Foto: Hester Doove

‘BUSINESS IS A GREAT MIRROR, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT’

Rianne Lindhout15 June 2013

Jacqueline Zuidweg studied Law at the Vrije Universiteit and became an entrepreneur. But not just an entrepreneur – she earned the title ‘Businesswoman of the Year’. She helps small business owners with their money issues. To help them before those issues turn into problems, she wrote Vallen, opstaan en weer doorgaan – over ondernemers in uitdagende tijden (Falling, Getting Up and Carrying On – On Entrepreneurs in Challenging Times).

In her work, everything comes together beautifully: the entrepreneurship she was raised with, her social sensibility and her law studies. But the best thing about Jacqueline Zuidweg’s work is that she can help people and teach them important lessons. Her company Zuidweg & Partners – although she never had any ‘partners’ – now has around 90 employees and is active in 180 municipalities. Small business owners come to the company for advice on how to get their debt under control and to take the necessary measures. Early this year, Zuidweg published a book for entrepreneurs in difficult times together with Josette Dijkhuizen. She also plans on becoming more active in education. ‘From primary school to university: knowledge of entrepreneurship is useful for everyone.’ Law alumnus Jacqueline Zuidweg on her success factors

In several interviews, you said that the best decision you ever made was to start your own business. But how did you come to start Zuidweg & Partners to offer debt relief assistance to small business owners? “It had been in the back of my head for a long time. After graduation, I worked at the Legal Aid for Entrepreneurs Foundation. That was a small organisation, so I came into contact with everything that the work entails. I even became a partner, but then it didn’t work out, so I had to do something else. So I thought: now I’m going to do it my way. I enjoyed working with small business owners, and I wasn’t tied to obligations with a family. I borrowed 6,000 Euros from my mother, and I started my company.”

‘I thought: now I’m going to do it my way. I borrowed 6,000 Euros from my mother, and I started my company’

In your book, you say that you always need a plan B. What was your plan B? “I gave myself a year to see if I could earn a living with my company. Most small business owners don’t set that kind of limit, but you really should decide what you want to achieve, and when you want to have achieved it. My plan B was to use my education and experience to find a job to pay back the loan to my mother. A plan B is also important when your company starts to grow. You can always come to a point where you don’t enjoy the work anymore.”

I also read that you could become furious sometimes, and would think: now I quit. What made you so angry? “The number of business owners with money problems is growing, but municipalities say: ‘We’re not going to help them, because they took the risk themselves.’ I can get really angry about that: don’t they understand that you have to spend money to make money, and that the Netherlands is badly in need of these people? In a rage, I called the Chamber of Commerce and complained that they have a start-up help desk, but not a re-start or a stop help desk. Now I’m working on developing that with them.”

In your book, you also say that many successful entrepreneurs recognise that they have learned from their mistakes. Which mistakes have you learned from? “My own mistake was that I didn’t focus enough on the numbers in the beginning. And my clients were of course debtors who had trouble paying because of their money problems. So I decided to approach the municipal governments, and now they pay for my work. Since then, my company has grown like wildfire. And since I’ve forced myself to dive into the financial side, I actually enjoy that aspect of the work as well.”

You seem to be someone with a positive personality. Is that the case? “Absolutely. When things don’t go as well as I’d like at work, I count my arms and legs. I always go back to the foundation: myself and my family. If everyone is healthy, then there isn’t really a problem. I had to learn that for myself. I was always really ambitious in sports and in school. I came to the Vrije Universiteit before I was 18, and started studying for my first exam just two days in advance. But I only had a 6, and was so furious! So then I thought: what can I do about it? Start studying earlier, and adjust my expectations. Later on, I was happy to get a 6 on exams!”

What are the most dangerous pitfalls for entrepreneurs? “Next to finances and having a plan B, that would be self-knowledge. You have to be realistic. You start out with a dream, but if people aren’t excited about your product or the world around you changes without you noticing, then it’s over. Business is a great mirror, but you have to look at it. Stay critical about yourself. For my company, I have the problem that the demand from entrepreneurs in need keeps rising, but the municipalities that pay me have less money to spend. So innovation is vital; you have to keep working on yourself.”

‘From primary school to university: knowledge of entrepreneurship is useful for everyone’

What tip that you’ve given is a big eye-opener for entrepreneurs? “Look for a sparring partner. Not your own partner, per se. In fact, not at all; rather find someone who knows you well and whose opinion you respect. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel yourself. If necessary, the Chamber of Commerce can even help you find a coach. My own sparring partners are my husband Raymond, my Board of Commissioners, businessman Arko van Brakel and a trusted group of senior citizens from the gym.”

What part of your work do you find irritating? “Sometimes my agenda starts to get over-full. I started out as a specialist in the field, but later I had to hire people and manage them. It’s like a treadmill, and sometimes I start to run faster. When I start to notice that I have to cancel work-out appointments, then I take a step back. My family and I also go to our holiday home in Spain regularly. It’s so relaxing to go back to the same place again and again, although many people don’t understand that. In my private life, I’m actually very relaxed. I eat healthy, get enough exercise and go to bed early. Over the past few years, I’ve had lots of energy. Before that, my energy level was less predictable: I had Mono during my studies, but I also participated in rowing races.”

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