“The only constant is change” – Heraclitus

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu

I was 13 when I first placed an order on Aliexpress in China.

Not long after that, I had clothes shipped over from China and sold them on Marktplaats in the Netherlands. That made me a nice penny at the time.

So you could say I was handy with computers. Through YouTube, I quickly learned how to set up websites with WordPress.

That turned out to be a valuable skill, because many local entrepreneurs were eager for a cheap website. Unfortunately, for them such a website only functions as a business card and the return is often disappointing.

A shame, because I get energy from achieving results.

So it was time for the next step.

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet” – Aristotle

An acquaintance of mine owned a restaurant.

I noticed that the restaurant was fully occupied every weekend, but was often half full during the week.

The fixed cost are almost the same during the week as on weekends. So if we can increase occupancy during the week, I’m sure there are profits to be made there.

When I was 17, I had quit all my side jobs to focus entirely on entrepreneurship. This made more money, was more fulfilling and offered more learning opportunities.

With the help of email marketing, a coupon system and ads on social media, I managed to significantly increase weekday occupancy.

After this success, other restaurants quickly wanted to take advantage of this concept. Not much later, I even hired three part-time freelancers to help me, as I was still studying Software Engineering full-time.

In 2020 came corona, which prohibited people from eating out and left restaurants without a dime to spend on marketing.

By cutting costs and accommodating customers in price, we managed to retain all customers. However, acquiring new customers was no longer possible.

How do you deal with that?

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters” – Epictetus

I realized that over the past few years I have learned an enormous amount about valuable models, frameworks and processes within marketing and business administration.

During this period, I started documenting all that knowledge because I was sure it would be useful later.

But, if I gained so much from it, why not others?

So, I quickly decided to publish some blogs.

Apparently, there were some smart things in there after all, because within 16 months there were already over 25,000 readers per month and 10,000+ downloads, ranging from local entrepreneurs to top executives in the largest multinational corporations.

I received weekly and sometimes even daily messages from people who had been greatly helped by the insights from the blog. Super cool!

More on this later….

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” – Seneca

When I completed my studies cum laude in July 2021, I already knew that I wanted to continue in marketing.

I thought it would be wise to gain experience first before taking the plunge right away.

The question was: what is the best possible employer?

After some research, I quickly came across Fingerspitz, one of the leading agencies in the Netherlands in terms of quality service.

After just two interviews, I was able to start working as a Digital Marketing Optimizer, working in the background to implement the growth strategy for clients.

After a flying start with four (inter)national awards and seven additional podium spots, I quickly grew from consultant to Head of Organic Growth.

In this role, I was responsible for the organic growth strategy (SEO, marketplaces, organic social media, etc.) for all of Fingerspitz’s clients.

After a year and a half of delivering webinars, podcasts, lectures, training sessions and ensuring client goals were met, it was time for the next step.

The ambition remained, because on Friday nights and Saturdays I could be found in school to complete my Master of Business Administration. I also set up and successfully sold a webshop during this time.

My new role is now Head of Business Innovation. In this, I am tasked with future-proofing Fingerspitz by increasing the value added for customers and maximizing the “Return on Fingerspitz. I ensure that we identify and solve fundamental customer growth problems faster and more accurately.

What will be the next step?

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts” – Aurelius

After countless personality tests and personal experiences, I know the principles that guide my decisions.

These are the patterns, principles and traits I recognize structurally in myself:

• • Eager to learn: I love information, whether it’s business administration, marketing or anything ending in “-gie. It doesn’t matter to me.
  • Inventive: I look at problems differently and find out-of-the-box solutions.
  • Results-oriented: Everything has a goal, and I work toward that goal in the smartest way possible.
  • Communication: Good content must be conveyed well. Good communication is essential.
  • Honest: I’m often too honest, oops.
  • Quality: Quality is the foundation of everything I do.
  • Validation: I always validate important assumptions before making major commitments.
  • Collaboration: Alone you go faster, but together you get further.
  • Systematic: I work systematically and think in algorithms or formulas. This helps to reason out complex issues logically and apply “reverse engineering.

How will this manifest itself?

“The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know” – Aristotle

Lifelong learning awaits us.

Every day I think I know a lot, but discover there is still so much to learn.

The mission remains the same, but the path to it may change.

Will you become part of the next chapter?

Let’s collaborate.

Do you want to continue to follow the journey?

Let’s connect on LinkedIn.