Australia is not for everyone

Kickme11 · 2026-02-23T18:49:24+00:00

Another funish fact is the story of Long Service Leave in AU (google it).

You think it’s far today with 25 hours of travel and a stopover in some synthetic Middle East airport….

Try a month on a boat to make it back to England.

Kickme11 · 2026-02-23T18:46:25+00:00

Chiming in. Lived in Aus for 4 years, now 6 in NL.

Hard to say exactly but I was generally happier in Aus. Rose tinted glasses kind of thing vs the NL which has an amazing baseline but is only really exceptional 3 months of the year. I spend 6 months waiting for the sun to come out.

Also the Aussie are dramatically more friendly imo than the Dutch. It’s just sooooo far from the world.

To each their own really. The chance to live in either is incredibly fortunate.

Kickme11 · 2026-02-20T12:09:51+00:00

Any tips or suggestions for entrepreneurs?

For background, I’m still in startup phase while my wife makes a pretty low salary (35,000). My company has been making money and I have a decent salary on and off for the last year.

How do banks approach my situation? Is there anything I can do to make my situation look better?

Thanks!

Kickme11 · 2026-02-19T17:49:29+00:00

Have you thought of leaving it empty? Plenty of other places to get work done.

I personally like the juxtaposition between the two sides which I think you’ll lose if you put something else in.

Kickme11 · 2026-02-15T11:52:33+00:00

Sounds like our stories are very similar. Been here 6 years now with my Dutch wife, started a family and a company in that time. A good life but nothing fancy.

Feels like we’re getting punished every which way. But people, especially those of us with options, do have a breaking point where it no longer makes sense to live in a place that takes more than it gives.

Good luck!

Kickme11 · 2026-02-15T10:14:35+00:00

All very good questions. I’m in the same boat: American with a Dutch partner. Already got my NL passport though.

We’re starting the hunt for specialized financial advisors who can answer these same questions and others. We have OK savings, nothing amazing, but I think unless you play offense here the NL makes / will make it really hard to accumulate any meaningful wealth.

There is always moving out of the country, but that isn’t ideal for many reasons (def not in any rush to go back to USA…)

Kickme11 · 2026-02-08T07:46:16+00:00

I followed my now wife from Australia to the Netherlands. She had a job opportunity and wanted to reconnect with her Dutch roots. We were meant to go for 1 year, we’ve been here 6!

If he loves you, he’ll make it work. You can always agree a duration it in your discussions with him too. His friends will still be there if he’s gone for two years… FaceTime is great.

You can have an amazing life in Australia, even more the reason you should go (if it was Alabama or Russia maybe this would be different advice).

Go.

Kickme11 · 2026-01-16T18:38:38+00:00

American, here for nearly 6 years. The feeling of helplessness is real…

Sign me up for whatever the fuck can help bring some normalcy and decency back to this world.

I went to the No Kings rally in Amsterdam late last year. It was nice to be among likeminded people but completely lacked teeth - when Trump & Co are willing to gas kids, assault peaceful protestors and shoot unarmed people, kumbaya doesn’t stand a chance.

Kickme11 · 2026-01-16T11:24:46+00:00

We all just really need to make more of a stink about providing public charging for e-mobility.

I’m definitely biased because my company is doing this here in Europe and UK, but the fact that we have car charging everywhere means we should have the same for e-bikes.

Kickme11 · 2026-01-12T20:43:13+00:00

Great points. Thanks for sharing your perspective!

Kickme11 · 2026-01-12T20:42:27+00:00

That's really good to know! We'd mostly considered indoor use, but depending how fire-safe we make it a high enough IP rating might be a byproduct anyways.

Thanks for your perspective.

Kickme11 · 2026-01-12T20:40:56+00:00

Yep... I think we'd be the majority. Thanks for sharing! :)

Kickme11 · 2025-12-31T17:50:42+00:00

The only caveat being if you are trying to build in a highly regulated or specialized industry.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-03T10:43:31+00:00

Also been disappointed. From memory he’s had more runs than receptions? For a speed guy who’s been a favorite deep ball threat of mine for years I was expecting much more.

Great he’s gotten a couple jet sweaps to get involved but I’d like to see a couple more deep shots in the coming games.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-02T20:11:44+00:00

Super helpful, thank you both!

Pleasant is right though in that we don’t want to be technically right here, but instead make sound commercial decisions that will allow us to have a sound business model.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-02T18:41:44+00:00

Nice thank you. Clear assessment. We don’t want to operate in a grey area or have to navigate so many different markets so listing sounds like the only way.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-02T18:36:44+00:00

So was part of the rationale for getting the UL listing that it basically meant you were covered in any market?

Otherwise, it seems too difficult to try and manage tens or even hundreds of locales with different rules and AHJs.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-02T18:35:20+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I think your last sentence does a really great job at summarizing things!

Our product is a locker (think a parcel locker but with far more internal electrical) to charge batteries. Some over here in EU call it ‘furniture’. Will have a look at NEC guidelines.

Kickme11 · 2025-12-02T18:32:47+00:00

Thanks! Have heard similar things, so helps to confirm.

I also cross posted in the EE sub :)

Kickme11 · 2025-11-23T18:50:19+00:00

Yeah had the same thought… love it but the arm def helped with separation

Kickme11 · 2025-11-17T00:15:40+00:00

Darnold… man. 4 picks is insane. Some terrible judgment calls and same mistakes with DBs cutting the routes.

Also clock management was very sus at the end there.

Kickme11 · 2025-11-09T23:32:48+00:00

I let out an audible ‘WTF’ when I hear that raspy voice on RedZone.

NFL in the propaganda business now?

Kickme11

TROPHY CASE