Tineke made a Pinterest board for the wedding with her husband Nick. But she couldn't buy the decoration anywhere. The idea forWeddingdeco.nlwas born. Their business babies have now been expanded to include:Partydeco.nlandKidsdeco.nl. And they continue to innovate and conquer the market.
Strong brand
'Continue to innovate with products that are distinctive for our three niches. We want to maintain a strong position in the market where many people are moving towards marketplaces. I believe that with a strong brand you really have a right to exist. You do not have to be affiliated with Bol or Amazon to maintain your turnover. One trend is that many brands are withdrawing from these marketplaces. We want to remain in the market with our own label, our own unique range and our own customers.'
'Do your choices receive enough attention to grow?'
Grow with attention
'To elect. I find that difficult about entrepreneurship. There are so many great opportunities, but you can't do everything at once. That doesn't have to be annoying at all. When you ultimately make choices that benefit your company and your customers. Choose a sustainable, good scenario for your company. Ask yourself: do your choices receive enough attention to grow?'
Say goodbye
'When Tineke and I found out that Partydeco.nl was not growing fast enough after a year, we wanted to stop. Until we took an honest look at the shop. Did we give it the right attention? We discovered that all operational attention went to Weddingdeco.nl. Yes, then the shop will of course never fly. We then divided our time better among the shops. Now we are very happy that we did not say goodbye. I am aware that you have to make choices and sometimes let something go.'
'The entire flow from contact to handling a customer question is transparent'
Customer contact insightful
'We came across Belco during the webshop trade days. We weren't specifically looking for a customer service tool at the time, but we made the choice to try it. The entire flow from contact to handling a customer question is now transparent. Employees can easily take over customer questions from each other during, for example, holidays or illness. This innovation allowed us to quickly expand our hours to 10 p.m. So a good choice!'
Ambitious mothers
'By giving attention and time to the choice for Belco, we now have attention and time left for other matters. For example for our staff. We invest a lot of energy in our employees, who are all extremely ambitious. Including hardworking women who combine motherhood with a job and are motivated to move the organization forward. I'm very proud of that!'
'Dare to accelerate. Know your processes and figures very well'
Business partners
'I am married to my business partner. That does not mean that we have more or less struggles than other partners. The great thing is that you always have pure intentions with each other. You never have to doubt that. When we first started, we first had to find our way. We used to interfere a lot with each other's work, but now we have divided the responsibilities. I deal with the business side and Tineke is strong in the range and the look and feel of the brand. We can spar very well with each other, but the person responsible always makes the decision.'
Know your processes
'A tip? Start your business with attention and time. Dare to accelerate. Know your processes and figures very well. Financially or process-wise. I think that's the heart of your operation. You can lose or earn a lot of money and time doing this. Know your company because then you know what choices you have to make to grow further.'
