Dear Gerard,

I have the honour of closing the series of articles for 2014. The year has gone by quickly. It is time to reflect on the highs and lows of 2014 and what we have learnt for 2015. Your analysis of Article No. 100 gives a good picture of the learning moments. I am grateful that I was able to write an article every two weeks. Reflecting on current events has been a challenge and I hope our readers and, especially new entrepreneurs, have been able to take advantage of the advice we gave. (more…)

Dear Jan

We have reached a milestone. It is an honour for me to write column number 100. In total, so far there have been 23,976 words and at least 150 hours’ writing and correction time, 25 hours of website design and maintenance (all the credit for this and our great thanks goes to Dusan Durco) at least 50 hours of organization of the website (a deep bow to Veronika Balajova) and also 50 hours connected with readers subscribing and unsubscribing and the placing of banners (thanks from the bottom of our hearts to Ludmila Sjoerdsma). In addition, since column number 51 there has also been an English version and our thanks go to Chris Cheal, who helps us by brushing up our English a little. Every time I think with amazement ‘Did I write that?’ (more…)

Dear Gerard

I understand your disappointment with politicians and the media, as you say, they do not tell the truth. Politicians want to spin stories to get more voters and the media wants to sell more newspapers and so the truth does not matter. To quote my colleague: the world is just as barbaric as it was 3,000 years ago, we just pretend this is not so. However, you only need to look at the situation in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, or Russia to see this. The Dutch situation is admittedly a softer example of this, but essentially not much different. (more…)

Dear Jan

I have never been fond of the majority of journalists, politicians and of politics in general. I do not like the manipulation, the breaking of promises, the misinforming of the public on purpose, the withholding of information, the deception of supporters or an audience and the running down of others. It is completely destructive and ultimately serves no purpose. I loathe it. (more…)

Dear Gerard,

Your question regarding defining entrepreneurial spirit is, in one sense, not easy. As I mentioned in my previous article, Number 95, I was involved in the start-up of a soft commodity trading company which competes with the largest trading companies in this sector. At this company, the business plan, the opportunities, and the experience and knowledge of the promoters were all at a high level. (more…)

Dear Jan

I am very curious what the entrepreneurial spirit is like at the company you mentioned. I have never given much thought to things like this and the vision and mission of a company as, in the past, I didn’t think it was so important. But I realize more and more how a strong appealing vision can affect the success of a company. My favourite slogan is Mercedes’s – Das Beste oder nichts (the best or nothing). This is clear to customers and suppliers and a great guide for Mercedes employees. (more…)