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Episode artwork for Family Over Scale: Saban Demirbasa on Escaping Tech Burnout and Unlocking Real Wealth

November 13, 2026 · 43 min · Episode 794

Family Over Scale: Saban Demirbasa on Escaping Tech Burnout and Unlocking Real Wealth

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About this episode

Anika sat down with Saban Demirbaşa—inventor of the Bluetooth proximity device Imigo and owner of the acclaimed Stone Court House—to explore a story defined by incredible twists, early innovation, and profound personal reinvention. Saban shared the remarkable journey of inventing tracking technology a decade before Apple's AirTag, walking away from tech industry burnout after a health scare, and transforming a 700-year-old derelict building on Historic England's at-risk register into one of Maidstone's top-rated boutique hotels and wedding venues.

In This Episode

  • The creation and patenting of Imigo in the early 2000s and presenting to Apple a decade before the AirTag launch
  • Why early market timing can lead to missed opportunities and losing patents
  • The pivotal health warning and family moment that triggered Saban's departure from tech industry burnout
  • Taking on a neglected 15,000-square-foot, 700-year-old historic property in Kent during the challenges of COVID-19
  • The meticulous, hands-on restoration process involving traditional craftsmanship, medieval architecture, and historic conservation
  • Embracing simplicity, family priority, and everyday presence over the relentless chase for billion-dollar status
  • The power of brutal honesty and authenticity, showcased through a viral appearance on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed
  • Adapting an incredible personal journey into an upcoming memoir and feature film

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Your Brand Amplified with host Anika Jackson and guest Saban Demirbaşa
  • 01:19 The extraordinary trajectory: inventing Bluetooth proximity tags years before Apple, walking away, and restoring a 700-year-old historic landmark
  • 02:01 Stepping into Stone Court House: uncovering medieval history, neglected architecture, and a structure on the at-risk register
  • 03:26 The decision to return home, embrace simplicity, and water your own grass instead of chasing foreign utopias
  • 05:53 Overcoming squatters, police raids, and development threats to save a 700-year-old architectural treasure
  • 08:39 Navigating historic preservation laws, specialized craftsmen, and managing a massive restoration project through the COVID-19 pandemic
  • 11:27 From fitness entrepreneurship to inventing Imigo: solving the problem of losing mobile phones and data security in the early 2000s
  • 17:03 Meeting with Apple in 2010, the board's decision, and the technological foresight of tracking valuables and loved ones
  • 19:27 Hitting a health wall, experiencing severe burnout, and facing the high stakes of 20-hour workdays
  • 20:45 The life-changing moment of choosing family over business: resigning on the day his daughter was born
  • 22:38 The mindset of a risk-taker and looking at industries from fresh, unblinkered perspectives
  • 24:37 Steve Jobs' poignant final regrets and redefining personal wealth through experiences, family, and presence
  • 28:50 Marketing a historic property: transitioning Stone Court House into a top-rated boutique hotel and TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice winner
  • 32:19 Perspectives on AI: utilizing technology as a business sounding board while keeping authentic human creation front and center
  • 34:53 Appearing on Channel 4's Four in a Bed, practicing brutal honesty, and turning a viral television moment into a memoir and film
  • 38:33 Advice for entrepreneurs facing setbacks: hitting rock bottom, stepping back, and realizing when to change course
  • 39:42 Finding hope for the future: valuing human connection, mental health, and shared experiences in an AI-driven world

Key Insights & Takeaways

Insight 1: Being Too Early Can Be Just as Challenging as Being Wrong 

Inventing a groundbreaking product years before the market or major tech giants are ready creates immense hurdles. Saban patented Bluetooth proximity tracking with Imigo in the early 2000s, proving that visionary ideas require not just technical capability, but precise timing, massive capital alignment, and market readiness.

Insight 2: True Wealth Is Found in Presence, Not Pursuit 

After experiencing severe burnout and health warnings running global tech operations, Saban walked away at the exact moment his daughter was born. Echoing Steve Jobs' final reflections, he realized that chasing power or billions pales in comparison to time spent with family and experiencing the simple beauty of everyday life.

Insight 3: Historic Preservation Requires Madness and Deep Love 

Taking on a 15,000-square-foot medieval building on the at-risk register is not a financial calculation—it is a labor of love. Rescuing architectural heritage demands immense patience, collaboration with specialized conservationists, and an appreciation for traditional craftsmanship over modern shortcuts.

Insight 4: Authenticity and Honesty Build Unstoppable Brand Trust 

Whether refusing to compromise on television reality shows like Four in a Bed or sharing the raw, unfiltered reality of restoring a historic property, raw human authenticity cuts through digital noise. Consumers and guests connect deeply with real human stories rather than sterile corporate polish.

Insight 5: Setbacks Are Redirection Points for Personal Reinvention 

When a high-stakes business chapter closes—whether through lost patents or burnout—entrepreneurs have a choice. Saban's journey proves that true resilience lies in the ability to redesign your life, embrace radical simplicity, and channel your drive into entirely new, meaningful creative ventures.

Resources & Links Mentioned

About Saban Demirbaşa

Saban Demirbaşa is an innovative entrepreneur, tech pioneer, and historic preservationist best known as the creator of the early 2000s Bluetooth proximity tracking device Imigo. After stepping away from the tech sector, Saban and his wife Belinda undertook the monumental task of restoring Stone Court House—a 700-year-old property in Kent, England, on Historic England's at-risk register. Today, Saban runs Stone Court House as a top-rated boutique hotel and wedding venue, while documenting his extraordinary life story into an upcoming memoir and feature film.

Connect with Saban Demirbaşa

YBA was named the top PR podcast in the US by FeedSpot! Feedspot is an RSS Reader that lets you follow your favorite podcasts alongside blogs and news in one place.

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Article

Saban Demirbaşa on Inventing Bluetooth Tracking Before AirTag, Leaving Tech Burnout and Restoring Stone Court House

Saban Demirbaşa invented Imigo, a Bluetooth proximity tracking device, in the early 2000s and met with Apple about it in 2010, roughly a decade before the AirTag launched. Today he and his wife Belinda run Stone Court House, a 700-year-old building in Maidstone, Kent, that they rescued from Historic England's at-risk register and turned into a top-rated boutique hotel and wedding venue. In this episode of Your Brand Amplified, he talks with Anika Jackson about being too early to market, choosing family over scale, and what restoring a medieval building teaches about patience.

What was Imigo?

Imigo was a Bluetooth proximity device designed to stop people losing their mobile phones and the data on them. Saban Demirbaşa came to it from fitness entrepreneurship, saw the problem early and patented the technology. In 2010 he presented to Apple. The board did not take it forward, and he later lost the patents.

His lesson is about timing. Being early can be as hard as being wrong. A good idea also needs the market to be ready, enough capital and the right partners at the right moment.

Why did Saban Demirbaşa leave the tech industry?

Because the work was costing him his health and his family time. Running global tech operations meant 20-hour workdays, and he hit a wall with severe burnout and a health warning. He resigned on the day his daughter was born.

He references Steve Jobs's reported final reflections on what mattered at the end of his life. For Saban Demirbaşa, wealth now means presence: time with family, shared experiences and ordinary days, not the pursuit of a billion-dollar outcome. He also talks about the decision to return home and, as he puts it, water your own grass rather than chase a utopia somewhere else.

How do you restore a 700-year-old building?

Slowly, with specialists, and for reasons that are not purely financial. Stone Court House is a 15,000-square-foot medieval property that had been neglected and was on Historic England's at-risk register. Before restoration could begin, the Demirbaşas dealt with squatters, police raids and threats of redevelopment. They then took on the project through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The work meant navigating historic preservation law and hiring craftsmen skilled in traditional methods and medieval architecture. Saban Demirbaşa calls it a labor of love that takes a certain madness, and says it is not a project you take on because the numbers work.

How did Stone Court House build a reputation as a hotel?

Through honesty and a real story. The property is now a top-rated boutique hotel and wedding venue and a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winner. Saban Demirbaşa appeared on Channel 4's Four in a Bed, where his blunt honesty drew attention, and he credits that kind of authenticity for building trust with guests. People connect with the unpolished reality of restoring a historic building more than with corporate gloss. He is now turning his story into a memoir and a feature film.

On AI, he uses it as a sounding board for business decisions but keeps the creative work human.

Key takeaways

  • A product can fail on timing even when the technology is right.
  • Burnout is a signal to redesign your life, not just to rest.
  • Measure wealth by presence and time with family, not only by scale.
  • Historic restoration needs patience, specialist craftsmen and a tolerance for setbacks.
  • Honest, unfiltered storytelling builds trust with customers.
  • Use AI as a sounding board, and keep the creative work human.

Follow Stone Court House on Instagram and Facebook, and Belinda Demirbaşa on TikTok.

Listen to Anika Jackson's full conversation with Saban Demirbaşa on Your Brand Amplified.

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