Influencer Runy Calmera
In this week’s blog (23rd of October till the 29th of October 2023) we had an interview with Runy Calmera.
Furthermore, we would like to invite you to our next MYM Book presentation on Tuesday, October 24th, and we want to share some short motivational videos where people of different ages answer important
questions. We will upload one of these videos every day on our Facebook page.
All pictures in this interview provided by Runy Calmera.
Could you share with us some information about your family life?
I was born in Kura Piedra in Curaçao in 1969. I come from a family of 8 children, all of them older than me except for a younger brother. I have 3 sisters and 4 brothers. One of the benefits of having many siblings is that they teach you a lot, you learn to deal with many people and find your way in a group. You always have people around you. I used to observe the good and bad things and learn from them.
My mother was a wise woman. She was like the family tree (the center of the family) and was a very intuitive woman. My father was a man with many technical skills and had his own contractor business in the construction sector of Curaçao. He built many houses and villas for customers. He was the Big storyteller in our family, as he talked to many people and brought many stories home.
I grew up and understood in my early years that you can escape poverty. As I had two sisters who lived in the Netherlands, I saw how they did and that inspired me to work hard to achieve the same. The Netherlands was like the promised land.
My parents had their own house, but I remember that when it rained the roof leaked. We always had food, my mother made ends meet and my father brought money home daily. My father worked day-to-day and he could earn Ang 100,0 per day to feed a family if he had work.
But we were not wealthy. The first time I remember receiving my first present, a bike, was around 5 years old. I guess my father and mother must have won the lottery that year. I know what it feels like to open the refrigerator and see only a can of water, of my father, in it. The whole refrigerator was empty. I promised myself this would not happen again when I grew up.
‘Knowledge is a way to get you out of poverty…’
My mother had a huge influence on me. She was the one who taught me how to dream and said I could achieve anything I put in my mind. My mother was an intuitive and spiritual person who could read people’s intentions and knew what was good and what was bad. She was a woman that was just like a mother chicken that protects her offspring with her own life. This wise woman taught me how to dream and how to think big. She said although we live here in Kura Piedra if you study well, everything is possible. She said that the book you are reading is not just a book, but it is the key to getting out of poverty. Knowledge is a way to get you out of poverty into wealth and abundance.
My father was the storyteller. Although he only went to 6th grade at the primary school level and went to only one or two years of the Shell Vocational training school, he knew many topics. I remember he would share stories about the moon, the solar system, and the universe as he was curious about everything. He heard these stories of all the people he knew. He built houses, got into contact with many other people, and brought their stories back to our home. He was a communicator and told and knew stories of other people, and thus had life experience. As a kid, I used to sit on his lap and listen to his stories. Here I fell in love with stories.
At school, I was one of the top students in the class and got great grades. Especially math, languages, and science. I studied very hard. I had talent but I put many hours in. I remember somewhere around 11 I said I would become an economist. The first in my family. I did not know what an economist was, but I knew it was something with figures and analyzing things.
In secondary school, I remember, we sometimes also didn’t have electricity for some days and when my glasses broke I remember sometimes I had to wait a month before I could get a new pair of glasses.
Going to secondary school, Radulphus College, there were very wealthy people in my class. Their parents had businesses, like importing beverages, and food. Other fathers worked at the Shell refinery and were doctors and businessmen. They lived in huge villas. I went to private school parties of people in my class with luxury swimming pools and great villas in Jan Sofat, Spanish Waters. I kept dreaming and thinking: how did these people build and grow their wealth? I made a commitment to study economics and understand how to have your own business and build your wealth.
That was my youth. I have a wife and we have been together 27 years already, we have no children and we have some close friends.
Could you share something about your educational background and your experience?
I got my Master’s Degree in Economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. I have been to Sint Thomas College (Primary School level) and Radulphus College (secondary school level). When I was finishing my masters in Rotterdam I did a 6 month’s internship in Curaçao at the Department of Economic Affairs of Curaçao I wanted to do something for my island Curaçao. It was a great internship where I worked and learned a lot from economists in the department. I analyzed the social and economic impact of a “Uniform minimum wage for Curaçao” and collected a lot of data about that.
Afterwards, they hired me right away as a Policy Advisor for the Policy Section of the Department. I was 26 years old and came back to Curaçao in 1996 and I got a huge opportunity to work with a mentor Dr. Marein Van Schaaijk who mentored me for 4 years in Economic Modeling, teaching me all the secret modelling tricks. Dr. Van Schaaijk just got his Ph.D. on how to create a macroeconomic model for a small island economy and he just created his second macro model for Curaçao. I became the project manager for that project.
I got many opportunities during those four years. At the beginning of my career, I got a lot of opportunities from the Head of the Department of Economic Affairs of Curaçao Mr. Ramon Chong, who trusted me. I took all these opportunities. I organized many workshops about economic modeling and economic analysis and talked with many stakeholders. I advised the then Deputy of Economic Affairs and deputy of Finance. Worked on the Structural Adjustment Package of the International Monetary Fund.
Then I moved to the Netherlands, and I started working at a Houston-based Energy Production and Trading company, Reliant Energy Marketing and Trading, where I worked from the year 2000 till 2005. This was a very competitive English-speaking environment where I worked with traders, project managers, credit, and market risk professionals. Compared to my macro-economic analysis work as a policy advisor in Curaçao, I now work with huge databases, IT systems, and online software systems with huge amounts of data. The complexity just increased 100 times. In the mid-office, as a risk analyst, I was responsible for reporting to Houston on the day-to-day trading portfolio.
There was a guy younger than me but he was my senior. He could program software. I used to press some buttons he automated, and some complex calculations and reports ran during the whole night to calculate the risk of a huge European portfolio of trades. I knew I would need to learn programming someday.
I worked with a super-skilled group of 10 IT developers, and database administrators during this time and we maintained a huge architecture of online IT systems to support energy trading, risk management, energy production, and settlement. I was responsible for the end-to-end process. Here I fell in love with online software systems and managing business critical processes. I now had stories, macro models, online software systems, and business-critical processes under my belt.
During those years I took many roles Risk analyst, IT business analyst, unit information manager, project and process manager.
So starting as a quantitative macro economist on a policy department of a small island in the Caribbean I grew to become ultimately unit information manager for one of the groups at Nuon, This is the period where I learned about the power of Information Technology, the power of data and the power of information systems and business processes and projects.
In 2006 I worked at a Marketing company as a project manager and process manager. The day my boss told me that he couldn’t pay for the training I thought I worked hard for, I decided to become a freelancer. I decided to take my destiny into my own hands. My thought was: If I were my boss, I would just take my credit card and buy the training. So that is what I did. I quit.
As a freelancer, with my own business, I worked for the ING Bank, the RABO Bank, NS, Essent, and the Dutch police. I combined all my previously acquired skills in stories, modeling, process, and project management. And added knowledge of credit risk and banking, energy trading and marketing and sales. As a freelancer, you have to sell yourself, reinvent yourself many times, and deliver.
In 2010 we came back to the Caribbean as we believed that the quality of life in the Caribbean was high. The Caribbean was like paradise and the best place to live. I remember driving to my next assignment as a freelancer and thinking: imagine living on an island in the Caribbean. What would life be like?
Back in Curaçao, I won a freelance project for Sint Maarten together with my partner. I developed an economic model from scratch for Sint Maarten with Dr. Marein Van Schaaijk. Now my mentor became my partner. We gave many trainings and I visited Sint Maarten every month for a week to give training and workshops on macroeconomic analysis. Unlike my previous work on Curaçao for the first macroeconomic model, I now build the whole model of Sint Maarten step by step. With a senior macroeconomist at my side.
After this, I was able to build 12 macroeconomic models of 12 island nations in the Caribbean. These are all the 8 islands of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Unit (Anguilla, Sint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Montserrat). I have also organized pieces of training and further built macro models of Jamaica and Turks and Caicos and finally, I rebuilt the model of Curaçao.
To sum up: I have worked as a Policy Advisor; Project manager; IT business analyst; Risk analyst; Process manager;
Macro Economist and the last 4 years as a Data scientist, and Python programmer (this is a programming language used by AI).
What happened to the programming skills?
Four years ago, I took the challenge. I wanted to do the same as the IT guys I worked with. So I bought two Python books, read many online step-by-step tutorials, and watched many YouTube videos about data science in Python. I teamed up with a friend who already knew Python and was programming AI models. When you want to learn something new, get around people smarter than you who are already doing what you want to learn.
I became a junior data scientist and automated everything I could automate. Then I fell in love with programming Python. The reason was that I saw huge progress. Compared to earlier when I processed a lot of data in Excel and created dynamic charts, I could do all these with a lot of data and 1000 times faster.
‘Master your Python programming skills…’
This means that I became more productive. I could analyze faster. I could now get data online automate tasks faster, and move from macroeconomic analysis to global analysis. Not only analyze data for a particular small island in Excel but gather huge amounts of data and quickly convert it into historical graphs, informative tables, and analysis. I teach all my students macroeconomic analysis skills and also my student’s process automation and project management.
I would recommend you master programming skills if you are reading this, because, programming will help you become like a magician and help you as a creator. You can do things faster than other people. Like if I give you a file with 5 million records (rows) in it. And I ask you to create a graph for all the 20 countries in that file. I tell you that it is a file with sales data, a graph with small islands data, or a file with data about process workflows. It could be also a file with wind power and solar power data or any renewable power source for a small island. Or a developed country like the USA, Japan, China, the BRICS, or the European region. And I give you one day or two days. Could you do that?
That is data science. Turning data into insights. Understanding complex data and telling stories with it. Business stories.
Or something simple as:
I a 1000 graphs for a small island nation.
An ordinary human being will need one week.
A programmer will take one hour to do that. Some 30 minutes. I’m already in the bracket of 15-30 minutes.
And once you create the code, you don’t have to do it again. The other human beings have to keep doing it again and again. Programmers don’t. That is why they earn more. They are more productive. They have special skills. That is why you need to learn to program. And that is why the owners of capital are becoming wealthier and wealthier.
Explain that. What do you mean?
We are living in a digital software world. A world of innovation. Through innovation, nations become wealthier. If you want to become wealthier, you have to innovate. You have to produce more value. You have to serve more people.
Traditionally you have labor and capital, and now you have software. Software is like a creative force. Software is like the third resource, next to capital and labor. Of course, you have land as a resource. But let’s focus on these three.
A lot of people (on island nations) only use their labor. On Curaçao, for existence, you have discussions about labor versus capital. Some people are investors because they own something. They own an asset.
A programmer can create an asset (a digital asset) that works for her. She is now an investor who has invested in an asset. Python code is like a digital asset (an investment) that brings your returns over and over again. That is why I highly recommend learning to program. Learn to create digital assets that work for you.
You are an entrepreneur? How would you describe your expertise?
I model the world around me. I try to make sense of the world around me. I see models in all places, like a process model; an Economic model, a sectoral model, a business model, an investment model, a global model of how the world works, or an Al-model. An Artificial Intelligence model written in Python a programming language. These are all models.
If you learn Python, you now have the keys to learn Artificial Intelligence. Chat GPT. All these programs can be programmed in Python. So learning Python is like getting the next key to the next room. The Programmer’s room. And once you are in that room you can move to the next room: the AI programming room.
Once you have a model you can break things into smaller components and see the relationships between the components and you can understand where the system is going. Once you have the model of the system you can try to forecast where the system is going in the future. That is the main thing I do. I model complex systems and I help others understand the world around them. I now focus on solving the problems of people who need to build and maintain their wealth and live on small island nations.
I created an Island Wealth Channel, where I talk about how to build and maintain your wealth from an island. I do this weekly every Friday on YouTube. I will give you a link below. If you subscribe and join the community for free you can build and maintain your wealth.
I work with data, it could be quantitative data but now also huge amounts of unstructured data like text. There are millions of texts around us for free on the internet.
I worked with numbers. Structured data. In databases, files, or online.
I am also a storyteller. I tell business stories. I convert data into stories.
I am also a film, producer. I use these skills like screenwriting. I produce short films and I produce these films. If you are an aspiring actor or actress in Curaçao with a dream, contact me, maybe I can feature you in my next short film.
I make music. I love the Kizomba. If you are into Kizomba and you want to make music, digitally, contact me.
And I am a data scientist a Python programmer. If you are between 12-25 years old and you want to start with Python programming and you want to do the work, join one of my future programs.
I am an investor. I invest in people and businesses. And I invest in myself. An investor sees the world in terms of assets liabilities and investments. In the book Rich Dad Poor Dad, the investor is seen as “The apex” by the author, the final thing you can become. The book talks about employees with an employee mindset, the self-employed with a self-employed mindset, the Business owner with a business owner mindset, and the Investor with an Investor’s mindset.
I was an employee, self-employed, and Business Owner and I see myself as an Investor now. When you own a services company you have to transition from being Self-Employed to building a Business that Works for you instead of you working for your business. And you can become an investor.
I am more than just a professional with a job getting paid for the hours they worked. You try to invest in people, things, and businesses that work for you. Finally, l am also a trainer. I want to share my knowledge and help others grow. This interview is a way to let you, the reader grow. To tell you what is possible. My story. I’m sure it is going to inspire you what is possible.
Why did you end up being an entrepreneur?
It is because, in my own business, I can apply all these skills I have learned over the years. For me, being a business owner is like having a candy shop, where I combine all these skills in all the projects that I am involved in. Working with clients with a great vibe and also not having to work with clients with a bad vibe. You get to choose who you want to serve, and who you want to help grow. Nobody is telling you that you are not allowed to do this or that. If you are reading this and you have a lot of skills, consider becoming an entrepreneur. If you want to build wealth join my community.
Let us talk about Bitcoin. How did you get involved with Bitcoin?
Remember I told you I analyze systems? That I try to model the world around me? When analyzing the system of money and studying the global macro economy and countries like the United States, Japan, China, and Europe, next to small island nations, I realized that the money system is broken.
This is also going on for countries like Argentina
This is not something happening in the developed world. Small island nations are very dependent on what happens in the developed world. Small island nations will see this broken money system wash on their shores quickly. Citizens, people who are building and want to maintain their wealth in small island nations have to have a plan. Otherwise, they will become poor. Very poor.
The money system is broken, while Bitcoin is an alternative. Bitcoin is not a cryptocurrency. You have Bitcoin and you have cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is not just a risky volatile thing they talk about in the media. When you study it you will see what it is. In small islands people are losing their jobs, income, the value of their savings, and their refrigerators are becoming empty. This happens through inflation. The wealth gaps are becoming larger. The system is working against them.
Bitcoin is an answer to that. I have studied Bitcoin, it is actually “hard” money and comparable to gold. It has better properties than gold. It is better than digital gold. Liquid gold. Bitcoin is like a way to store your life’s energy. To store your life’s sweat and hard work, through time and space. If my father had Bitcoin and stored 100 guilders of his hard work in Bitcoin I would have been able to receive it now and store his hard work. But now that 100 guilders of work of my father, is worth less. Through inflation.
That is the connection. I love to analyze systems. So now I focused my attention on money. Many people like Bitcoin. If you want to learn about the answer to this question: “What is money?” Go to YouTube and you will find a 10-hour episode addressing only that question (see link at the bottom of this interview) . But you have to do the work. There is no quick way around it. You have to study yourself.
Governments all over the world are creating fiat money. They print what they want and they can continue doing that, printing money ad infinitum. With Bitcoin on the other hand we can create only 21 million Bitcoins and nobody can change that because of the code used. Bitcoin is governed by code. I understand code and programming remember? That is why I know the power of code.
What else do you do?
I also am a certified Workflow Management Professional. I’m Product Expert for an online software company that helps people to organize their work.
You know, almost all the new work is done in – projects . And project and program managers are struggling with spreadsheets, with managing their (remote) team members. This is a global workspace. So next to being a certified project manager, I now moved my knowledge to the next level.
I help busy Senior Program and Senior Program managers on island economies to automate their Projects and Work workflows. I discuss their business processes with them, help them get strategic insights and automate their workflow and give them strategic dashboards. This is the fastest way to get in control.
I love helping these people create their futures. And this is done with projects.
How did you become involved in Artificial Intelligence?
With Al, there is a new element added besides capital and labor that we mentioned before. In Curaçao, we traditionally had labor and capital. There are many discussions about labor versus capital. But it is not only about labor and capital. Capital has now found a way to program labor. Yes. Capital can program labor. AI is programmed labor. Digital labour. And very intelligent.
Al is automated labor and intelligence and can do creative and repetitive work. If you are an accountant, lawyer, designer, or writer just be sure that AI can do your work. And 1000 times better.
Take for instance this interview you holding. We are now in Zoom and you are writing everything down I say. But there is an AI app (an AI robot) that you can plug in with Zoom. And it enters the room and starts transcribing. Just after the Zoom call, it will send you a transcription of all that was said. Now you can hold many interviews and help your community of Share2Uplift grow. Because you do not need to transcribe yourself. The AI is doing it for you, I use this in the strategic boardroom sessions I hold with my students. And I send them a transcribe of the group sessions we have.
So Capital, the money, hired some programmers (in Python) and found a way how to create AI models. Capital automated creative and repetitive labor. That is why Capital will become wealthier. Labour has to find a way to become more productive. Otherwise, labor will lose its job. There is a potential future scenario where small island nations get massive unemployment due to AI. But there is also a scenario where small island nations become very productive with AI.
I know you want to build on the 2030 vision of Curaçao. I’m building on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals with many small island nations. Most of them have 2030 SDG ambitions and a National Plan.
Now let us look at the 2030 vision for the small island nation of Curaçao. How does Curaçao look like when you can automate the creation of films, and graphics? The question is, how can we become more productive?
You can have Al agents that do things for you, and analyze the data and the texts.
What is the strategy for small islands to deal with this AI challenge and reap these AI opportunities? How can you use technology to create value for small islands? How can you use hard money to store your life’s energy and give it to the next generation?
This is what I am interested in. I am using AI myself. I create automated systems that do work. It is like having 10 software assistants who do work for you 24*7. You become more productive.
As a one-person company, you can use Al to become more productive. Yes, you can automate a lot. Because I learned Python, Al is written in Python, I could see that the technology was coming. I am very innovative so it is rather easy for me to try it out and use this technology.
What is your BIG WHY or driving motivation to be who you are right now?
I want to help people on small island nations to become wealthier and live an abundant life in good cooperation with nature. Sustainable Wealth Creation for small island nations. And if you already have wealth, that you received from previous generations, and you are living on an island nation I can also help you. If you are the successor of your family and you want to continue to build the wealth that was passed to you and you want to maintain that wealth, I can help. Because I study and analyze the global macro system around you, I help you understand how it impacts your island, your sector, your business, your family, and your wealth. Your wealth. I bring the Global macro developments and their impact on your wealth.
I see 58 small islands in the world, I want to help them. I helped governments already. The policy advisors. I train them. Now I’m also letting private clients in that want to build their wealth or are concerned with maintaining their wealth.
I built a program called Caribbean Strategic Boardroom. Here I create a virtual environment where I simulate a Strategic Boardroom. My clients are tackling strategic challenges regarding how to build their wealth and maintain it. I discuss with both public sector clients to discuss the country’s strategies programs and projects. And also private clients and investors that are the successors of their families or businesses. The next ones to take over and need to learn quickly. This Caribbean Strategic Boardroom is only open once a year. The rest of the time the doors are closed.
To apply to join you have to get on the wait list of the Island Wealth Community. And while on the waitlist, you receive valuable information to get to know me. When you join the wait list you are part of my community. Only members of my community who are on the wait list will get an invitation to join the program when the doors open again.
Building wealth is not only a material money thing but also means peace of mind. Somebody who is surfing all the time or doing their hobbies and lives their passions on an island and earns more than they spend is wealthy.
I want to help the people living on islands or the people living in a developed country who want to live on the island use the incredible potential they have on these islands
Each person I interact with I want to help fulfill their potential. For example, I did this interview because I believe I could help you from Share2Uplift create your 2030 vision.
What are your plans for the coming years for the coming 5 years from now?
Currently, I have helped develop 12 models in small islands in the world. In the next 5 years I want to have built a model for all 58 small islands in the world. Furthermore, I want to build a group of one million investors and wealth creators and maintainers on small islands, whether they are businessmen businesswomen professionals, or policy advisors. I want them to live healthy and wealthy lives and be in LOVE. Love is the biggest power in the world. Love is light instead of Hate. Hate is darkness. I want to create 10 million USD and offer the world 10 million in USD in value. If you can create 10 million in value you will get the 10 million USD, that is how it works. It is a transaction.
What are the challenges that you are dealing with? And how are you dealing with these different challenges you confront?
The most important experiment I’m working on right now is: How to scale up and systemize your business, especially for service businesses. Not only reaching the people you know in Curaçao. But how to reach 2,000 people in the Caribbean next week and 5,000 people in the Caribbean the next month? Or 10,000 people on all 58 small island nations in the next 90 days.
Because I don’t know them, yet. And they don’t know me. To spread my message, build my community, and help others. That is why I created my community and why I’m on Linkedin. To connect with these people.
Another experiment I’m constantly working on is sales.
How to sell?
I do many sales experiments and plan many in the future. If you are linked to me expect me to send you an offer you cannot refuse. Without sales, if you can’t convince clients, your business is not sustainable.
How do I deal with it?
I read a lot of books about those who have mastered these experiments. I have a digital business coach and study daily, follow lectures, and do the work. I take notes and implement them.
I follow courses from people who are at the next level with their businesses scaling up and selling.
How to keep your focus on your core business?
Another area of focus is improving my focus. I try to not be around negative people, and not be on social media. Except for business and my community, I’m not available on social media. I’m on Linkedin to connect with my community and I’m on YouTube to deliver my weekly talks on my Island Wealth Channel and that is it. On Facebook, I’m only in the private group of my Business Coach to learn and engage with students and be accountable.
I deleted LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter from my mobile. I realized couldn’t beat the computer. The AI bots of Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter will trigger me to spend my focus. That is why I deleted Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter from my mobile.
I only have YouTube to watch videos of things that I want to learn more about and I have Signal to communicate with my Bitcoin community.
I am also saying “no” to things that are not my priority and I am saying “yes” to the things that I want and am committed to.
I plan my day, my week, and my quarters. I am an internet company and I use many internet tools to automate my business. If I use an online software system that I find valuable I share it with my Island Wealth Community in one of my weekly episodes and I teach how to use it in my online programs.
Do you use your inner voice to evaluate when dilemmas show up?
I listen to that voice, but I have to double-check, whether the voice is based on fear or not. Fear is also talking in our heads. Fear is also trying to protect you. I have to determine if the voice is fear or the real inner voice.
Fear is your worst friend. We are spiritual energy, we are energy that wants to experience, create, and express ourselves. We are all one. You, Ivan Kuster, are a piece of me, you are trying to express yourself by creating these Share2Uplift interviews. We are all part of the same thing.
I can’t kill you. Because if I kill you I kill myself. That is why I’m empathetic to others. That is why I’m interested in their dreams. They are trying to create and express themselves. Everybody I interact with I remember that.
The inner voice helps me to figure out who is this person in front of me. If you have a strong drive to cook, to draw, to make music, that is your spiritual energy trying to express itself through you. I have a strong drive to model the world and tell stories. Passion drives me to do something I might not have mastered completely yet. It is spiritual energy trying to express itself. If you have a strong desire to do something that you cannot yet do, just remember that there is potential in you to do it. That desire tells you that you can do it and that you have the talent to do it. But you just haven’t figured out yet how to do it.
Fear is trying to tell you to stay where you are. You have to run, right through the challenge because behind it, there is freedom. You, Ivan Kuster, are a spirit, trying to create a team to uplift others. You are making a catalog of these people. My heart is telling me that you are trying to create something good for Curaçao, that’s why I am helping you. That’s why I decided to do this interview. That is my inner voice telling me to do this.
How are you trying also to keep up with your knowledge and skill levels?
By reading books, and staying away from social media because I need focus. I watch YouTube videos about the topics I care about. Money, Global macro, wealth creation on small islands. And personally on Music and Short Films. YouTube is like a university. A lifelong learning university.
I am doing this eternal University, where I keep learning new things. Once I graduate with a topic, I sign up for the next skill. If you are reading this, decide what to study go to YouTube and find videos about that topic.
Instead of watching Netflix, and TikTok, and only staying on Facebook, I am watching 10 hours of videos about What is Money?
I have been constantly learning Python for the last 4 years since I felt the drive to learn Python programming. I bought two books, I teamed up with a friend in the Netherlands, an expert “Yu di Korsou” in Python and AI.
Another way to describe this is, that I am always the dumbest guy in the class. I make sure I’m the dumbest guy. Unlike in my secondary school, I’m not the smartest or among the smartest in the class. Now I make sure I’m the dumbest guy. If I become the smartest guy in a class, I leave the class. I go find a more advanced class where I need to learn again. If you are in a class and you are talking all the time. Then find another class.
You have to Be, Do, and Have. I learned this from one of my business coaches James Wedmore.
“Be” is being an investor or filmer, swimmer, or programmer. Being is instant. How does an investor think? Be the investor right away in your mind.
Then, what do they Do, with whom do they hang out? What does an investor do, read, and with whom does she hang out? Act like an investor?
And then you will have what an investor has.
So how I learn is: I figure out: What do I want to Be? Subsequently, I analyze and study How do they think, and what they do. And I incorporate that into my life. Then eventually I will have the same.
The first two parts are the most challenging ones. Most people don’t want to do the first two parts. They only focus on the having. They want things while they do not yet have the mindset, and don’t do the work. This also works on the island level, not only at the personal level.
Take your island nation and ask yourself: What do we want to be in 2030? What do we want to do? The doing is mostly done through programs and projects. You can contact me for that. Because I can help you automate your programs and projects, but that is another story. And after you do the work, you will have.
What are your strengths?
Data, numbers. I turn numbers into insights. My imagination, I can go places with you. Fly fast and come back. Execution, I can deliver results. In projects and programs. Reflection, I like to reflect on my ego for example. Although we talked about wealth I’m detached from all material things. Curious, I am learning all the time. Play, I like to play.
I can create an environment where you can play and grow, and change your mind instantly. That is what I’m doing in my Online Strategic Boardroom Sessions. I use all my skills.
Story. I’m a storyteller. I tell stories. If you want to see some of the short films than watch the links at the bottom of this interview.
If you as Runy would meet a stranger on the bus (let’s say in New York or Medellin) and they would ask you to introduce yourself, what would you answer?
I would ask them what is your dream. What do you want to be when you grow up? No matter their age.
The answer to that tells me something about that person, and how they think.I will know what their universe looks like, and their state of mind, and I will meet their ego. And asking these questions I would tell them who I am. This is not a game. I am genuinely interested in people. I want to know the answers to those questions.
I try to connect with them right away. You can get to the deepest level with some people right away.
How would you describe Runy in one word or one sentence?
Imagination or storyteller.The sentence is: You are the director, producer, scriptwriter, actor, and make-up artist of the film called “Your Life”. You can change the script if you don’t like the outcome. You are creating and producing your life while living it.
Who are the persons that have inspired you the most in your career?
Many people, but especially my mother taught me the power of dreams. My father taught me the power of stories Dr. Marein van Schaaijk taught me the power of Data and Models. My wife teaches me the power of staying grounded. Napoleon Hill taught me the power of your mind. “Think and Grow Rich”. Michael Saylor and Robert Breedlove on YouTube taught me: “What is money?” Eckart Tolle’s book “The Power of Now” taught me the power of now.
Nature meaning our environment is the most efficient system and teacher we have. We have a sun that is giving us so much sunlight and power and as a small island, we still need to import oil. We still have to learn the daily lessons that nature is telling us. We can store “hydrogen” on an island but we still have to import oil.
I grew tomatoes and nature taught me that if you plant one seed, two months later you get a tomato. I learned from nature that it is a very focused system. The seed has one goal, which is: “To grow into tomatoes”. You plant the seed in the ground, you water it, it gets sun, it grows, and turns into tomatoes. Nature is one of the biggest teachers. A Coconut palm tree on an island is a teacher: It is focused, it is strong and it is fulfilling its potential. Have you ever seen a Coconut palm tree on an island that is grounded and having water feeling stressed, not focused, and getting distracted with Social media? You can learn a lot from that coconut palm tree.
What is a trait that is still a work in progress?
Letting go, still learning how to let go. When I know you have a dream and what you wanted to be when you grow up, I used to keep feeding you, lightning your candle. That is a trait. Every time I meet you and engage with you in person or online, I remember you of your potential. Once I see your potential or discover your potential with you, it won’t let me go. It is like a story that keeps telling me: I want to be written. Tell her or him to “make me happen”.
Some people forget their dreams. I need to learn more to see your dream but to let it go. You are responsible for your dream. I need to listen more to your dream, show you the potential, help you with the skills but then move on. Whether it is a personal dream, a dream of your business, a dream of your island. A dream about building wealth. You are responsible.
What was a defining moment in your life?
When I was around 7 years of age, my mother told me that everything I dream about I can reach. This is especially for the mothers reading this: If you are a mother reading this, I know your potential. You can pass dreams to the next generation. What is the dream you want to pass through? Anything I can do for mothers on island nations I will try to do. I have my sympathy for mothers because I know their power. Curaçao, is I believe, a mother. That’s why we are called “Yu di Korsou”. Sons and daughters of Curaçao.
What would you want your Loved Ones, family, friends, and others to say about you let’s say 20 years from now?
Make it 40 years or 50 years. I want each of them to remember how I touched their life. I would rather have them tell me now by the way instead of when I am not here anymore. Do it now, and don’t wait till it is too late.
What makes you stay optimistic about the future of the island of Curaçao?
Each of the 160,000 people living on the island has their talents. What can you do that help somebody else? Do what you came here in this life, to do best. You need to help somebody else to solve a problem. You need to serve somebody. Don’t leave this world without giving the world your potential. For Curaçao, I see 160,000 with their potential. I see the opportunities and that makes me optimistic. I look at the island of Curaçao and I see potential everywhere. That is the people.
When I look at the nature. I see potential.I see the sun, wind, and the sea. We should be exporting energy. We should be producing energy. Solar energy, Wind energy. Store energy in Hydrogen. Every house has solar panels. Every house has a hydrogen tank. Cars driving electric vehicles, fuel cell. I see these resources and I see that we live in peace with each other. It is a paradise. You can escape poverty, I see all these resources and these people. I see their potential. But not only Curaçao. When I see the 58 official small island nations I see a connected world of small island nations. And on the money, I see hope. Bitcoin is hope. I see all the small island nations connected on the Bitcoin blockchain. Businesses thriving. Wealth created. Island Wealth. I see small island nations as the wealthiest and most abundant states in the world. Innovative and agile. Using technology. I see many service businesses like those I own on small island nations connected digitally.
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We have an enormous potential in renewable potential. We should be an innovative place. Films and Music can be produced on small island nations. We have a lot of beautiful culture. We live in an experience economy. We are not selling sun, sea, and beaches. We are selling experiences. We are in the business of creating memorable experiences with our guests.
We, island nations, should be excelling with Bitcoin. We need to export our services to the world. Provide value to foreigners. Bitcoin gives us a way to play in the global financial world. Then there is Virtual Reality, an emerging market. And there is AI. We should use these tools to make our people wealthier.
There are tremendous opportunities. We are almost at the end of this interview. If you read this story, now let us experiment. Let us go to a place.
Close your eyes and picture a world where you make a difference. What is that difference? What did you come here to do? A world with you is a better world than a world without you. What is the difference?
Then open your eyes and make that difference. If you are a positive person, with a positive vibe and positive energy. If you have a dream you can always join my community. If you don’t want to learn and don’t have positive energy please don’t contact me.
Video Tips:
Think and Grow Rich Audiobook by Napoleon Hill:
I have listened to this book over and over again at least 5 times now. And I keep “reading” it with my ears. I recommend you do the same if you have ambition and you want to know the secrets of the power of your mind, of thinking.
Kura Piedra Film Productions
With my team Kura Piedra Film Productions I have created a lot of short films. As a screenwriter, producer and director I like to tell stories and also give others opportunities to develop their skills as an actor, actress, make-up artist, director and camera and sound person. We are building a new team so if you are an actress or actor, music composer or production and you want to develop and are open for learning contact me by saying “I am an actress or actor”.
Here is a list of 3 short films of the films I have produced, written or directed.
Daniel’s Time (my first film I won a script competition with). A film about two people linked together in a special moment in time.
Hope in Paradise, a film about migrants arriving with a special twist.
4 AM, a film about our Hero fo Curacao Tula
Link to What is Money Show
If you want to know what is money and how this helps you to build and maintain your wealth this is the best introduction I could advise to you. Robert Breedlove and Michael Saylor talk about this. This series changed my way of thinking about money.
How to connect with Runy Calmera?
You can join my community by connecting with me on Linkedin and by joining my Island Wealth Community on YouTube. Here is a link to see my Bio with links. It contains 3 links so you can connect with me on Linkedin, and become part of my community for free by filling in a form and subscribing to my Youtube channel Island Wealth Channel. Do all three things and let us build island wealth together. When you connect with me, you will receive information about me and get invitations to apply for one of my training programs in the future when the doors are open.
Link to go to links to connect on Linkedin / YouTube/ Join Island Wealth Community: https://bit.ly/m/islandwealthchannel
Scan to go to links to Linkedin / Youtube / Join Island Wealth Community
One of the 250 Influencers
Runy Calmera is a dynamic entrepreneur and lifelong learner known for his unyielding optimism, boundless energy, and insatiable curiosity. From a young age, he embraced the belief that ‘everything he can dream about, he can reach,’ and the transformative power of books, instilled by his mother. With a diverse skill set, he melds the realms of dreams, storytelling, data, and models, all while harnessing the potency of Artificial Intelligence.
At the core of Runy’s mission is the drive to empower people, particularly those in small island nations, to attain prosperity while harmoniously coexisting with nature. His unique ability to transform data and numbers into actionable insights, coupled with his vivid imagination and execution, sets him apart.
What truly distinguishes Runy is his unwavering commitment to his own growth. Unburdened by the distractions of social media, he devotes his time to subjects close to his heart: finance, global macroeconomics, wealth creation in island nations, music, short films, and Python programming. This focused approach has kept his learning curve steep, as he continually conquers one skill after another.
Driven by a grand vision, Runy aspires to develop models for all 58 small islands across the globe. His ambition extends to creating a community of one million investors and wealth creators dedicated to nurturing these small island economies.
For all these reasons, we consider Runy Calmera one of the 250 Influencers, representing the Business Sector. Look at the list of the Influencers we have interviewed or reported on, up to now.
The goal of the core group of Share2Uplift for 2023
The goal of the Share2Uplift movement is to: “Identify 250 leaders from all walks of life to connect, align and create impactful changes in all walks of life, which includes intergenerational collaboration by the end of 2023.” We will use interviewing Influencers, meet-and-greet events, “train-the-trainers”-programs on “Emotional Mastery” and “Intentionality “as national intervention strategies, to reach this goal on top of our goal to scale up the possibilities to connect, align and create impact via a virtual platform. We believe that by collaborating with Miguel Goede on the virtual Vision 2030 platform, we will accelerate the possibilities to connect the diaspora and others elsewhere in the world and on the island willing to constructively create impactful changes in Curaçao, to join.
As Share2Uplift, we are fully trying to align with this thinking of Center for Curriculum Redesign to promote this agenda in our educational systems and workplace. So, in that sense, we fully support any initiative to make our educational system 21st-century proof.
Share2Uplift aligners are those that:
– Create an inspiring vision of the future;
– Motivate and inspire people to engage with that vision;
– Manage the delivery of the vision;
– Coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision. These criteria are now being polished.
We also consider these 5 values the most important ones for Share2Uplift aligners. They are:
• Peace from within;
• Compassion;
• Respectfulness;
• Integrity;
• Responsibility.
As we will progress towards this goal, we will update you on the progress.
MYM-platform session
Our next MYM-platform session will be on Tuesday the 24th of October via Zoom from 7 to 9 pm, where we will present The Compound effect, by Darren Hardy.
The Compound effect
No gimmicks. No Hyperbole. No Magic Bullet. The Compound Effect is based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny. Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default. Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine, presents The Compound Effect, a distillation of the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal achievements in business, relationships, and beyond. This easy-to-use, step-by-step operating system allows you to multiply your success, chart your progress, and achieve any desire. If you’re serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you want.
This book will be presented by Ivan Kuster.
Date: Tuesday the 24th of October 2023
Time: 7.00 – 9.00 PM
Entrance fee: Free
Subscribe by emailing us: at sixtaivan@gmail.com and we will send you the Zoom link so that you can participate in our presentation of this book.
Personal Coaching tips
This week we will share some short motivational videos where people from different ages answer important questions. Check them out, they are really inspiring. We will upload one of these videos every day on our Facebook Page.
What Is One Thing Everyone Should Try? | 0-100 – YouTube
What Makes You Happy? | 0-100 – YouTube
What Would You Change About Yourself? | 0-100 – YouTube
What Is the Hardest Conversation You’ve Had? | 0-100 – YouTube
Do You Have a Soulmate? | 0-100 – YouTube
Ages 0-100 Answer: What is Your Superpower? – YouTube