Why I Let Go of the "Ownership Dream"

There was a time I believed that to own meant to win. My first car, my first office, even my first espresso machine—it all felt like validation. Proof of growth. Proof of “having arrived.”

But growth, like truth, doesn’t live in possessions. It lives in the distance between who you were and who you’re becoming.

In 2021, I made a choice: no more buying for the illusion of permanence. No more clinging to tools, spaces, or stuff out of habit, pride, or fear. Instead, I embraced a principle that has since governed my personal life and reshaped the companies I serve: rent smarter, own less.

Let me take you inside the "why."

Ownership vs. Access: The Shift Beneath the Surface

Owning something creates a sense of control—but it also introduces sunk costs, rigidity, and hidden risks. You own the car, but you also own its depreciation. You own the software license, but you also own the maintenance burden. You own the office, but you’re now chained to the geography.

What if we stopped measuring maturity by accumulation and started measuring it by mobility?

Let me give you numbers:

• The average European SME spends 14–17% of its annual budget on underutilized assets—things owned but idle. Trucks parked. Desks unused. Tools outdated.
• In the Netherlands, the rise of shared ownership and subscription-based services has increased productivity per square meter by 22% in flexible workspaces since 2018.
• I personally reduced my fixed-cost base by 41% in two years, while increasing operational resilience. And no, I didn’t compromise on quality. I simply stopped holding things that held me back.

Renting Smarter Is Not a Weakness—It's a Skill

Renting doesn’t mean dependency. It means discernment.

It’s the same difference between trusting someone blindly and choosing to rely on them with a plan. Renting smartly is governance in motion—a live relationship between use, time, and value.

Here’s how I frame it for my clients:

• If an asset depreciates faster than your need for control increases, rent.
• If your strategic advantage depends on constant adaptation, don’t own a fixed infrastructure—own the logic, rent the tools.
• If you operate in cycles, rent in rhythms. Align tools to tempo.

The same applies to software, office spaces, vehicles, even high-end consultants.

What I Still Choose to Own (and Why)

Let me be clear: I’m not preaching minimalism. I’m preaching intentionality.

I still own my books. My Masonic regalia. A vintage turntable. And the art on my walls. Why? Because these don’t just serve utility—they serve meaning.

Ownership should be a value-bearing act—not a default. If I can’t say why I own something in under 10 words, I probably shouldn’t.

What This Means for Entrepreneurs

If you’re an SME founder or CEO, here’s my invitation:

1. Audit your ownership. What do you possess that no longer propels your mission?
2. Map your “locked-in” costs. These are the assets that reduce your flexibility and inflate your stress.
3. Develop a “rental strategy.” Not just to save money—but to stay structurally adaptive.

Let me share a story.

One of my clients—a brilliant engineering firm—used to own all its prototyping machinery. Every piece. Their logic? “It’s an investment.”

But when we looked at usage data, 68% of those machines sat unused 70% of the time.

After six months of transition to a “pay-per-use” model with a tech lab partner, their innovation cycle sped up, and their CapEx dropped by 45%.

That’s not just smarter—it’s freedom with numbers behind it.

The Real Asset Is Clarity

In Freemasonry, we learn to “square our actions” and “polish our stones.” Owning less is one way I polish mine.

It’s not about romanticizing emptiness. It’s about refusing to let clutter—financial, logistical, or emotional—dictate the shape of your business or your life.

Rent smarter. Not because it’s trendy. But because, like all good things in strategy and love, it gives you space to move, room to breathe, and power to choose.

And ultimately, that’s what we’re all trying to own, isn’t it?

AUTHOR : Paolo Maria Pavan

Co-Creator of Xtroverso | Head of Global GRC @ Zentriq

Paolo Maria Pavan is the structural mind behind Xtroverso, blending compliance acumen with entrepreneurial foresight. He observes markets not as a trader, but as a reader of patterns, tracking behaviors, risks, and distortions to guide ethical transformation. His work challenges conventions and reframes governance as a force for clarity, trust, and evolution.