How I Work

Schedule & Style

This is a first attempt to explain how I work.
Let’s see how it evolves over time.

Reach out

Email is my favorite medium ever, forget everything else : jean@2lr.com - Instagram and Strava are my two public systems of records. Twitter isn’t anymore, I hate its new vibes…

My work schedule

No meetings in the morning during the week (except Thursday morning in Paris), or a short one right before lunch time. I only take meetings on Zoom, for 20 minutes each, on Monday and Tuesday from 2pm to 5pm. In person meetings on Thursday and Friday in Paris for 30 to 45 minutes, in the afternoons, with zoom calls in between.

Why 20 minutes ? I have experienced that 90% of the time we don’t need more, whether it’s dealflow, portfolio or anything else. I prefer to deal with the pressure of not enough time than the opposite.

Monday morning I will drive the kids at school, will take a couple of calls as of 8.15am before I reach my desk at home by 9am. The rest of the week, I will start around 7h45am.

Wednesday is a day during which I schedule things more freely than others.

Training

November 2021 , I started cycling , it was first time ever that I was about to stick to an activity for more than 3 months… I have accidentally completed my first half Ironman on May 2023 and my first full on September 2023 thanks to Christophe. I am pursuing higher objectives and therefore I am training a lot. More or less 15 hours per week.

Training means that I don’t go out much whether it’s for lunch, drink or diner, when I am free, it’s mostly for my family. Don’t blame me, don’t pity me, I am very happy. You can follow my journey here on Strava.

How I work with founders

I am a fucking believer. But not a pleaser. I don’t reach out much to them but I thrive to be there for them whenever they need me. I believe that I am an emotional support, a bullshit detector, a non-sense killer, a straighter. Either I can fix certain things very quickly, very well, or I can’t. I’m more reactive than proactive (wink John). My job is to see what’s hidden in plain sight and to express it intelligibly. I don’t repeat things, I don’t insist, I’m not a parent, a chaperon or a torturer. I will push to a certain point of tolerance and belief but not beyond. It’s simply not fruitful.

My Style

I am a homebody, my job is an excuse for me to meet with people.

I like when things go fast. I focus on efficiency first and always. It allows me to do many things faster but it also creates frictions when sometimes I should probably pass more time on a specific matter. At this point, let’s be clear, I don’t care anymore, that’s the way it is, can’t be perfect in every way.

I feel uncomfortable in large gatherings and noisy environment. 10 to 12 people is really the maximum people I can stand without feeling overwhelmed or tired afterwards.

I believe that the best output comes from organic behaviours and that optimistic givers and believers always win at the end because they tend to be happier. It doesn’t mean I am delusional or candid. But you can certainly fool me once.

I never look back at things that have decided to let go, it’s too easy to get dragged down by bad, deceptive thoughts, or resentment.

I don’t read books, I don’t listen to podcast. I have tried, many times, I always slip back to my old habits. That’s the way it is. Stop asking me if I have read that book or listen to that podcast, I most probably haven’t.

When it comes to deal making, I don’t compete. If we want to work together, we will find a way. If an entrepreneur wants to run a beauty contest among investors or play the card of exploring options just in case, just to be sure, just because you know this is the right thing to do from a business perspective or whatever fallacy, well… Not with me. If I miss a deal, it means that I have failed to bond with the entrepreneur, that’s fine.

I actually don’t care about competition, I care about achieving things that no one else has, to follow my own journey, regardless of the matter.

I don’t like talking on the phone without a very clear agenda and a timeframe. I do this with my mother sometimes but really that’s it.

I can be very vocal and I swear a lot. I say what I think and the other way around. I don’t care about haters. Some people think I am arrogant, a lucky wunderkind or simply a fraud. I couldn’t care less.

I do everything over email. I hate whatsapp and might just end up deleting it pretty soon actually…

My favorite medium of interaction is email. It’s a powerful system of record, polluted and cluttered at times, but it’s less noisy than instant messaging apps, more direct and rarely things slip through the cracks.

The more you try to get to me, the less accessible I become, I need my space and if you don’t respect that, you’ll lose me.

I’m Both a contemplative person and an achiever. Or said differently, I’m either all or nothing.

I’m a shitty manager, I like people with autonomy who don’t need a tap on their back or guidance about what to do.

Do it with full commitment or don’t do it at all.

I’m messy.