Not a coach. Not a consultant. Someone to think with.
I work with founders and CEOs who carry their biggest decisions alone. Thirty years of building companies, one bankruptcy protection, and a lot of lessons. Based on the Costa del Sol, working with leaders across Europe.
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What a sparring partner actually does
I am not smarter than you, and I do not know your business better than you do.
I am curious about you, about what keeps you up at night, and about how we can find good answers together.
I can put myself in your position, and I can usually show you an angle you have not looked from yet. That is where new thoughts, solutions and options come from.
Request a discovery callThe one habit the most successful people share
Psychologist Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, has studied top performers for decades. In her essay in The New York Times she puts it plainly: every successful person she has ever studied, without exception, names a whole line of supporters behind their success.
Their shared habit is not struggling alone. It is asking for help in time.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of performance.
“His unique perspective complements mine well, supporting my growth as a leader and strengthening my confidence in decision-making.”
JÚLIA DALMADI (TransFoodMission)
“A partner who thinks out of the box. He lifts you up, motivates you and brings out 150% of what is in every person.”
NORBERT MADAR (PwC)
“I recommend Zoli to every CEO and business owner. After his inspiring conversations, a sparring partner walks away with weeks of ammunition.”
LÁSZLÓ SZABÓ (Growww Digital)
Where you may have seen me
A sparring partner is a companion who
Sets shared goals
Follows the same goals as the company or the project, so the relationship exists for the sake of shared success.
Gives objective feedback
Helps individuals and teams see where their strengths and weaknesses are, and which areas they need to develop.
Brings in new perspectives
Often raises opposing viewpoints or alternative approaches, which stimulates thinking and the search for solutions.
Offers support
Just like a sparring partner in sport, a sparring partner in business supports and helps you grow, even when he is critical at times.
Brings experience and expertise
Has relevant knowledge and experience related to the industry or the function.
Creates a safe environment
Lets individuals and teams try out new ideas, approaches or strategies without fear of making mistakes or failing.
“Even if you could do all the work yourself, you need colleagues to brainstorm with, to talk you out of stupid decisions, and to cheer you up when things go wrong.”
Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator. This is why the world’s most successful startup accelerator favours co-founders over solo founders.
Which of these sounds most like you?
- My career has stalled and I cannot see the next step. I want to stand out, to move forward, to be visible.
- The market is changing too fast and I want to keep up. I want to see the core values I should focus on, and what I should learn so I stop feeling that I am falling behind.
- I cannot see who I could hand over what I have built. I would like to do something else, or retire, without losing what I have worked for.
- I have to do everything myself. If I do not check something, it will not be done well. I need colleagues who push me forward, not hold me back.
- Things are going well and I want to stabilise that. Keep the momentum and grow sustainably, in a way that does not burn out my colleagues or me.
- I work enormously hard and I cannot see the end of it. I want to work efficiently, within boundaries, so I can do what matters most: be with the people I love, grow, live.
- I want to do something different, but I do not know how. I am burnt out and tired of what I do. I want to reinvent myself and find my way back to who I am.
- This is my first serious company and I need a reliable, experienced partner. I do not want to lose my way, at work or in my private life.
- My company is not growing; we need a transformation. If we keep giving the usual answers to the usual problems, we will not move in a good direction.
Whichever one you recognise yourself in, they share one thing: psychologists call it the illusion of self-sufficiency, our tendency to forget how much we owe to others. In the leader’s chair, this illusion is the most expensive one.
How we work
Understanding where you are
We map your current situation, your challenges and how your company actually operates, so we understand precisely where you need support and what drives you.
Setting goals
We define the concrete, measurable goals that will move your business and your personal effectiveness as a leader forward.
Action plan
We build a tailored, practical action plan you can apply immediately, with concrete steps, owners and deadlines, so you and your team have a clear direction.
Thirty years of building, failing and rebuilding
I started at eleven, making posters for the first grocery shops that opened in my village in Slovakia after the fall of communism. Everything since has been some version of the same thing: building something where there was nothing.
1996 Political editor at Új Szó, the Hungarian-language daily in Slovakia, at 18
1999 Co-founder of Index.hu, which became Hungary’s leading news portal
2000 Deputy director of content development at Westel900 (today T-Mobile Hungary), leading a team of 45 at 22
2004 First managing director of A38, the concert ship on the Danube in Budapest
2005 Regional online advisor to Ringier AG across Central Europe
2010 Co-founder of Bónusz Brigád, which grew into one of Hungary’s five largest online retailers
2017 Co-founder of Dokio, a healthtech venture built inside Creative Dock Hungary
2017 Co-founder and strategic sparring partner at Ipsilon Group, a venture builder
2025 Moved to the Costa del Sol. Today I work with leaders in person in Marbella and online across Europe
I have led teams in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, worked inside a multinational and run a one-person company. I know both ends.
The part most bios leave out
In 2020 the company I co-founded filed for bankruptcy protection. We reached an agreement with our creditors and the company survived. I learned more in those eighteen months than in the previous twenty years, and I would not wish it on anyone.
When a founder sits across from me in a hard moment, I do not have to imagine what it feels like.
Discovery call
Leave your details and we will set up a free 30-minute online discovery call to see how we could work together.
Pricing
After the free discovery call, you decide how many hours you buy and how often we meet. We work together for at least two hours per session. The smallest package is 4 hours, the largest is 12. I recommend meeting weekly, but you set the pace.
4 HOURS
1 500 €
+ VAT
8 HOURS
2 900 €
+ VAT
12 HOURS
4 300 €
+ VAT
“An original, big-picture thinker who is at the same time astonishingly attentive, caring and deeply human. I like who I am around him; working with him is motivated and full of energy.”
ÁRON LEVENDEL (Kaptár)
“His deep understanding and sense of the essential are such that with one well-aimed question he can set a process straight, help you through a hard period and move you into the next phase.”
STEVE RUSZINA (Organisational developer)
“His exceptional abilities and experience make him extremely credible, so I especially recommend him to every leader who is open to a deep, value-creating dialogue.”
IVÁN RÉDEY (E-commerce expert)
A sparring partner is not a coach, and not a mentor
All three focus on supporting and developing the individual, but the method and the approach are fundamentally different.
A coach supports personal and professional growth by discovering and using your inner resources, and by helping you set and reach goals. A coach does not necessarily give direct advice; rather, they ask questions that encourage you to find the answers yourself. Coaching relies heavily on inner motivation and self-knowledge.
Like a coach, a mentor also supports personal and professional development, but alongside the questions, a mentor shares their own experience, knowledge and, ideally, wisdom. A mentor is usually someone who has already walked the road you are on, so their advice carries real credibility.
The term sparring partner comes from combat sports. In boxing, sparring is a form of practice where two fighters train together without a full competitive bout. In this context, the sparring partner is the one who helps the individual or the team prepare, improve and sharpen their skills for real challenges and real situations.
And it is no accident that it works this way at the very top. Nicolai Tangen, CEO of the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, speaks openly about needing someone who tells him when he is wrong. As he asks: “Would it be embarrassing to admit that you need help?”
Request a discovery call
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Get in touch.
- [email protected]
- +36 70 430 1202
