I’m writing this month’s newsletter contribution from a quiet, less crowded, and much more affordable Ibiza. The Ibiza you don’t often hear about—no drunks, no drugs, just serenity. While the island is famous for its wild summer party scene, by late October, the energy shifts. The clubs close, the crowds vanish, and prices drop dramatically. What’s left is a calm, peaceful atmosphere that’s hard to find during the peak season.
This time of year, Ibiza offers a completely different experience—one that feels more authentic and intimate. And that’s precisely why I’m here. It’s also a reflection of how I live: by embracing the unconventional and making deliberate choices that challenge the status quo.
Living what I consider a contrarian lifestyle is about seeking out value and meaning in places others often overlook or avoid. It’s about swimming against the tide, not for the sake of being different, but because there’s richness in taking the road less travelled. And it has served me well.
Even as a child, I found myself drawn to things that were less popular. I wasn’t the kid who enjoyed big birthday parties, so my parents stopped encouraging me to host them. Carnival and other crowded festivities never appealed to me. While most of my classmates played football, I chose handball, and when everyone else was saving up for a Vespa, I was perfectly content riding my bicycle. This early instinct to follow my own path shaped my approach to life and, later, my approach to business and work.
This contrarian mindset extends to my financial decisions as well. Investing in equities when most analysts are urging caution—or even advising a sell-off—can seem reckless to some. But when you adopt a long-term perspective, everything changes. You come to understand that no one else will ever understand or represent your interests better than you can. Warren Buffett’s famous mantra, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful,” sums up the philosophy perfectly. It’s not about disregarding expert advice, but about doing your own research, seeing the bigger picture, and having the conviction to act when the majority is heading in the opposite direction.
This mindset played a significant role when David and I decided to leave behind traditional career paths as advisors, consultants, or NEDs to write a series of books. It wasn’t a vanity project but a heartfelt decision to walk away from working for others. We wanted to create something meaningful—a blend of storytelling and career advice that hadn’t been done before, complete with pop-art and anime illustrations. Now, as we celebrate the first anniversary of Shey Sinope and work on the third book in the series, it’s clear that a contrarian approach can be incredibly liberating. After all, most great innovations come from challenging conventional wisdom.
Our book’s hero, Shey Sinope, mirrors this philosophy. Like us, he’s not afraid to defy expectations and push boundaries. Writing these books has shown us that sometimes the ideas that aren’t supposed to work are the ones that resonate the most. And that’s what living a contrarian lifestyle is all about—finding freedom, fulfilment, and success by going against the grain.
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