I’ve been searching for what I should do for a little over three years now. I have a direction, I enjoy doing it — but am I doing it well?

I’ve been mentoring for three years, many people come to me, yet I can’t really sell this service. I can’t honestly say it works on the market, even though I speak with 8–10 people a week. And those who come see me are always very grateful for the conversation.

I write, I publish continuously, but there’s no feedback — I don’t see in reaction counts, shares, comments, references, or website visitors that my writing is interesting. I like them, but I don’t see that this professional area of my life is working. And I’m not talking about how much money I make from it, but whether it has impact.

So I keep trying new projects that basically try to present my previous work differently. The Lost Garden House talks, developing Vendler AI, creating a self-awareness–based sales training… a lot of energy goes into these, but they haven’t yet shown what they can do.

And then the question stands in front of me, cold and motionless:

Tonight I hit a dead end with this. And the dead end is emotionally complex — so many things swirl inside me and at the same time the air around me seems to thin in an instant: disappointment mixes with doubt, perhaps self-blame and futility, and of course fatigue.

Maybe this is part of the natural arc of growth. The moment when I feel spent. When the performance curve flattens and I believe it’s permanent, because everything that used to push me forward has been used up. Yet there is hope inside me that this phase is nothing other than the birth of a new quality — I know that if I endure it, if I carry myself through, reserves will open and the senses sharpen, a new strategy will form because it has become necessary.

Athletes, writers, entrepreneurs all know this feeling: when the question is no longer whether you can run better, write better, do something better, but whether you will persist through what looks like meaningless work.

As an entrepreneur, the many struggles leading up to the dead end have shown me how not to do things, and in that moment of standstill — when you neither rise nor fall — everything can suddenly become so light.

Breath stops, and in that painful moment of emptiness the vacuum of futility sucks out what has been ripening in the background, what is not yet visible — yet the emptiness also creates space for it.

Today was a hard day. I sit here with a bitter aftertaste from my Unicum, and I know: this is exactly what entrepreneurship is about. The search for a solution. Just like life in general.

Why? So that I keep going even when I can’t see the point.

Because my task is to give meaning to what I do.

I’ve been searching for what I should do for a little over three years now. I have a direction, I enjoy doing it — but am I doing it well? I’ve been mentoring for three years, many people come to me, yet I can’t really sell this service. I can’t honestly say it works on the market, even though I speak with 8–10 people a week. And those who come see me are always very grateful for the conversation. So what’s missing?

Breaking Point

I had a conversation with a psychologist friend who, a bit worn out, admitted how tired she was of listening to her clients’ problems. Most of them, she said, don’t even realize how foolish their actions are.

When a “patient” sits across from a helper, telling their misery, while the helper is silently thinking how bored they are with hearing the same nonsense again and again—knowing full well that nothing will ever change—then really, who is helping whom?

The professional collects their hourly fee or ticks off another session from a prepaid package and waits for the next face to show up—or better yet, for the day to finally end.

I’ve been mentoring for three years now, with over 200 entrepreneurs and more than 1,000 hours of mentoring conversations. Most of my “clients” never paid me, but I had no hesitation to stop a conversation if I wasn’t genuinely curious about the person and couldn’t connect. And I told them so.

I’ve thought a lot about when I can truly be present, when a conversation really works.

I experimented with different business models: I tried pro bono, then hourly-based solutions, sold mentoring in packages, then came “pay what it’s worth” or “pay or share” formats. I organized mastermind groups, and finally, I launched a community house for entrepreneurs—the Lost Garden House—where I observe the structuring and incubating power of space.

I believe the real value in this work lies in the connection itself. In the way I and the people who come to me tune in to each other, and what this brings about in the moment. It’s not my time that needs to be priced or charged—it’s what happens there. The mutual impact within the conversation and what it brings out of us.

So, the mentoring conversation is not where money is created—it’s where value is created. And that value needs to be marketed somehow.

The real question is: how can this value be monetized?

The hourly model is limiting, a book or case study feels too static. That’s why I envisioned an interactive system: an AI assistant that doesn’t provide ready-made answers but instead guides with questions—built upon my self-reflective writings and mentoring conversations as its knowledge base.

In this case, it’s not the person who attends the mentoring session who pays—instead, they contribute through the shared work, creating something that others, who never came, will eventually pay for.

The idea was born out of a ChatGPT conversation, evolved through CustomGPT experiments and a community campaign, into what it is today—a working prototype.

VendlerAI is a self-knowledge-based digital business mentoring system—an experiment in turning entrepreneurs’ journeys of company-building and self-discovery into a personalized, problem-specific product.

I’ll be sharing more about this process, the experiences, dilemmas, and opportunities at the upcoming event hosted by Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) in Pécs.

Date: Friday, September 26, 2025 | 18:30–19:50
Location: MCC Training Center, Pécs (7622 Pécs, Czinderi u. 6.)

What’s Wrong with the Helping Professions?

Entrepreneurs have always played a vital role in society. With our activity and risk-taking, we create opportunities for people, we provide jobs and – hopefully – a predictable future for those who join us.

And today, this is needed more than ever!

But we need it too! Who gives us this? Ourselves? Can we support each other in this?

I’ve thought a lot about what it is I’ve been instinctively building over the past three years, guided by my intuition. What is my goal with this, what do I want to achieve with the things I’m doing, and why do I show the whole process publicly? What do I want to inspire my environment to do through my own example?

I am experimenting with myself and observing how this affects my way of being an entrepreneur.

And I invite others into this experiment – as partners, cheerleaders, or quiet observers. Whatever feels right. This entrepreneurial experiment space is an initiative aimed at fostering self-awareness-based business building – together, in a supportive environment. Traditional business consultants often provide ready-made recipes for “success,” but this experiment takes a different path: you don’t have to follow someone else, you simply need to learn to live well with who you are. Because the foundation of a successful business is that the entrepreneur knows and accepts themselves – this paves the way for good decisions and gives the confidence to show yourself, to connect.

In this spirit, everything in this experiment space serves to deepen the self-awareness of entrepreneurs, so they can build their businesses in a more authentic, confident, and sustainable way.

Why is self-awareness important in business development?
Often, the biggest challenges aren’t the market or technology but internal obstacles. Many startup founders suffer from lack of confidence – they doubt whether their product is “good enough,” asking themselves: “Who am I to ask money for this?” This feeling holds countless people back from flourishing. Others are paralyzed by fear of failure or uncertainty – worried about financial unpredictability or rejection, so they don’t even try new paths. Or they unconsciously sabotage themselves, getting stuck in a push-and-pull cycle with their business.

In this emerging experiment space, we talk about these things openly, and working through them becomes the central topic. We use business situations as mirrors we can learn a lot about ourselves from. And we can do this boldly, because that’s what experiments are about: try and error! Mistakes aren’t failures but an integral part of the learning process.

Why in community? Because you are not alone in your dilemmas. The ongoing Friday conversations already show clearly that we share the same problems regardless of company size or industry. In these talks there are no pedestal “gurus” or know-it-alls; instead, there are good conversations where everyone learns from each other’s stories and experiences. This psychologically safe backdrop helps us face our fears too, because we see others are in the same shoes, and together it’s easier to find a way out.

Where does this experiment space stand today, and what is it built on?
The elements I’ve tried and created so far focus on three main content areas and are available in three primary forms. Most of the content I created myself, but I’d like to invite you to add something if you feel inspired!

Self-awareness: Developing yourself as the foundation of business success

Business development support: Business knowledge and strategies through an experience-based approach

Community connection: Building relationships, collaboration, and support networks both online and in person

Inspirational content: Blog posts, videos, books – thought-provoking and knowledge-sharing materials

Community experiences: Supportive environments and shared experiences – conversations, board games, talks

Personalized support: One-on-one mentoring, consultations, Vendler AI digital mentor

(I’ll write more about all these soon…)

This emerging experiment space is therefore a complex, multi-layered support system, designed around the triple axis of self-awareness, business building, and community, realized through inspirational content, community experiences, and personalized mentoring. The “why” behind the whole initiative is my belief that conscious, self-based entrepreneurship requires both self-awareness and community.

How do we do it? By learning and growing in an honest, curious environment that strengthens each of us, integrating different learning formats. And what do I believe those who join will gain?

Every conversation can bring you a little closer to yourself.

As you get closer to yourself, you can more easily recognize what you truly want and what you can do for it.

With a clearer vision of the future, you can more easily build the path toward it.

By connecting with others, you can share your experiences and rely on the sustaining power of the community.

This is what I want to contribute with the tools I have, and I invite you to join this experiment. Entrepreneurs have always been important in society: with our activity and risk-taking, we create opportunities for people, provide work, and offer a predictable future to those who join us.

Creating an Entrepreneurial Experiment Space

Worth a Try! – Creating an Entrepreneurial Experiment Space

Am I the kind of man, the kind of woman I can be proud of? Am I the kind of father, mother, partner, colleague I’d admire? Would my parents, my children, my friends be proud of me? And if not – would they still love me?

Is this the kind of person I wanted to become? What kind of person do I want to be?

In recent months, I’ve been hearing these questions more and more – from myself, and from others, too. Maybe because there are more of us now who’ve left something behind – or are right in the middle of it, or about to start: a career, a relationship, an old version of ourselves. And now we’re standing on the threshold of a “new beginning,” with a few ideas in our hands and a mess of questions in our heads.

It feels good to talk about these things. To hear how others experience them, how they cope – if they cope. Xab Eisenbacher is a phenomenon. We’d only known each other in passing before – maybe met two or three times.

A few weeks ago, he messaged me saying he’d like to have a conversation, that he has questions he wants to see more clearly. XaB was actually one of the very first – maybe the first – who sat down with me under the "Pay or Share" business model. I only intended to record audio to help fine-tune Vendler AI. But he brought his own mobile studio and simply turned on the camera in a café in Pécs.

The conversation took a bit of time to find its rhythm, but after half an hour something opened up – and by the end, it turned into a relaxed, honest exchange that wasn't about “how to make money,” but about how to live our own life. And what the cost is if we don’t.

So: two guys, roughly the same age, on two very different paths. But asking the same question: how do you find the road that is truly yours? The kind of work you don’t just do, but live and enjoy. The kind of life that has space for joy, play, calling, and money. That feeling of being at home with yourself – not inherited from the past, but shaped from within, moving outward.

We talked about redefining yourself when all your old anchors – your job title, your company, your marriage – fall away. What’s left then? Can you even say who you are? Or maybe it’s easier to say: who is the person you want to become?

And we also touched on how hard it is to start a business journey when you don’t yet have a clear picture of the destination. When all you know is that you want something else – but not yet what exactly. What if desire comes before structure? What if you’re doing something without knowing exactly what it is – just that you love being in it? And that uncertainty shakes you. But maybe… maybe that’s natural, too.

We talked about fears. About that kind of uncertainty that tugs at both your bank account and your chest. The tension between craving security and chasing a dream. And the cost of this kind of freedom.

It was a good talk. Thank you, XaB, for recording it. And thank you for being open enough to share it. The video is up on XaB’s YouTube channel – click here to watch it.

And if you’d like to have a chat like this, let’s go! We can walk in the woods, meet in a café, or talk online. Click here for details.

But if it still feels too soon to talk to me directly, try Vendler AI. It’s still free.

The article was translated from Hungarian to English by ChatGPT. Thank you, ChatGPT, for being here.

Mentoring on YouTube. Would you be up for it?

So many of you are using Vendler AI by now that the system is approaching its technical limits. There's already a wait time—it can’t serve everyone promptly anymore.

According to its own estimate, about 100 users per day initiate 1–2 conversations on average—so this current version is reaching its capacity. I started a conversation with it about how we might develop a custom business application and expand its capabilities.

After some debate and brainstorming, the concept came together. The AI outlined a technical possibility, then asked me if I’d like it to create a testable software version so I could better visualize the final solution.

In the video, you can see the AI programming its own new version based on the plan we discussed—and a minute later, I was already clicking through it.
This used to take several people and a few days of work...

Now I'm testing it, thinking about it, and consulting a developer on how to finalize the software.

On Sunday morning, it was just an idea. Today, 100 people use it daily—it designs itself, codes itself, and even mentors me.

VENDLER AI – DAY 6

VENDLER AI – day 6

What kinds of questions do we explore with an AI? Do we trust it more easily, relying on our anonymity, than we would a real, flesh-and-blood professional? Is it easier to drop our inhibitions, our internal resistance, because of the facelessness, the convenience, or some other illusion?

The ChatGPT framework doesn’t provide me with exact data—I don’t know who asked what, or even who used it. But based on comments, private messages, and personal conversations, the number of active users seems to be around 100. While the system doesn’t grant access to individual conversations, it does analyze them—and the resulting data is quite interesting.

Looking at the topics, around 55–60% of the conversations revolve around entrepreneurial and career-related issues—starting out, resetting, getting stuck, positioning, confidence, sales, time management, or the classic: “How could I make a living from this?” The remaining 40–45% focus on personal and self-reflection themes—authenticity, relationships, indecisiveness, self-worth, letting go, burnout, and identity crises.

According to the AI’s analysis, many business questions are rooted in emotional dynamics (e.g., a need to please, “I want to prove something to my father”), while personal dilemmas often show up as business-related challenges (e.g., “I can’t say no to a client because I’m afraid of being rejected”).

Analyzing the style of these conversations is fascinating as well: about 40–45% of users take a practical, goal-oriented approach. These chats are filled with clear questions, concrete dilemmas, deadlines, and decision-making scenarios, with little emotional undertone. Common words: how, when, what should I choose, where do I start.

About 35–40% of the conversations are reflective and introspective, marked by longer introductions, metaphorical language, emotions, and questions behind the questions. There are fewer specifics, more of a “working from a feeling” vibe. The remaining 15–20% of users float between the two styles, bringing in both concrete topics and deeper thoughts—though they may not yet know which direction to take. A common phrase: “I’m just thinking, it’s not urgent, but I feel like something needs to change.”

The most frequent theme by far is identity crisis and internal realignment, especially during decision-making situations. This appears not just as a business or professional question, but as a deeply personal dilemma: “What I’ve been doing no longer works—but I don’t yet know what comes next.” This category includes transition, letting go, reimagining, burnout, uncertainty, and questions of authenticity.

I'm curious to see where this goes—how Vendler AI evolves and what you think of it. Try the prototype and let me know.

It would help a lot. Definitely me—but maybe you, too.

Link to use the AI:
https://chatgpt.com/g/g-67e0273295f88191b5525e71180265f9-vendler-ai

AI Conversations – Your Questions Answered

The other day, I had the idea to train an AI using the materials from my mentoring conversations. So I asked her – the Artificial Intelligence – how I could do that. I chose a method that allowed for a quick test to see if this even makes sense, and I created a custom ChatGPT-based mentoring AI system.

If you're curious, give it a try and see if there's anything unique about it. Every bit of feedback and critique helps 🙂 

Link: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-67e0273295f88191b5525e71180265f9-vendler-ai

— WHO IS IT FOR? —
My plan is for Vendler AI to become a self-awareness and decision-support companion, specifically for leaders of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and for those either preparing to start a business or actively building one.

— WHAT IS IT FOR? —
The goal isn’t for the AI to give you ready-made answers. Instead, it aims to help uncover the patterns, connections, and internal conflicts behind your personal and business dilemmas through deep, sensitive questioning.

Ideally, it works like a calm mirror: it reflects back, offers insight, and at times even responds in a more provocative or emotionally resonant way when the conversation reaches deeper levels.

— WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT? —
This AI was built with specific rules and logic that distinguish it from general ChatGPT, focusing especially on:

Personal conflicts behind business roadblocks

Recognizing goals used for self-justification

The link between belief and mental imagery

Is the decision born out of desire or fear?

Stress as a behavioral pattern and identity marker

The hidden fears behind young entrepreneurs' uncertainties

The tentative early stages of entrepreneurship (confidence, recognition, feedback)

With the help of a built-in question structure, it can gently guide entrepreneurs to reflect on where they are with their business — and with themselves. It doesn’t follow a linear script, but rather responds intuitively, step-by-step. When it detects a block, it can return to the axis of desire–goal–fear–values–uncertainty–planning for deeper exploration.

— WHAT’S BEHIND IT? —
To train the system, I used anonymized personal interviews, self-awareness dialogues, feedback from mentees, and my own recorded conversations with professionals. It’s based on about 300 pages of original writing, 15 hours of interview content, and a thematic questionnaire with around 300 questions.

Each week, I aim to upload another 8–10 hours of content to continue refining the system.

The purpose of the uploaded documents isn’t to replicate their content word-for-word, but to provide the subtle emotional layers, recurring questions, and hidden patterns that form the backdrop of these conversations.

You’ll find the AI link in the comments

A free ChatGPT registration is currently required

The system is tuned specifically for exploring business-related dilemmas and blocks

It was trained on Hungarian-language materials, which is where it can most precisely reflect emotional nuances — but it works in any language supported by ChatGPT

If you're curious, give it a try and see if there's anything unique about it. 

AI PROTOTYPE – TRY IT OUT!

I've always been curious about how much of my security I'm willing to risk for my freedom. Or the other way around.

I experiment with my boundaries, trying things I have no prior experience with. One such experiment was my "pay what it's worth" business model. I think it's a great idea, but to this day, no one has tried it. (Be the first!)

A few days ago, I shared a business offer that allows company leaders or aspiring entrepreneurs to pay for my consultations either with a fixed amount or by contributing to the conversation itself—through their insights and shared experiences.

So far, in the past five workdays, I’ve received nine inquiries and three podcast invitations. From these inquiries, I’ve scheduled two online meetings and seven dog-walking consultations. Out of the nine people, one expressed interest in paying, while the others gladly contributed by sharing their stories and experiences.

I couldn’t record the first conversation—I don’t yet have the proper setup—but by the end of the day, I had two recordings. I also started experimenting with how AI could help turn these into useful case studies.

I uploaded a 60-minute audio recording to TurboScribe, which transcribed the Hungarian text in about 10 minutes.

I then imported the text into NotebookLM, which processed it in a minute, generating a summary and an excerpt.

Using NotebookLM, I created a 22-minute English-language podcast conversation in about 10 minutes, then transcribed it with TurboScribe, hoping to create a more engaging and concise source (but I didn’t).

I uploaded the content to ChatGPT and asked it to generate a case study.

It’s clear that NotebookLM is incredibly good at summarizing. You can ask it questions, and its responses are well-structured, logical, and precise. ChatGPT can already produce a coherent and correct draft, even at length, but it struggles with emphasis, requiring significant post-editing.

I can imagine that a publicly accessible AI system, where I upload raw case study materials and allow users to freely ask questions, might be a better approach. It could be more useful and easier to navigate than a traditional collection of case studies.

Such a system would contain the stories, dilemmas, and life situations of those who reach out to me—along with the recurring discussions about these topics. A wealth of experiences, emotions, and decisions...

I’ll give it a try. And I’ll share it with you.

In the meantime, if you have any ideas on what I should experiment with, or any thoughts, suggestions, or critiques... let me know.

I've always been curious about how much of my security I'm willing to risk for my freedom. Or the other way around. I experiment with my boundaries, trying things I have no prior experience with. One such experiment was my "pay what it's worth" business model. I think it's a great idea, but to this day, no one has tried it. (Be the first!)

Experiments

How overwhelming uncertainty feels. It slowly kills you as it clouds your goals, slows your steps, and takes away your dreams. You keep pushing forward, results come, but something still feels off. No matter how many milestones you reach, you don’t feel the satisfaction you expected, and you don’t even know anymore if you still want what you once wanted.

Over the past few years, I’ve spent most of my time understanding my emotions—how I feel about them, how they impact my daily life, my decisions. I’ve written articles about this, developed surveys with experts, processed the topic, and tried to organize my own experiences. And for the past year, I’ve been talking to others about similar situations. But something is missing.

I can’t find my focus. Why am I doing all this? Why do I write, why do I mentor strangers, why do I keep looking for opportunities to talk about other entrepreneurs’ problems? What could come out of this? The stars don’t talk about it, tarot cards don’t either, and even my friends look at me with confusion.

Like so many times before, I thought I’d discuss this dilemma with one of my paid “friends.” So, I gathered my past writings, notes, surveys, and all the material I could find, fed them into NotebookLM, and then uploaded the summaries and analyses to ChatGPT. I asked if there was any information in the data that could serve as a guide to help me find my own way out.

It wrote: "Your materials could be structured into a methodological guide, a strategic framework designed to help entrepreneurs align their inner desires with their business goals. The premise is simple: if your goals don’t align with what truly drives you internally, sooner or later, you will burn out or lose motivation.

This framework could help entrepreneurs and business owners align their goals with their inner desires, enabling them to build sustainable, fulfilling, and profitable businesses. This methodology is based on the principle that real success stems from self-awareness and the conscious alignment of personal motivations with business objectives…”

I like this. Of course, I do. Two years ago, I was already thinking about this, even consulted some experts… But somehow, I let it go. Is this just about my ego? The idea, the desire to create something—not just anything, but a method that could help bring self-fulfillment closer to tangible action and then transform that into a business.

Can I develop my own methodology? Is it worth it? What does it take? What are the steps? How can AI help with this? How much time, resources, and experimentation does it require? Does something like this already exist? Surely! But what’s already out there—how does it work? Could I create something that’s a little different, a little simpler, more understandable, more relatable than what’s currently available?

And as these questions started spinning in my head, I realized that my focus had sharpened—not on how to move forward, but on the fact that these questions excite me. That I want to find answers, climb walls, dodge punches, and if needed, get back up and keep going…

Just like those who come to me with their problems. So many of us struggle with this—we want to take action, but we can’t. And the stronger the desire to create burns inside us while we’re stuck in our frustration, the more it hurts, squeezes, tears us apart inside—and sometimes outside, too.

And maybe that’s why I write, why I mentor strangers, why I keep looking for opportunities to talk about other entrepreneurs’ challenges. To figure out what could come out of all this!

And this is where conversations can help, as I wrote in my previous article, "Business Offer.” Every conversation can bring us closer to a solution—you, me, and maybe, eventually, others too.

Getting Started

So many of you have expressed interest in talking with me about your business but either can't or don’t want to pay under the “pay what it’s worth” model. Many of you have also mentioned that traveling to Pécs is difficult alongside your work commitments. Our Wednesday dog-walking conversations are popular, but this opportunity is very limited.

I love these conversations—they are valuable.

The stories you share with me are valuable. These stories have always meant much more to me than just a one-time discussion. They stay with me because most of them resonate with me as well: in one way or another, I have struggled—or still struggle—with similar questions. Our life situations may be different, but these experiences are universal. We all face the same questions, dilemmas, and fears—just in different forms.

These entrepreneurial stories have power.

They have often inspired me to rethink things, and many times, they have shaped the topics I write about on my blog. These conversations create value. And this value—if shared—can help others too. That’s why, from now on, every consultation or entrepreneurial discussion will come with two options for you to choose from.

Or you share your story—that is, you allow me to record, process, and later share it anonymously in some form (book, case study, podcast) so that other entrepreneurs can learn from it.

Consultations are available in three formats, all at the same price:

Forest walks – mornings in Pécs, duration: 3 hours

In-person consultation – at a café in Pécs, duration: 2 hours

Online consultation – from anywhere :) duration: 1 hour

And why is the price the same despite the different durations? Because a personal meeting requires a greater investment of your time and effort, especially if you have to travel for hours to get there—and I want to acknowledge that.

What matters to me is your story, your problem, your dilemma. I prefer that the conversation can be shared—without names, ensuring that it cannot be linked to you personally unless you choose otherwise. But if this feels unfamiliar to you and you’d rather pay, that is also an option.

So, if you have a problem, a challenge, or a personal story you’d like to share—either to get answers to your questions or to help others learn—then let’s talk.

If you’re interested, or if you know someone who might be, feel free to reach out and ask questions here or on my social media.

If you're interested, send me your questions or dilemmas that you'd like to discuss (via my website:https://www.vendler.hu/#contact, or through private messages on my social media).

Let me know which model you prefer (paying or sharing).

Let me know which format you'd like (walk, café meeting, or online).

If I’m good with the topics, we’ll set a date—and let’s go!

So many of you have expressed interest in talking with me about your business but can't or don’t want to pay under the 'pay what it’s worth' model. Many of you have also mentioned that traveling to Pécs is difficult alongside your work commitments. Our Wednesday dog-walking conversations are popular, but this opportunity is very limited. That’s why I’ve come up with a new offer.

Business Offer

Lately, I find myself crossing paths more and more often with people who noticeably influence my thinking. Engaging conversations where our thoughts intertwine, bringing us closer together and inspiring us to start new discussions. It doesn’t matter if it’s a young child surprising me with their purity, a near-retirement man searching for passion in his work, or a woman ten years older than me, inviting visitors to a shared game in an attempt to bring them closer to themselves.

That’s how I met Gábor Heller. A little over a week ago, Réka Bolváry suggested I meet him, saying she felt it would be worth it. I quickly looked him up because all I knew was that he runs the Igaz Történetek (True Stories) podcast, where I had previously come across Réka’s story. A quick Google search revealed an intriguing background: 20 years in New York, where after working as a taxi driver, he became the art director of the world's largest advertising agency; later, he turned to screenwriting (Just Sex and Nothing Else), then company building—he was the co-founder of Bónusz Brigád.

So, I went to meet him. We arranged to meet in a tiny little bakery on Retek Street in Buda. He was already there when I arrived, calm, kind, and genuinely interested as we started getting to know each other. Time flew by as topics unfolded—my questions, my dilemmas—and Gábor seemed to have an insightful story for almost everything. A conversation he had been part of, a story he knew inside out…

For years, Gábor has been building a project where different people share defining events from their lives. So far, I’ve watched four stories, but I’ve been thinking about them. What is this really about?

I feel like I’m starting to grasp the essence of these stories. I initially thought they needed to have a clear moral or a punchline at the end—some tangible takeaway. But from what I’ve seen, these are simply heartfelt, human stories where the real essence lies in how I emotionally connect with them. And some of them hit me hard, flooding me with emotions, bringing tears to my eyes: the elderly man playing the piano on a ship, or the little ballerina who didn’t tell her parents about her accident, even though there was a chance her leg might have to be amputated.

Of course, I know that different moments resonate with different people, or that on another day, something else might have struck me instead. But in those moments, I felt what they might have felt… and I found myself wondering what I would have done in their place. A purely theoretical question, of course, but perhaps that’s exactly why these videos are so important—just like great literature—because they immerse us in situations where we can reflect on our own emotional responses. Through these stories, we ultimately learn about ourselves.

It’s a beautiful thing being built here.

And a very challenging genre, too. It requires so much… If we’re the ones telling the story, perhaps the most important thing is that we value ourselves enough to see parts of our lives as meaningful, interesting, and worth sharing. Then, we need the courage to take the risk—will our story be engaging? And what if it isn’t?

Storytelling itself is an art, but not necessarily in the sense of acting skills or structured dramaturgy—how well we build or embellish the narrative—but in how honestly we can open up. How deeply we can return to the moment we’re recalling, reliving it, resonating with the emotions, becoming vulnerable… whether in front of an audience or in a recording studio. The real challenge is how close we can get to ourselves.

And if we can do this for ourselves, if we can grant ourselves this level of self-respect, maybe we’ll become better listeners, too.

Because there’s the other side as well—the listener, the viewer—who somehow needs to connect with this “creation.” With someone else’s life. But what kind of cultural and societal environment are we in? Do we, in our friend groups, in our families, have a culture of listening without judgment, without comparison, without feeling the urge to fix things—just with genuine curiosity? Can we listen to a stranger for 15–20 minutes and truly immerse ourselves in their story?

These stories don’t offer quick fixes, or even slow ones. They don’t aim to give life advice, career guidance, or self-improvement strategies. They’re simply beautiful, natural.

How do we connect with these quiet, novella-like stories in a world that moves so fast, bombarding us with constant stimuli? How do they break through our threshold for attention? How can ordinary life stories be important enough for us to truly listen?

This morning, I reflected on the videos and on what Gábor shared at the café. And I realized—this project is much more than just a podcast series. It’s really a social experiment, a movement that fosters empathy, openness, acceptance, and—perhaps as a natural consequence—a sense of connection and the courage to be ourselves.

What if more of us became storytellers and listeners like this?

Could it have a societal impact? Probably yes, but it wouldn’t happen overnight. The quality of public discourse is largely shaped by how willing people are to listen to each other without judgment and to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. One of the most significant effects of storytelling is that it momentarily removes the listener from their own perspective and reveals the deeper human experience behind every situation.

If listening to real, personal stories became more common, it might reduce snap judgments, the tendency to see things as having only one truth, and encourage greater openness. Think about how often we form opinions about people or situations without truly knowing their experiences. If we got used to listening first—seeking understanding before forming opinions—it could gradually change how we relate to one another.

Of course, this isn’t a magic solution. The tendency to judge is deeply ingrained in us, in our society, shaped by many factors—media influence, education, social environment. But one thing is certain: if we were regularly exposed to authentic, human stories, they could slowly reshape our thinking and help cultivate a more empathetic, accepting atmosphere.

But the kind of stories we listen to matters.

That’s why projects like Gábor’s are so important. It’s worth taking a moment to pause and give time to these True Stories. And if you feel that your own story could help others, reach out to him and share a piece of your life.

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@igaztortenetekpodcast4450

Lately, I find myself crossing paths more and more often with people who noticeably influence my thinking. Engaging conversations where our thoughts intertwine, bringing us closer together and inspiring us to start new discussions. It doesn’t matter if it’s a young child surprising me with their purity, a near-retirement man searching for passion in his work, or a woman ten years older than me, inviting visitors to a shared game in an attempt to bring them closer to themselves...

In Sync

Below is the text of the interview published in the December 2024 issue of Growth Magazine. Many thanks to Beatrix Gosztola and her team for the opportunity to be featured and for allowing us to republish the text.

An exit can often seem like the final destination in an entrepreneur's journey—a milestone that crowns everything, symbolizing professional recognition, freedom, and financial security. But what happens when the long-awaited success does not bring what we had hoped for? Vendler Balázs, who embarked on a deep self-exploration after successfully selling his company, shares exactly this experience. A month ago, we invited him to our office to personally recount the inner journey that company building, exit, and the period that followed had brought him.

We first got to know Balázs through his LinkedIn posts, where we were already impressed by the openness with which he wrote about the emotional rollercoaster behind professional success. During the interview, it became clear that his story is not only inspiring but also full of valuable lessons—offering insight into the struggles and reinvention of an entrepreneurial soul. This is not the first exit story we've featured, but Balázs takes us somewhere entirely different: to the human side of entrepreneurship, where success, failure, and new beginnings are not black and white but filled with countless shades of experience. // Beatrix Gosztola, Editor-in-Chief – Growth Magazine

How did the startup begin, and what was your main motivation during its development?

Hm… It was quite a long process. Back in 2005, I had a small marketing company that had been operating for six years already. We had built a great team, working on both offline and online projects, and even had in-house developers, which allowed us to handle projects flexibly. That year, we were invited to take part in a tender we really wanted to win—I felt like this could be our big breakthrough. The task was to design a recruitment campaign, and instead of using traditional advertising platforms, we proposed creating an online game. My goal was that if we won, our client would spend that—at the time, for us, incredibly large—budget with us rather than media owners. We won, and that marked the beginning of our development of corporate goal-driven games.

The next seven years were filled with professional success, but they didn’t bring in much money. My marketing company grew, we gained a business angel investor, and we restructured the company—splitting it into a marketing and an IT company. This was during the 2008 financial crisis, a period full of tension, which eventually led to me burning out completely by 2012. I was exhausted. I simply hated going to my own company. I remember sitting alone in my office, realizing that I had to change something—I couldn’t go on like this. I was working 10–12 hours a day, responsible for all sales, and managing a team of over 20 people, which meant our costs were sky-high. Stress became my everyday reality. The work I once loved no longer brought me any joy.

I had to rethink why I was running my business in the first place: for freedom, financial security, and recognition—to prove that I was good, smart, and successful. As I reflected on the past years, I realized that corporate gaming could provide all of this. Or rather, I felt that it could provide all of this. It seemed like a way to break free from the limitations of being based outside a major city, to expand internationally, and to showcase what we were truly capable of. The emerging concept of gamification seemed like a perfect opportunity, so I bought out my investor and started building Games for Business.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the building phase, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest question was whether we were even capable of doing it. Did we truly know what we wanted to create? Did I know exactly where I wanted to go and what my ultimate goal was? I was clear on my desires—freedom, security, recognition—but how could my company provide these for me? It took me a good three years to find my answer, but in 2013, we started building. We went everywhere we could to give talks on the topic, began publishing in English, and participated in international competitions—all for several years without any major success. But in 2015, something unexpected happened: an article was published about one of our projects in the U.S. edition of Forbes, then in the Hungarian edition, and soon, more and more international media outlets started featuring us.

And yet, something still wasn’t right. Something wasn’t working—we still weren’t making money, and clients weren’t coming in as I had hoped. Things were still not in place. Looking back now, nearly ten years later, I’d say I still didn’t fully know what I wanted to do. By 2015, I had to admit that something was off. My marketing company’s team was falling apart because my focus was entirely on Games for Business, and I wasn’t paying much attention to the agency itself. People started quitting one after another. I had a lot of conversations with people—something I’m grateful for. Entrepreneurs from Pécs, clients from Budapest, CEOs of competitor companies… Through these discussions, I came to realize that we couldn’t run two completely different businesses under one organization. A marketing agency executes projects, while Games for Business was about developing a product. Two entirely different mindsets, two fundamentally different approaches.

I had to ask myself: was I willing to let go of my agency? Could I walk away from the business that provided my income, funded G4B’s product development, and supported my family? Could I give up my financial security and my past for the future I envisioned? Did I believe in my vision, in myself, and in my team enough to take the leap? We jumped.

Our entire family’s savings became the foundation for the ten-person team that fully committed to Games for Business Ltd. in January 2016. By then, we had a plan—mapped out for five years, built around four to five key KPIs. That plan was the result of nearly ten years of experience, constant learning, and the drive to create something different. The team that stood beside and behind me had become a tightly knit unit. Under the leadership of Miki Szalai, they pushed through the next three and a half years.

The journey to the company’s sale in 2019 wasn’t easy. It involved an enormous amount of work, uncertainty, and stress. But I believe the biggest challenge was envisioning where I wanted to go—and believing in myself enough to make sacrifices to get there.

Breaking Point
2025.09.01.

2025. BALAZS VENDLER

All rights reserved.

Breaking Point2025.09.01.

2025. BALAZS VENDLER

All rights reserved.

Breaking Point
2025.09.01.