‘I’m not afraid of an extra challenge’

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‘Since last summer I and a friend have a webshop where we sell beard growth products. It’s a product I’ve used myself and it worked well, but it wasn’t easy to get. And because I have a great interest in how companies work from my studies, I thought: I can start selling it myself. The intention is to expand our range to include hair growth products and other cosmetics for women and lifestyle advice. So far, things are going pretty well, the first month we made 2,500 euros in turnover. For the time being, this mainly concerns investments.

“I think if you want to have financial freedom, you have to start your own business. I hope to become a lawyer one day, but I’m not afraid of an extra challenge. I’ve come a long way: I started at mavo, then went to havo, vwo and hbo. As a result, I lost some extra years to school, but it also shows perseverance. And that looks good on my resume.

„I now pay my fixed costs with the loan that I [studiefinancieringsinstantie] DUO get. In quiet periods such as holidays I work here and there as a cook or personal trainer. Sometimes I also tutor social studies and economics, and guide home viewings for a real estate agent. Outside the holidays I focus as much as possible on my studies, then I have little time to work next to my company.”

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‘I now fully focus my finances on an exchange program with America. I’m going to study at the University of Connecticut in Hartford for a few months early next year. The university is in a Harry Potter-esque castle, very nice. I can also do a master’s there and that gives me the opportunity to eventually become a lawyer in the US. It is expensive, that exchange: including accommodation, food and outings, it costs 11,000 euros. I’ll make it, I’ve saved quite a bit already. And the great thing about our company is that everything is digital; only the shipping of the product is done by my partner. From America I can maintain the online part and hopefully I will get income from that.

“I exercise almost every day, so I try to eat a lot of vegetables and proteins. And that goes up with rising costs. Once a week I go to the university in Leiden, the rest of the lectures I can follow online. When I’m at home, I eat warm twice a day, for example rice with chicken. I live in a student complex in Amsterdam, with an expensive supermarket in the building. The temptation is very great to quickly get something there if I miss something, while the cheap supermarket is 250 meters away. So I am often more expensive.”