Meet Marco Houwen, the founder of Zentrapreneur and serial tech entrepreneur who sold it all to help leaders build businesses aligned with who they truly are. He joins Inside Story podcast to share how spiritual intelligence, failure, and inner clarity are the keys to lasting success in today’s fast-paced world.
After two decades building and scaling high-impact tech businesses like Datacenter, LuxCloud, and EuroDNS, Marco achieved outward success but felt disconnected on the inside. That led him to sell his companies and embark on a deeply personal transformation. He now helps leaders and organizations align their inner identity with outward success.
We discussed why,
You don’t have to go it alone - partnership matters.
Failure is the catalyst, not the end.
Aligning your business strategy with your authentic identity and purpose.
Bootstrap thoughtfully, delaying funding until it supports the mission, not derails it.
Rebranding starts from your values and spiritual clarity.
Spiritual intelligence (SQ) is the missing piece in the AI era of leadership.
Happiness and fulfillment aren’t side-effects - they’re core business metrics.
🎧 Listen now and let me know: How do you balance success with purpose?
Chapter Titles
00:00 — From Success to Spiritual Search: Marco’s Career Shift
01:59 — How Failure Paved the Way for Growth
03:29 — The Evolution from Tech Ventures to Purpose-Led Coaching
06:59 — Discovering Your Growth Identity & Mission
10:32 — Launching One Venture After Another
12:35 — Overcoming Key Entrepreneurial Challenges
16:23 — When to Bootstrap & How to Approach Fundraising
20:47 — Rebranding with Authentic Values & Spiritual Alignment
29:36 — Bringing Spiritual Intelligence into Business Strategy
36:30 — What Animal Reflects Your Entrepreneurial Path?