Jelle Sjoerdsma

Photo: Nicole Orr

By Nicole Orr

Jelle Sjoerdsma, founder of Dynamic Equity, was born in Point Fortin from Dutch parents. As a child, he grew up in Trinidad, Nigeria, Curacao, England and Brunei before moving to the Netherlands at the age of 12.

“I had a happy childhood and enjoyed growing up in the tropics for the most part.”

He loved the tropics so much that he returned in 1994 not just to visit, but to stay.

“It is something I missed when I was working in Holland. Not only the physical climate, but also the vibrancy and friendliness had I got when I revisited Trinidad on holidays.”

Holder of a masters degree in nuclear physics from the University of Delft in the Netherlands and a MBA from the University of Chicago, Sjoerdsma worked in Holland as a research physicist, software programmer and management consultant over an eight-year period.

At the age of 35, he decided to try his luck and look for a job in Trinidad. Then PriceWaterhouse hired him to work in the management consulting division.

“It was a great experience and I enjoyed working in a very fast-paced professional environment.”

Nevertheless, it came to a crashing halt after three years when his father died. He immediately resigned and returned to Holland to wind up personal affairs.

“This led to a bit of a mid-life crisis and I had to figure out what I wanted to do next.”

The answer turned out to be a new career in venture capital.

“It came out of my frustration as a consultant that companies rarely implemented our advice. The reasons usually were a lack of money and a lack of follow-up.

“My idea was to start a business as a reverse consultancy. Instead of charging fees we would provide money, and participate in companies on a sustained basis, and would hopefully get rewarded in the end.”

Sjoerdsma returned to Trinidad to set up a venture capital firm, which he realised nobody had as a full time activity.

After a long time and several false starts, he found the partners and investors and obtained the regulatory approvals that led to the formation of Dynamic Equity. It’s first fund-started investment operations in 2001.

“Our business is conceptually simple. We invest as shareholders into private companies. In other words, we make private equity investments.”

Companies often worry about loss of control, but Sjoerdsma explained further: “We normally take minority positions only. We have made six investments so far and expect to complete two or three more by the end of this year. We hope to start a second fund in the near future so we can start to make more and larger investments in 2007.”

The job:

Managing director of Dynamic Equity Ltd.

Management challenges:

I hate telling people what they have to do. I always hope they are smart enough to figure it out themselves.

Favourite part of your job:

Interacting with potential clients and showing that we can actually help grow their business.

Waste of time:

Waiting for lawyers. It is always amazing to me how much time it can take to complete the legal documentation for our investments.

Team-building practices:

My emotions are linked to my belly, and I believe the family that eats together stays together. Therefore, I like to go for leisurely lunches with all our staff from time to time.

What makes a successful manager?

Ability to motivate people to do the things they are supposed to do.

How do people show pride in their work?

By showing an initiative.

What makes a lasting impression?

Completing useful activities before even realised they had to be done.

Conflict-resolving tip:

Take a deep breath and do not take business issues personally.

Employee-retention tip:

Give key employees an ownership stake in the business, through shares or stock options.

How do you encourage employee development?

We encourage and give financial support for continuing education. More generally, I think we have many opportunities for our staff to take and develop initiatives.

Personal philosophy:

Do not be too consistent or you will be stuck in a rut. Retain the ability to evolve.

Career-building advice:

Keep developing; education should be a never-ending process. On a more selfish note: make your boss look good. At some point that will be rewarded.

Favourite book:

Books I have read multiple times: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, On the Road, Slaughterhouse 5. Book I’m reading now: Barbarians at the Gate.

Personal philosophy:

Do not be too consistent or you will be stuck in a rut. Retain the ability to evolve.

What do you look for in a job candidate?

Brains! Our business depends on intellectual capital. However, that needs to be combined with pragmatism and an ability to get along with other people.

Advice:

Forget about advice. Do get everyone’s opinion, but make up your own mind.