People often tell you never to go into business with friends or family. We’ve dispelled that myth.

I’ve known Carlos since I was 7 years old, when he arrived at my primary school as the cleverest kid in the class and annoyingly good at sports. I was shy and a little awkward.

In high school we became close friends and part of a gang of five — the Inbetweeners of our day – and all still close today (sadly one of them is no longer with us).

Little did Carlos and I know that we’d set up in business together many years later.

Digital dreams

We set up our first company, Spook Studio — a digital agency – in 2004 before closing it 10 years later when it was thriving.

The reason? We’d started The Happy Startup School on the side in 2012 and it had grown from merely an idea to a small but growing community, a popular blog and ever-more powerful events.

At Spook we had some great clients. But it got to the point where it felt like there was something missing. I felt there was a bigger mission out there for us.

I wanted us to spend more of our time building brands and companies that had a positive impact — becoming trailblazers for a new way of doing business – not building a better web design agency.

Thankfully Carlos trusted me that this was the right way to go, even if I’m sure he had his doubts.

Optimising for happiness

Since closing the agency in 2015 we’ve focused our work on creating transformational experiences, both online and off-grid, that enable entrepreneurs to build a business that makes them and the world a bit happier.

It’s taken us all around the world – from Costa Rica to India.

But despite the different people we meet, one thing comes back again and again.

That is, unless you know yourself – who you truly are and what matters to you – you’ll never truly be able to be happy with whatever success you have.

We come across far too many people wasting their lives on work that doesn’t fulfil them, chasing money or success in all the wrong places, often at the cost of their own wellbeing. Only to make a positive change when life smacks them in the face.

Taking the unconventional path isn’t easy

It takes courage. It takes guts. But more than anything it takes a village.

Luckily over the last decade we’ve surrounded ourselves with an incredible community of friends and collaborators from around the world that have shared the highs and lows with us.

Most days we’re stuck in the thick of it like everyone else. But today I feel lucky that Carlos and I have found our path – and are now in a position to help others find theirs.

Laurence McCahill