Brabant has more and more young entrepreneurs up to and including the age of 21 and is increasing rapidly. In 2017 there were still 2850 young entrepreneurs registered with the Chamber of Commerce, now there are 7636. The number has therefore almost tripled. The very young entrepreneurs also stand out: in 2017 there were 84 entrepreneurs aged 15 and younger, in 2022 there will be 658.
“Success stories on social media are an important reason for young people to start their own business. ‘What they can do, I can do too’, they argue”, says Gerdine Annaars of the Chamber of Commerce.
Someone who started young and is slowly growing his company is Robert Dalderup (29) from Breda. Together with Pieter Claessens, he has developed a toilet paper spray. Robert does not yet want to speak of a success story and the uncertainty in the beginning was anything but pleasant.
“We wanted to make money, but are too young to work for a boss.”
Or Britt (12) and Jill Selten (10) from Cuijk. They travel through the village with their ice cream cart Troela’s Ice. The idea of starting their own company came to the sisters last winter. “We wanted to earn money, but are too young to work for a boss. But our own company is allowed,” Britt previously told Omroep Brabant. Since this summer, they are therefore creating scoops of ice cream.
Nationally, the number of entrepreneurs aged 21 and younger has risen since 2017 from 18,796 to 51,396. Brabant is in third place. Only North and South Holland have more young entrepreneurs.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the enormous growth in the number of young entrepreneurs has many reasons:
- Young people see inspiring stories of successful young entrepreneurs on social media.
- Young people do not see obstacles, but especially opportunities. They are flexible and not afraid to fail.
- Young people like the flexibility and freedom of entrepreneurship.
- In schools, more and more attention is paid to entrepreneurship during lessons or projects.
- During corona, a lot took place online. This stimulated young people to start doing business online.
Back to Robert and his toilet paper spray Buttler. The company was born more than four years ago. “We came up with the product when we only saw those wet wipes in the supermarket. They clog the toilet, bad for the environment and they dry out quickly.” They saw opportunities to do better and Robert quit his permanent job.
“Albert Heijn thought we were too different and too innovative.”
“It is a leap of faith. All your savings go into it and you go from a well-paid job to an income of almost zero,” he looks back. “We sold about ten sprays a week in the first year. Suddenly that went to thirty in a day. Then you know you have something in your hands.”
But the big pink cloud has given way to the realization that the two entrepreneurs are far from there and that many steps still have to be taken. “I like to keep it a bit vague,” Robert begins. “We have a turnover of several hundred thousand euros per year.”
They don’t have the dream place in the supermarket yet. “The Albert Heijn did not dare to do it four years ago. They thought it was too different and too innovative.” To achieve that success, the young entrepreneurs are looking for an investor with a lot of knowledge and money. They need about half a million euros for the next step.
“If I had worked for a boss, it would have been a lot easier for me.”
According to Robert, as a starting entrepreneur you should not be afraid to fail. “You learn a lot from that.” But there are certainly pitfalls. “Make no mistake about what is involved in a company. Such as administration, marketing and personnel. Those are sometimes the downsides.” His tip: don’t do everything yourself.
“If I had worked for a boss, it would have been a lot easier for me,” concludes Robert. “But my passion is to create a company around a product.”
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