Youth
John Bestebroer was born in 1969 in a small village near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Despite his parents divorcing when he was young, John was raised in a warm family environment. Sport became important in his life from an early age. Not only did he participate in many sports, but he also frequently attended sports matches and events in the Netherlands. For example, as a young boy in 1979, John was present at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Zandvoort and witnessed the Australian Alan Jones winning. Since then, he has attended various Formula 1 races worldwide.
Entrepreneur
After a happy childhood and completing his military service, John started working in a warehouse. Due to his sales skills demonstrated there, he began looking for a job in sales. In 1991, he joined a real estate company. Following his experience and on the advice of notaries and financial bank directors, John Bestebroer started his own real estate agency in 1995.
In a short time, Bestebroer’s business approach proved very successful, leading to the expansion of companies and offices. Initially focused on selling homes, the business soon expanded into real estate investment. Buying, renting, and selling property began in the Rotterdam area but quickly extended beyond Rotterdam. After operations in the Netherlands and surrounding countries, real estate development spread to Europe and other continents.
By expanding his network and contacts, and through his new and impressive creative approach to real estate and finance, working 100+ hours per week became normal. Hiring and training skilled employees in a unique way led to high employee satisfaction, which further drove company expansion. Being available 24 hours a day for clients, managers, and business relations left little time for personal life.
Olympic Games
For that reason, John Bestebroer visited the Winter and Summer Olympic Games once every two years to recharge his "life battery." All his business relations and clients knew that trying to contact him during this period was useless. Without a tie, but wearing wooden shoes, wigs, and orange clothes to support his home country, he had a great time, fully present and enjoying unique sporting moments. John was also an Olympic collector, and his living room was filled with Olympic souvenirs. The Olympics became a part of his life, and in 2004 he was honoured as one of the torchbearers who carried the Olympic flame.
In 2005, John Bestebroer decided to sell all of his companies and real estate and planned to take a three-year sabbatical. At that time, John was 36 years old.
After a short period of months, John Bestebroer found out that doing nothing was really hard and he failed to maintain his three-year sabbatical. That was the moment he became involved in sitting volleyball. More information about what he did from 2006 to 2025 can be found on this website.
Family
John Bestebroer married his wife Silvia in 2017, and their daughter Emma was born in 2018. Since 2020, John has been living permanently in Melbourne-Australia.
