Episode #7
1.7 Thomas Vanhee: The Cost of Saying Yes
Barbara and Andrew are joined by Thomas Vanhee, Founder of Aurifer, a boutique tax and audit firm with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha. Thomas spent a decade at tier-one tax law firms in Brussels and Paris before a secondment took him to the Gulf, where in 2017 he left the big brand behind and started his own firm.This is a founder's growth story told without the gloss. Thomas is honest about how much a large firm quietly takes care of for you, and how exposed you feel the moment that support is gone.He talks about the early months when the bank balance would not cover payroll, and why protecting three people's salaries mattered more than his own for over two years. He explains the lesson he learned the hard way, that saying yes to every client locks you into the wrong pool, and why learning to say no is what lets a firm grow into the work it actually wants. He makes the case that trust, not price, is what clients buy, and that the slow compounding of relationships and after-care is where the real growth sits.If you have ever thought about building something of your own, this one is worth your time.
