If you haven't read part 2, you should read it here.
After finishing those projects, Adriaan and I started brainstorming about what our next pilot project could be. We asked ourselves which market had the potential to generate significant income, and almost at the same time, we shouted: the porn industry!
Yes we are that naive.
The Erotic Storytelling Project
We started digging into how we could actually get clients from that industry. That’s when Adriaan came up with a prestigious contact: Rui Simas, a well-known storytelling erotism guru in Portugal. He had already collaborated with some of the most famous brands, creating work that many people would instantly recognise.
So we went for a drink with him at Pink Street in Lisbon.
He liked our ideas, and right away we felt in sync about creating something different, something truly innovative for the erotic industry. We explored all kinds of possibilities, whether the experience should follow a branching storyline, be told in first or third person, what kind of interactions the user could have in virtual reality, and how we could make it feel even more immersive...
Things were moving forward. Rui had already started writing the story, and we were even receiving applications from actresses interested in taking part, and the main goal was to create a immersive experience to show at erotic business events where investors meet. I felt like a real producer already selecting woman to film 😎 😂
Note that this project was erotic storytelling which is different from pornography.
Then time has passed and Rui said he didn't have much time and the project died slowly.
The lesson here is that not every exciting idea will survive the test of time. You gotta keep the momentum, and if key people lose commitment, even the most promising projects fade away.
The Dutch Porn CEO
But me and Adriaan didn't gave up. After some time Adriaan got in touch with a person that had contact with a CEO of a Dutch pornography company.
He arranged a meeting with the guy, and this is where it gets funny. As soon as I joined the Zoom call and he turned on his camera, there he was, shirtless, covered in tattoos, smoking what looked like marijuana. For a second, I froze, but then pulled myself together and started with the usual greetings.
I can definitely say this was a red flag moment 🚩
Still, I went into full professional mode and walked him through the technical details. What he wanted was a website where girls could livestream, and a VR experience that was up to us to design creatively.
We had several meetings and ran countless tests with the Insta360 Pro for 360 live streaming and software development. Adriaan even flew to the Netherlands to meet him in person. I ended up doing a prototype like this:
Though, to be fair, I can’t really call he was a client he never paid us, not even for the prototype we built. After months of ghosting, we eventually discovered he was involved in some corruption scandal that forced him to flee the country. If I’m not mistaken, it even made the local news.
The lesson here is simple: professionalism doesn’t mean ignoring red flags. You can be respectful, deliver your best work, and still protect yourself by setting boundaries and securing agreements upfront. Trust your instincts, when something feels off, it usually is.
The Stolen iPad
Yes there are more fuckup stories. This time was a episode me and Adriaan will never forget.
Meanwhile, in 2022, Adriaan moved to the south side of the river, which made it harder for us to work together in person. And Adriaan still had his ups and downs. Well this story is about another fuckup moment.
Another long day of work ended with me going to bed around 11 p.m. At 5 a.m., my phone rang, but I was too tired and kept sleeping. In the morning, I checked my phone and saw nearly ten voice messages and multiple missed calls from Adriaan. My first thought was: "Shit, something happened again."
I listened to all his audios. He had been punched in the face and robbed. Among the stolen items was company equipment, including an iPad Pro. That one hurt, because I had bought it specifically to test iOS apps for our client projects, and it wasn’t cheap.
Adriaan told me he was walking home with his backpack when someone in a white Porsche pulled over. They started chatting about how amazing the car was. As innocent as Adriaan could be, he had no idea the man he was talking to was likely a dangerous gypsy driving a stolen white Porsche (probably). Out of nowhere, the guy punched Adriaan and robbed him
What made it worse was that this wasn’t even the first time. In the past, I had gotten him an iPhone since his old one was completely broken. I thought it would motivate him and help with our work, but that too was stolen. 🤷🏻
The lesson here is that helping a partner doesn’t always mean fixing their problems or covering their losses. Support should come with boundaries, otherwise you end up draining your own resources without changing the situation.
But this story doesn't end here. For our hopes we could turn on Apple's Find my phone service, but weeks have passed and no sign of location. So we lost our hope.
But then I received an email:
Can you imagine? The iPad was almost 300km away from where it was stolen.
We filed a complaint with the police, and I immediately called to tell them the iPad was showing at a specific location. The officers went there and soon called me back: "Mister João, this place is a big gypsy camp. We can’t just walk in and ask everyone if they stole an iPad…"
I replied, "Can you at least check if there’s a white Porsche parked there?" A moment later the officer said, "Actually, yes. There is a white Porsche. We’ll wait and see if someone shows up."
Not long after, someone approached the car. The officer asked if he had an iPad, and to my surprise, the man was literally carrying it. The policeman snapped a photo and sent it to me. I confirmed right away: "Yes, that’s the iPad!"
Can you imagine this? What a luck. But as the iPad was in Porto they couldn't send it to Lisbon, so me and Adriaan had to drive 300 Km to get the iPad back.
End of story. Well kind of....
Adriaan became really afraid of the area where he was living. At that time, I had an office rented in Évora and was living in the city again, so I suggested he leave Lisbon and move to Évora as it was much safer. The real challenge was finding a place to stay. Everything was rented out, and even students were struggling to find rooms. Still, he couldn’t take it anymore, so he decided to move. I helped him pack and transport his things since I had a van, and drove all the way to Lisbon to give him a hand. Eventually, he did find a bedroom, but it was only available a few days later after he came.
Since I had no space in my house...he ended up sleeping at the office for a couple of nights and showering at my place 😂
Big Lessons
One of the hardest things I’ve learned in business is that not everyone will grow with you.
Sometimes, the company evolves, the challenges change, and the people around you remain the same. They don’t adapt, they don’t step up, and they don’t share the same sense of urgency.
It’s painful, because you want to help them. You want to carry them along. You remember the good moments and the loyalty, and you hope that maybe things will shift.
But leadership often means facing the uncomfortable truth: keeping someone who can’t grow with the mission does more harm than good.
The business suffers. The team suffers. And even that person suffers, because they’re trapped in a place where they can’t truly contribute.
Firing someone isn’t just about letting them go. It’s about protecting the vision, the momentum, and the responsibility you carry toward the bigger picture.
I’ve learned that compassion in leadership isn’t about avoiding tough decisions. It’s about making the right ones, even when it feels heavy.
And that ends this trilogy of stories. I hope you liked it 😊
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