Marcel van Marrewijk's Blog, page 131

Why Students Should Get Entrepreneurial Experience in the University Years Itself?

Putting your entrepreneurial skills to test while in college may not be a bad idea. Mark Zuckerberg has shown us the way and he continues to inspire others out there. Many of these young student entrepreneurs have tasted success with their unique ventures. The road to success is arguably never going to be easy. Most students depend on a paltry student loan to take them through college or they have to find some student specific part time jobs. With this as the only capital, it is hard to actually launch a full-fledged business. But reports suggest that starting your own business in college may actually be a wise decision.

This video describes how to start business in your university.

1))Learn from Mistakes:

The best reason to start in college is that you can start over even if you fail. Failure in the early stages can actually help you learn from your mistakes. When you taste success too early, you tend to become complacent. You are not driven to challenge yourself because you are easily satisfied. College gives you the best opportunity to give your dreams the wings it needs to fly. So, even if things do not work out in your favor, you will not have regrets later. You can always benefit from the experiences you have gained.

2))Risk-Free Trials:

Another solid reason to try your entrepreneurial skills in college is the security factor. When you are a student, you are not likely to have liabilities. You do not have to worry about mortgages. You can afford to take risks that are not possible once if you have a family. With a family to support, you will need to contemplate every decision. You have to be prepared to deal with the consequences and make contingency planning. The real world is full of hardships and you will not get the chance to gamble with your career.

3))Support from Organizations:

For students, planning a start-up in college becomes possible because of supports from various organizations. You will find university campuses offering many exciting prospects to business enthusiasts. Students gain invaluable experiences through training and support initiatives. They benefit from excellent networking opportunities. Resources are abundant as is support from peers. Even if you may not know many students, you will be surprised to find them rallying behind you. The best part is you can count on support, advice and expertise from your teachers. They are experts in their fields and will offer free consultation any time.

4))Locating the Gap:

When you have many prospective buyers around, you can launch your start-up easily. You can count on support from friends and teachers. It is easy to find the gap in market to start your business. This is possible as you have the time to conduct a thorough market research before you take the plunge. Market research in college is easy as you have enough time and resources for it. Without this groundwork, you may not find an audience for your products and end up with huge losses.

5))Testing the Waters:

Most students seek cushy jobs right after graduating. But not all end up liking these and some start to crave for challenges of business. They may have had dreams of their own but are hesitant to experiment. They are forced to opt for white-collar jobs because of security attached to these. College gives these enthusiasts the perfect opportunity to test the waters. They can experience the challenges and ordeals of setting up a business before ultimately venturing out.

6))Social Media Supports:

Colleges are the best places to float business ideas. This is because your friends are likely to spread the idea if they find it appealing. Most college students use social media websites and these can give your ideas a huge audience. The ripple effect will be felt soon and you will be surprised at the support you have garnered. The more the audience you reach out to, the higher are your chances of succeeding. You can also use this time to go full throttle into the business without worrying about fallouts.

7))Breaking the Stereotype: The new generation of college-goers has come to be identified as being inherently lazy and social-media fanatics. So, when a college student does something out of the ordinary; he automatically catches everyone’s attention. Being surrounded by inactive peers often turns out to be an advantage. The press is likely to notice your achievements faster. So, the younger you are as an entrepreneur, the faster you rise to fame.

8))Educating Students about Benefits of Self-Employment:

Many students keen for start-ups feel that the support from universities could be slightly more encouraging. While this may be true to an extent, the situation is undergoing a change now. Earlier colleges would focus only on employability but today many colleges are actively backing young entrepreneurs. Colleges are also realizing the need to motivate undecided students by highlighting the perks of self-employment. Students can only take informed decisions if they are taught about the value of entrepreneurial skills.

9))Getting Support from Universities:

In testing their skills, teachers and universities should offer them the advice and space they need. The University of Leeds has actively promoted entrepreneurial activities by supporting their students. It has even arranged for living allowance and office accommodation for business enthusiasts. Likewise, University College London has a center for entrepreneurship dedicated to encouraging students keen to start their own business. It offers mentoring, sponsorship and consultancy for such students.

10))Introducing New Modules in Business Studies:

Earlier, there were many modules in business courses that had no real world relevance. Now, universities are introducing modules where students get a chance to work in factories. This lets them get hands-on training to learn nuances of mass production. Even in curriculum these days, they try to include case studies based on entpreneurship to make it a common buzz word among students. Besides business courses, you can benefit from many other initiatives like the UK Charity Young Enterprise. This has as many as 29 colleges in its start-up programme. Using this initiative, you can launch your own business for a full year under the mentoring of experts.

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Fitmanager lifts off in Meet Berlage

Today we had a proud moment at meetberlage. One of our youngest startup residents Fitmanager announced they launched an investment round though angel funding platform Leapfunder. Which basically means these guys are ready to take their game to the next level. 

Checking in at Neude

If you downloaded the Serendipity Machine app you might have notice that beyond being able to check in and getting connected in S2M locations, you can also check in in public spaces. Spots where people gather and are open to everyone are the perfect place for Serendipity to happen! I am talking about Neude, in Utrecht, the Dam Square in Amsterdam or Central Park in New York.

The Serendipity possibilities in those places are infinite, and we want to make them more than possibilities, but a reality. Also we want to connect those places to other places that want to be part of the ecosystem, as coffee shops, bars, restaurants, coworking or even offices. After all we are not enclosed in cages anymore and don’t need to be from 5 to 9 in only one place. It’s all about remote work and getting connected!

Want an example? Well, I start the day working at the S2M international office, which shares its space with other companies as Masterpiece and de Broekriem. During the morning I am working on Social Media and get matched with the people inside the office that are working with that as well and we can exchange valuable insights. After all you never know it all about social media.

On lunch, since the sun is out, I go out and check in in Neude, where I can also check in and who know who I can meet – that why it’s called Serendipity – it’s unexpected! And then why not finish the day at Social Impact Factory meeting people that know all about inspiring and creating impact? Then it’s time to go home, where, for now, I check out.

That’s not everyday, yesterday was different and tomorrow I don’t know. But isn’t that the beauty of the new way of working? You can also check in in Piazzas in Italy, in colonial squares in Cuba, in Markets in Boston and more. Download the Serendipity Machine app on google play and tell us your experience!

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Korte workshop Zentennis

Vrijdag 24 maart

Verzamelen: 13.50 h bij de schommelbank

Start: 14.00 h

Eind: 14.20 h

Plezier en ontspanning, dat is wat je ervaart bij de korte workshop Zentennis, verzorgd door Bé van der Pas! Je laat je laptop even voor wat ie is. Met een tennisracket in je hand en je blik gericht op de bal ben je 20 minuten fysiek bezig in een zaal van S2M.

Tijdens de workshop leer je je aandacht te richten op je racket, de bal en je lichaam. Daardoor ben je als vanzelf in het hier en nu. Het kritische stemmetje in je hoofd, dat je normaal gesproken vertelt hoe je de bal moet slaan, krijgt geen kans meer.

 Lijkt het je leuk om mee te doen? En heb je zin in wat beweging komende vrijdag?  Kom dan naar de workshop, ook als je nog nooit getennist hebt. Bij Zentennis leer je moeiteloos tennissen in een flow!

Meer info? beatrijsvanderpas@gmail.com

 

 

 

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Working on an old ship

Seats4Silence (S4S) is Seats2Meet´s little brother. It is a network of workingspots on the countryside. Each of the 26 locations has its own characteristics. Common to them is the personal atmosphere. Working there feels “as if visiting a friend” we can read on the website. Some places are more suitable for coaching sessions and writing, while others are perfectly suited for workshops and meetings.

At a S4S strategic meeting I got the idea to visit all the S4S locations and to write about it. In this article I describe how I experienced working on an old ship, the ship ms Jeanette in Wijk bij Duurstede.

Working on an old ship

Address: Inundatiekanaal 3, Wijk bij Duurstede

The last part of the journey is kind of adventurous. After driving through narrow alleys my car climbs up the Lekdike and I immediately catch a glimpse of my today’s destination: the beautiful medieval city of Wijk bij Duurstede. Carefully navigating through all narrow curves I arrive at my destination a little later and park my car at the harbour. What a beautiful view! Okay, so where is the ship? Ah, just across the water the name Jeanette catches my eye. Almost there… Working on an old ship on a beautiful day in spring! A feeling of pure luxury fills my chest.

The sun is shining, it’s almost windless, the sky is blue. One of the first days of spring. I walk up to the ship. The entrance is in the middle of the floodplains. What a beautiful and special garden tot the ship! The green of the grass is quite of a contrast with the still leafless trees at the horizon. Here, no buildings are spoiling my view, nor cars disturbing the quietness. Here, there is only extensiveness, the perfect place for reveries. The river makes me feel connected and alive. I turn my eyes to my workingspot for today. In front of me I see some chicken searching for their breakfast. I open the gate and cross the small gangway to the ship.

Terrace and deckhouse

Skipper Henk Muis welcomes me. In front of the ship there is a floating terrace. Working there is for free. Very tempting, I assume, once the temperature passes the 20 degrees C. For working in the deckhouse you need to pay a small amount of money. It is also for rent for longer periods. A perfect spot for writing in residence, it crosses my mind.

Henk apologizes for the lumber. He is rebuilding part of the ship for his planned journey through France. “There, the bridges are only 3,5 metres high so we had to cut the pilothouse’s roof short.” Anyhow, inside the deckhouse everything feels cosy and fresh.

Every inch

When getting a tour about the ship it strikes me that every inch has carefully been made use of. The old cargo space has been turned into Henk’s living room, kitchen, library, office and workplace stuffed with wood and tools. In the front of the ship, under the deck, there is very small room with the appropriate name “kluizenaarscel” (hermit’s room) with a bed, a small writing table and a modern bathroom with douche and toilet.

To be honest, I am not too fond of toilets on ships. Whereever possible I try to avoid them. But here on the Jeanette, luckily, there is no need for that.

Daffodils and trees

The terrace with the daffodils on the table already makes me feel like spring. Some trees grow out of the terrace. “The wind brought them here”, Henk tells me with a smile. In summer, it will be lovely sitting here in the shadow of the trees. And by the way, the chicken I saw earlier on also sleep in these trees.

Funnily enough working here means enjoying being outside and still being able to do whatever you like. Of course, there is wifi… very important! Coffee, tea, and a small kitchen, what else would you need? When staying overnight, there is a bed for 1 or 2, or even 3 people (if 2 of them are deeply in love ;-))

Henk has furnished the deckhouse with care. The ship dates from the 1920s and was modernised in the 1950s which is mirrored in the furniture. The door to the bathroom is decorated with stained glass, very pretty. Everything here breathes another epoch. Only the new wooden ceiling and the modern bathroom tell that the room recently has been modernised.

Dancing on the water

I feel the ship gently moving up and down. Actually, it is the trees outside that make me realise that the ship dances on the water. Also the sweet little lamps above the writingdesk seem to dance. It is pleasantly quiet. I hear the birds singing about spring. The only noise in here comes out of my laptop.

The willows in front of the windows start to sprout. Once they will be all green, working here will be even more pleasant. On the other side of the ship, I side the ancient skyline of Wijk bij Duurstede: a row of houses on the spot where houses have been built for centuries.

Working here is wonderful. Literally nothing distracts me except for distractions I actively choose. Working here means that you are free to stroll about the floodplains. Be sure that means boosting your creativity.

Here, everything is still okay, it crosses my mind. For a short while I feel like being in paradise, far away from all current political disasters around the world. If you need to clear your head, this spot will work perfect for you.

Unfortunately, Henk and his ship Jeanette will be leaving for France on April 5th. However, until April 4th and from the end of October onwards you are most welcome to work here. Wanna give it a try? You can book here on S4S.

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Tired of new business generation? Join our tour!

If you dread Un-predictable income, are tired of (cold) calling/ emailing/ coffee drinking and pushing for new business, join the tour. With TEAMDRIVER a Teamily product we enable knowledge workers to scale their proposition over the hourly business model. So if you want:

predictability in income
scalability in revenue (grow over the capped limit of 8 hours a day)
do less acquisition and more retention of customers. I warmly welcome you to signup (yup it’s free) more information, location and dates, the agenda etc can all be found here: https://www.teamily.com/teamdriver-tour-s2m/ 

Learn how our partner Jacques Brinkman is scaling his consultancy operation and how Jacques leverages the Teamdriver software to tighten the relation with his existing customers.

We will be touring 2 Seats 2 Meet locations (for now) those are Utrecht and Eindhoven. You are more then welcome to join us in one of the other venue’s for example at Rockstart or B Amsterdam or perhaps even in Enschede.

Look forward to meet you! Matthijs Draijer Co founder Teamily

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De Sociale Troonrede

Article by Hylke van der Wal

Het aantal sociale ondernemingen groeit ongelofelijk hard in Nederland. Steeds meer mensen starten een onderneming niet vanuit een financiële motivatie, maar vanuit de motivatie om ‘iets goeds te doen voor de wereld’. Dat daar geld mee verdiend mag worden, staat niet ter discussie. De schoorsteen moet immers blijven roken! Een duurzame onderneming draait nou eenmaal omzet.

Als we het hebben over het begrip ‘sociaal ondernemen’, dan blijkt er echter nog veel onduidelijkheid te bestaan. Er is geen goede definitie van het begrip en het is ook nog eens onbekend bij het grote publiek. Zonde, want door dit gemis aan bewustzijn kunnen bijzondere bedrijven niet de maximale maatschappelijke impact maken.

“Sociaal ondernemen is hot, maar daardoor is het begrip verwarrend. De markt wordt hier niet overzichtelijker van. Zowel opdrachtgevers als sociale ondernemers zijn daardoor meer geneigd om te concurreren dan samenwerken, terwijl samenwerken nodig is om je positie te versterken.” – Deelnemer Sociale Troonrede

Daarom presenteren wij op 21 maart de Sociale Troonrede. Een alternatief voor de reguliere Troonrede waarbij niet de overheid aan het woord komt, maar juist de sociaal ondernemers. Een alternatieve Troonrede waarmee we laten zien hoe sociaal ondernemers dag in dag uit de wereld een stukje mooier maken. Dat laten we zien aan de hand van vier verschillende thema’s waar sociaal ondernemers aan werken.

Deze thema’s hebben we niet zelf bedacht. Zij zijn naar voren gekomen in een enquête die we uit hebben gezet om de Sociale Troonrede vorm te geven (https://goo.gl/forms/IMgUElpeTIr2apmp1). Ruim 150 respondenten hebben deze enquête ingevuld en daarmee bepaald welke inhoud wordt besproken in de Sociale Troonrede. Denk daarbij aan het thema ‘zorg’ of het thema ‘duurzaamheid’. Met deze thema’s werken we aan de bekendheid van de term ‘sociaal ondernemen’ en laten we tegelijk zien wat dit in de praktijk inhoudt.

Nu vragen we iedereen om te helpen met het verspreiden van de Sociale Troonrede. We hebben daarvoor een Thunderclap opgezet waarmee we vragen of we eenmalig een bericht op jouw social media kanalen mogen plaatsen. Meehelpen kan je doen via: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/53549-de-sociale-troonrede?locale=nl. Door mee te helpen zorg jij dat de Sociale Troonrede bij een nog groter publiek onder de aandacht komt en help je sociaal ondernemerschap op de kaart te zetten. Ook kun je aanwezig zijn bij de presentatie van de Sociale Troonrede op 21 maart. Meld je daarvoor aan via https://www.meetup.com/SIFUtrecht/events/238084435/?eventId=238084435.

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Meer informatie over de Sociale Troonrede kan je vinden op de website (www.desocialetroonrede.nl) of op de Facebook-pagina (https://www.facebook.com/desocialetroonrede).

De Sociale Troonrede is een initiatief van so/creatie (magazine over sociaal ondernemen), The Social Firm (advies aan professionals in zorg en welzijn) en Kyver (communicatiebureau voor mensen die de wereld mooier maken).

 

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Ondernemerslessen van een deeleconomie ondernemer: Goboony.

 

Wanneer we kijken naar de snelst groeiende markten binnen de deeleconomie, of beter gezegd: de platformeconomie, dan is het goed om jezelf de vraag te stellen:

wat bezit ik al?
wat heeft hiervan (in potentie) veel waarde?
wat benut ik niet optimaal?

Al snel kom je dan uit bij het rijtje:

je woning
je (kostbare) spullen
je mobiliteitsmiddelen (auto, motor en camper)
je eigen geld
je eigen tijd en skills

Steeds meer platformen maken het mogelijk dat individuen deze middelen met anderen ‘delen’. Bij nummer 1, 2 en 3 praten we over deeleconomie, bij 4 gaat het over crowdfunding en bij 5 gaat het om de klusjes economie, ook wel bekend als gig economy.

Aangezien gedeelde mobiliteit de toekomst is, besloot ik om in gesprek te gaan met Mark de Vos, mede-oprichter van het camperdeelplatform Goboony. Campers zijn namelijk, meer dan auto’s, items die perfect binnen de deeleconomie passen. Immers: het zijn kostbare apparaten, ze worden slechts een paar weken per jaar gebruikt en de vraag is vele malen groter dan het aanbod.

Daarnaast maken mensen er het liefst, in tegenstelling tot auto delen, enkele dagen tot weken gebruik. Iets dat het gemiddelde ‘gedoe’ voor gebruikers ook weer reduceert.

In deze video spreek ik met Mark over het verhaal achter Goboony, de uitdagingen die horen bij het opzetten van een internationaal platform, hoe een nieuw concept aanvullend kan zijn op het bestaande aanbod en hoe zij camperen voor een nieuwe (jonge) doelgroep aantrekkelijk hebben gemaakt.

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LIFTOFF! The Serendipity Machine is out

Today we launch the Serendipity Machine app on its beta version in google play. You might wonder what is Serendipity and what do you have to do with it. Is it the 90s movie? Nope! Serendipity is what creates the whole vibe at Seats2meet locations. When you get in a S2M location, you know that it is filled with possibilities. During lunch you meet a guy who quit his career as a financial advisor to become a chef and it’s working on its new restaurant website. The girl sitting next to you just graduated and takes amazing artsy wedding pictures.

Serendipity it’s about being connected, helping and finding inspiration and support where you don’t expect. We want to spread this vibe all over the world, and not to keep it only in S2M locations. That’s why we created the Serendipity Machine app. To get connected all you have to do is check in, tell us what you are working on and we will find the people around you that you HAVE to meet.

As we want to spread the vibe all over the world, instead of waiting for places to want to become a serendipitous spots, we are filling some of them ourselves! Public places where people meet as Neude in Utrecht, Vondelpark in Amsterdam, Central Park in New York or Paulista Avenue in São Paulo are a few of the places where you can check in and get connected. Let us know in the comments which other places we should include!

Have a serendipitous day, everyone!

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KRACHTAVOND – SEATS2MEET UTRECHT CS.

Een gezellige netwerk avond waarbij iedereen zelf een klein hapje eten mee neemt. Bedrijven, ondernemers, startende en zoekende komen samen om te ontmoeten, connecties te maken, te delen en te groeien.

Ontmoet deelnemers van het project “Eigen Kracht” van Taal doet meer en andere anderstaligen die op zoek zijn naar vrijwilligerswerk, stage of een baan en deel je tips en/of contacten met ze.

Laten wij de kracht van Utrechters voor nieuw Utrechters bundelen en delen!

Lees meer info over het project: www.taaldoetmeer.nl/werk en op Seats2meet for Locals.

 

 

 

 

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