'I’m currently working at Rippling, a promising scale-up from the United States. In my role I’m responsible for bringing HR, Finance and IT platforms to the Dutch and Singaporean market. This big responsibility makes me feel most rewarded. I like being part of companies that are planning to significantly grow in the local or international market.

The MBA programme transformed my professional life in multiple ways. Firstly, it provided a deeper understanding of what top management needs to make informed decisions. This improved my communication skills, leading to new professional opportunities, such as advancing into management positions. Secondly, it expanded my network beyond the confines of container logistics and travel. Throughout the programme, I connected with people from diverse backgrounds, enriching discussions and broadening perspectives, for example on the sustainability agenda.

Balancing various roles, such as being an entrepreneur while studying, required a strategic approach. I start every project by asking how we can deliver a state-of-the-art self-service customer experience, as this is crucial for a company's scalability. This mindset guided the development of my products, like Vergelijk Even. Ideally, you should be able to be absent for a week and have everything continue smoothly. This principle applied to my work at Rippling, where processes like onboarding in HRIS and payroll run without human intervention. This approach enabled me to manage a full-time job at Twill by Maersk, run my own businesses, and pursue the Executive MBA programme.

For MBA students wanting to start their own business, my advice is to understand the value your products deliver to customers. Without a product-market fit, your business won't sustain. Start small, iterate continuously, and once you find that fit, scale your business while keeping your customers at the centre. A useful framework from the MBA programme is the Why, What, How-framework. For me, the Why can always be derived back to your target customer.

But in the end: JUST START! I have spoken to hundreds of people in the last years that want to get started, but only see obstacles. If you truly want it, the best moment to start was yesterday, as that's the moment you start to learn. Don't hesitate to reach me on LinkedIn, it is always a pleasure to help or mentor someone to make their dreams come true.'