A Bundaberg grandad has come out of retirement after 11 years to inspire Aussies to Bounce Back to Freedom after COVID-19 with a road trip from Bundaberg to Darwin from 13 July to 25 October.
Author of seven books, Hans Jakobi, 66, has gone from being suicidal and surviving multiple tragedies, including three serious bushfire threats to his home and an eight-year drought, to being a successful businessman and funding his own retirement at 55.
Known as The Lifestyle Entrepreneur, he and his wife of 41 years, Colette, have travelled to more than 70 countries since then and now will hit the road on a Bounce Back To Freedom Tour.
On the tour, he will interview and film Australians who have lost their jobs or businesses to find out what they are doing to recover from the crisis and what strategies they have worked out to prosper from the turmoil.
“The way people have panicked in this crisis has had a deep impact on me and I feel compelled to spread a message of hope, opportunity and support to replace the narrative of fear,” Mr Jakobi said.
He said the best and most secure way to prosper from this crisis was to start an online home-based business.
“I want to inspire ordinary, everyday people, encourage them and give them hope to embrace this crisis as their opportunity to start their own online business and profit despite the crisis,” he said.
“I’m sure there will be some people who will have benefited from the crisis because they’ve adapted to the opportunities created and will be loving it, while others will have a lot of stress and anxiety.”
Mr Jakobi will hit the road with his latest book, Why You Need to Start Your Own Online Business Now!
“My mantra is that you can build and run a business from anywhere in the world with just a laptop computer, a mobile phone and an internet connection,” he said.
To walk his talk and inspire his three children and five grandchildren, he and his wife will make the 12,000km return trip in a 2008 Sunland 24-foot caravan to Darwin and document his journey as he inspires locals, films their stories and builds a new online business from scratch.
“People learn more from what they see than what you say so I want to inspire people. In the next 10 years, I will give it my best, keep traveling, support my children, mentor my grandchildren and others about business,” Mr Jakobi said.
“I want to be around positive, aspirational people and then I will retire again.”
Great work Hans! What an inspiring story!!