In the latest episode of TrucktopThe Podcast of TransportMedia, journalist Jeroen Geschuvenelen takes place in the house of Kurt van Gijsel, the driving force behind SL Logistics. No gray office room this time, but a modern house in Mariakerke near Puurs, where the glass on the floor gives a look at a garage full of passion. It is not only a home, but also a place where the entrepreneur really for the first time in years distance takes. And that is not a superfluous luxury, because peace is scarce in his world.
From office to home and back
For years, Kurt lived the agencies of his company for a long time. Efficient? Absolute. Healthy? Not necessarily. “If you see someone working at ten to eight, you will still ask how things are going. And before you know it you will be an hour further,” he says. The move to Mariakerke not only meant another zip code, but above all a clear mental boundary between work and private life. “I come home, and then am Me too at home. That’s new to me. And blissful. ”
Directly, but thought out
Kurt is a man who wants to move forward. You can feel that about everything. To his language, at his pace, to the way he leads his company and organizes his life. He is straight, no hassle. “An animal is always honest. If he doesn’t have to have you, he will show that. Fantastic anyway? That directness, that appeals to me.” The same directness also characterizes his approach as an entrepreneur. Not to brusher, but because clarity makes speed possible. No loss of time on vague messages.
But for Kurt, speed does not mean ‘plank gas without thinking’. He realizes better than anyone that sustainable growth requires dosage. “You have to take risks, of course. But they must be calculated. Certainly with the prices of trucks in recent years. Then I look very closely at that together with my accountant.”
That control, which consciously weighing, fits in with its philosophy: always keep going, but never lose your compass. That search for balance – between daring and dosing, between continuing and letting go – is a common thread throughout the conversation. “I have been working for 33 years, but that balance between work and private life … That remains an exercise. You sometimes think you have found him, and then something happens again. And hup, search again.”
Cars, adrenaline and real connections
Whoever says Kurt also says cars. His love for Porsche and his impressive G-Wagon appeal to the imagination. But he nuances: “The outside world only sees the G-wagon, but not what you have to do for it. If I don’t get any rest, I would rather drive with a G-wagon from Mariakerke to Puurs.” A little ironic, perhaps, but especially honest. Because there is no bling behind every car in his garage, but commitment.
Together with his partner Sofie – “a woman with balls” as he calls her lovingly – he shares that car love. Track Days, the 24 -hour of Zolder, Ducati’s … She pays the circuit with full dedication, he is a little more careful. “Sofie just presses the accelerator pedal. I look a little more at the risk.” Again that balance: speed versus safety, passion versus control.
And at home? There are not only each other, but also Oswald, Roger and Mr. Mieuw – their dogs and cat who are equally fully part of the family. “Those are our children,” he laughs. “We do everything for that.”
An entrepreneur with a steering wheel
The conversation with Kurt van Gijsel is one that lingers. Not by big words, but by the sincere way in which he shares his life. He is an entrepreneur with Drive, but not blinded by speed. Someone who wants to move forward, but not without direction. Someone who realizes that balance is something you keep looking, not something you ever find definitive.
And perhaps that is just the essence of entrepreneurship in today: knowing when you give gas, and when it is best to touch the brakes.
