Spencer Tarring left Britain in 2009 because it was exciting.

It was new, and it was an opportunity of gain. He is a builder through and through: he sold his hosting company in a 23 million exit, spent years in the limelight as a DJ, lived in China for ten years, and has run companies across several jurisdictions. Today he splits his time between Bali and Dubai, is building a couple of resorts, and advises people on how to get out of Europe and the UK and set up their companies abroad. When I read his bio before we recorded, I was instantly hooked because I saw so many similarities to my own story.

But he told me the reason people leave has changed.

Back then, leaving was about the opportunity of gain. What he is building now with his consultancy, Commonwealth X, is for the other human driver, which is the fear of loss. He calls himself a very patriotic English guy, and he admitted he has had many sleepless nights asking himself whether he should go back and try to serve. His conclusion was that it would come at too great a personal expense.

He does not think it is salvageable anymore.

I know that feeling is better than I would like to.

I am German, I have been out of Germany for more than 20 years, and I deregistered just last year. When I lost my company during the pandemic and went through bankruptcy, I had to go back and spend a few months there, and it was so depressing. My mom still lives there, and my dad passed away in February this year, so I am going back to visit her. I am still emotionally invested in what is going on there, and every time I see it, it just makes me sad.

There is no reason to look back right now, but I still do.

For me, the answer is the aeroplane situation.

You have to get your own oxygen first before you can help others. Nobody stops being British or German by leaving, and you can still build something meaningful from a distance. One of the few good things the pandemic left behind is the increased mobility for guys like Spencer and me, and for younger guys who barely risk anything by relocating. The question just becomes what you are focusing on.

Get your oxygen first, then help from wherever you are.

No One's Got the Stomach to Save Europe | Spencer Tarring

Spencer sold his hosting company, left Britain in 2009, and now splits his life between Bali and Dubai. We talked about why people leave, what it costs, and why he thinks Europe is past the point of return.

Prefer audio? The podcast is on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Every founder I interview has a rock bottom story.

Entrepreneurship is super hard, and even harder than you thought. We builders take full responsibility for everything, including the screw-ups, and I talked with my shrink just a week ago about how that same mindset can make us too harsh with ourselves. I am still surprised how often I mess up things I thought would be easy. But those bad moments are the ones that taught us what we needed to know to get to the next level.

So be grateful for the bad stuff too, because it prepared you to become someone you might not have become.

I also told Spencer why I came back to podcasting.

Over the last six to eight months I went into monk mode, disconnected, and focused on building one company. Choosing to do something meaningful instead of chasing happiness comes with a cost, and the cost is that you are often isolated. Podcasting has become almost a therapy session for me, because I am genuinely curious how like minded people handle the same situations. In 2026, with AI shaking up every kind of business, building something physical and real, like Spencer's resorts, matters more than ever.

It is alone up there, so I keep talking to the people who have been there.

Spencer did not hold back on this one, and I want to know where you landed.

Or just hit reply and tell me. I read every answer.

Keep building. Not alone.
Roman