A simple answer from my side follows: it was a confluence of circumstances. How lame such an answer is, and I then see the disappointment in the eyes of the questioner. It seems like the right answer, but is it really? Because I didn’t know what to do at the end of my high school, I just studied Law, then ended up at a company that provided debt restructuring for larger companies, became a partner there, and after the partnership fell apart in 1994, I was faced with the choice: What am I going to do? What do I want to do? After I exchanged my lease car for a strip card and spent an afternoon twiddling my thumbs on the couch, the answer was quickly found: I am going to 'rescue' all entrepreneurs who have fallen into financial trouble. Not only good for the entrepreneur to prevent a fall into poverty, but also to limit the damage for the creditors and the Netherlands Ltd. It didn’t exist in the Netherlands at that time, it felt incredibly good, so I put on my brave shoes and started for myself within 24 hours.
At that moment, the most logical choice for me and in hindsight also the best and fastest choiceever, but how nice it would be if there were an office where you could get promising ideas completely matched with your wishes, skills, personality, and timing in your life. Hmm, suddenly a new entrepreneurial balloon emerges! And that’s where we touch the core. Entrepreneurship is creating opportunities, seeing opportunities, and seizing opportunities. Over the past 20 years, I have launched several balloons, but apart from the one for debt restructuring, hardly any rose to the heavens. Now that became quite a large balloon, which I also had to pull quite hard, but still… It is incredibly fun and tempting to start something new again.
But to wait again for a confluence of circumstances? I don’t think so! Although, looking back in time, I do see that especially in times of headwind, I am the most innovative and creative. But then in all (self-imposed mandatory) peace. Sitting in a beach chair (business headwind or not) and looking over the sea, I come up with the best ideas while daydreaming. Then a few rounds of running, skiing, wakeboarding, or sweating in the gym, and all thoughts and promising ideas are organized and ready for execution after the work break is over. That’s how the idea for Stg. MKB Doorstart.nl (www.mkbdoorstart.nl) came to me last year. We recently started on March 7 and were even featured on the NOS News at the beginning of July. MKB Doorstart is currently in an unstoppable flow, and that gives a wonderful feeling again. How do you come up with the idea, I am asked many times again. I now have the new answer ready: Grab a beach chair and start daydreaming! Have a nice holiday ;)
About Jacqueline Zuidweg
Jacqueline Zuidweg (1965) is the founder and director of Zuidweg & Partners B.V., and Businesswoman of the Year 2012. When she, as a lawyer at a consultancy for SMEs, noticed that there was no good debt assistance for (ex-)entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, she started Zuidweg & Partners B.V. In 2012, she was named Businesswoman of the Year and since this year, Jacqueline has been a board member of Stichting Jong Ondernemen to promote entrepreneurship in education. Her book 'Falling, getting up, and moving on!' was published.
