Exponential Relationships: When Clients Become Collaborators and Dear Friends

Let me tell you a story about how a coaching client became a dear friend and collaborator.

I met Joakim for the first time about six and a half years ago through a shared friend. He was looking for a coach to help him navigate both the external and internal dimensions of his life, the being and the business.

I had just started sharing the first iterations of my work with Being Man, the first principles and approaches around it. Joakim said he loved it and felt very aligned with it. He asked what I charged for one-on-one work. I gave him my true price. He said, okay, sounds great, no problem.

That was the beginning.

Over the years I have supported Joakim through multiple terrains, including navigating being a highly successful manager in a global company, finding his own way, and eventually becoming an entrepreneur and starting his own company.

Before that, when Joakim was exploring the idea of starting something of his own, he asked me if I knew anyone who might be a good technical co-founder. An old colleague came to mind. I made the introduction. It planted a seed that took a few years to root, but Joakim and Daniel eventually became co-founders of Millentic together.

On the other side of this, Joakim has been one of the most consistent supporters of Being Man at every stage of its growth. Sending referrals, engaging with new ideas, giving honest input before things go live. He has been a genuinely valuable friend and collaborator in tuning my offerings to the right shape.

An example of that: three years ago, when I was creating what has since become the flagship Being Man group program, I told Joakim it would mean a lot to me to have him in the first cohort and offered him a generous discount for being the first to sign up.

His response really touched my heart.

He said: Sebastian, I would love to be in this program. But I want to pay full price. And I think everyone should pay full price. This is really valuable work.

He signed up as the first person at full price. That cohort then filled, everyone paying the same full price.

That one response, and that showing of trust and appreciation for my work, helped me stay in the right frequency, set the tone for everything that followed with Being Man, and gave me confidence.

What started as a coaching relationship has grown into a friendship and a collaboration that is still unfolding in its own spontaneous ways, without a particular agenda.

The photo above is from the 2025 Being Man retreat in Portugal.

One thing I find genuinely valuable about this relationship is that it is exponential in nature rather than transactional.

In transactional relationships, we give something and receive something of similar value in return. Fair and clear, but limited by definition. In exponential relationships, there is a generosity that moves in all directions without calculation. Whatever is put in with genuine care and alignment tends to multiply.

Joakim and I share such a relationship. And it is a gift.

We have also moved freely between roles over the years. Sometimes I am the coach, the guide, the advisor. Sometimes I am the one asking for input, a favor, or his perspective. Sometimes we are just friends. The relationship is wide enough to hold all of it.

As I'm writing this I'm having a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart. I know these kind of relationships are rare and worth tending to with care and appreciation.

Are there relationships in your life that are exponential in nature rather than transactional? If so, how are you nourishing them?

Wishing you a beautiful weekend.

All the best,

Sebastian