason I organised my first workshop last week about my path to €1,000,000.
In it I shared everything I have done in the last 5 years including my own figures.
The next workshop is scheduled for the 20th of October at 20.00.
Topic: Your First Step to Financial Freedom.
Cost: €99 (incl. VAT)
For: 30 people
You will learn:
How to assess exactly where you are.
How to determine which steps to take next, and
In which order.
90 Minutes to help you figure out exactly what you need to do to give yourself the ability to walk away from corporate life on your terms.
I am still working out some logistics but will make 30 spots available early in the week to people on the waitlist.
You can add yourself by clicking below.
Be the first to hear about the next workshop!
When you are on the waitlist you'll also know when slots open up for 1:1 coaching.
That is it for this week. I am dreading a 32km wet run this afternoon!
To your financial freedom,
Sjoerd
P.S. Less than 5 weeks now until the tax return deadline of 31st of October. Yesterday I helped 3 people in Google find more than €6,000 each.
See the LinkedIn post I wrote about it.
I know that you as a subscriber to this newsletter are very much aware of this.
But would it help you if I organise a workshop on the topic?
To help you understand exactly how to go through all the steps + how to set your pension up for growth?
Sjoerd Bak
Become a Millionaire Ltd
www.bamillionaire.com
