Not having to work for a boss and chasing your own dreams: it is the motivation of many starting entrepreneurs. Many of those start-ups also create jobs. An analysis by entrepreneurs’ organization Voka, based on figures from business information agency Bel-first, shows that entrepreneurs in the province of Antwerp who started their business in 2017 or later, currently employ 20,832 people.

Annelies Van Orshoven (45) is one of them. “I founded my administrative company Addmodum in Pulle (Zandhoven) in May last year,” she says. “In the meantime I have created 5.5 jobs. In March another person has to be added, and after that I hope to recruit someone extra every month. Before I set up my own company, I did the administration in a family business for 25 years. After that I was an executive assistant. But I wanted to unleash my energy by starting my own company, which I want to take away all the administrative worries of business leaders.”

Team spirit

With Addmodum, Annelies and her employees do everything that has to do with administration, from preparing payments in a digital app, to ordering meal vouchers and connecting a company to a social secretariat. “I want to ensure that a manager no longer has to deal with administration on Sundays,” Annelies. “And I want to create a warm feeling among my employees. For example, we go for a walk with our team three times a week, to stimulate the team spirit. I also want to pass on that warm feeling to my customers. An example. If an employee of a company for which we take care of the administration becomes a father, we will ensure that he or she receives a blanket with the baby’s name on it. That is very different from a normal birth announcement. I also became an employer to experience that warm feeling.”

First in secondary occupation

Bart Eestermans from Geel is also a brand new entrepreneur: he left his job in education to set up the software company BePowered. This coordinates ‘smart’ appliances, such as a charging station, a heat pump and a battery, so that they yield optimal results. For example, you know when it is best to plug in your electric car. BePowered does this for both individuals and companies. “I first did this as a secondary job, so that I could collect start-up capital,” says Bart. He has already created three jobs with his company. “By the end of this year there should be at least twice as many. The step to entrepreneurship is a challenge. That is why I opted for a gradual growth. I receive guidance from Voka, but my most important counselor is a former colleague who I call every week.”

Direct manager after school

There are also some youngsters who from their first decision to be their own boss. Lennert De bruyn (25) from Brecht is such a person. “When I was still at the University of Antwerp, I had already set up a company with my friends that deeds chores at home,” says Lennert. “Almost immediately after my studies I started my own company, from which I receive a full-time salary. And I already employ someone. That employee has been in the company for two years, so I won’t be such a bad employer (laughs).”

Lennert’s company is called Storo and has branches in Brecht and Mechelen. “We offer warehouses for more expensive,” he says. “The and space to decorate a space in the time it takes, the other renovation of his house. This year I want to open new warehouses in Antwerp and Roeselare, and I want to recruit two more people. I come to work every day with a smile. You are not allowed to edit that aspect: as an employer you can ensure that there is a pleasant atmosphere at your company.”