Getting Oriented

Taking the First Steps to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

What Can you Find Here?

Developing a good business concept, becoming familiar with your target market, and speaking with industry professionals are all highly important aspects of taking the right steps toward a successful business. Here you can find all the latest events, courses, and resources that you can use to get an idea of what you want your business to be about. If you are looking to develop the necessary professional skills to start a business, identify relevant customers, and more, you are in the right place!

Kamer Van Koophandel (KVK)

KVK is the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, and while you would typically go here to register your business before its launch, they also offer a wide range of workshops, webinars, and Q&A sessions on various topics. The website also includes a hotline where you can call KVK's advisory team for advice on starting your business (click the link here if you want to check it out!). KVK provides additional practical advice on creating a strong business model, which you can see in the dropbox below.

Business Model Development with KVK

Your Business Model: One of the most important elements of getting oriented is organizing your business idea into a business model. Doing this can serve as a checklist to understand if you have all the necessary elements to start your business or a way to communicate your idea to potential investors. KVK's website includes a basic toolkit for creating a strong business model in addition to an online test whereby you can check your plan's strength.

Upcoming Events with KVK

Upcoming Events at KVK: The Dutch Chamber of Commerce hosts a wide array of events, workshops, and webinars for your to explore possible ideas for your business, how to decide on your target customers, and to consult expert advisors from our KVK's partners where you can ask all your entrepreneurial questions, whether it concerns starting your business, drawing up a business plan, tax matters, hourly rates, brands and patents, starting up with benefits or financial issues. Do note that these events can be online or in person, with some events taking place outside of Utrecht.

Walk-in day OnderNemerSplein (Amsterdam): If you are interested in talking with industry professionals about any concerns or questions you might have on the process of starting a successful business, taking a trip to Amsterdam to this event might be a great way to get acquainted with everything from drawing up a business model to understanding the biggest obstacles of the entrepreneurial process and how to tackle them.

June 20, 2024

Q&As in Rotterdam and Amsterdam - Getting Started with Imports: At the moment, KVK's website includes 3 workshops / Q&A events that focus on creating a business related to importing. If you think your business plan might require this, then these workshops could be a great help! Otherwise, KVK's website is regularly updated with events on different topics so we would recommend keeping an eye on their website to find other events that might suit your interests a bit better!

KVK Start event in Eindhoven - Finding your dream customer: The most important part of any business (aside from the entrepreneur themselves) is the customer. As such, finding an ideal customer base to create sustained demand for your product or service is essential. Despite being located in Eindhoven, the importance of this element to your business might be a good reason to take a day trip!

June 18, 2024

Forward Inc

Forward·Inc, based in the Netherlands, helps newcomers achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. They support them in starting, growing, and sustaining their businesses, recognizing the talent and value of people with refugee/immigrant backgrounds.

Their programs guide aspiring entrepreneurs through concept development, pitch preparation, marketing strategies, and business scaling. So far, they have trained over 1,000 newcomers and helped launch 132 businesses. The main things you can get from this organization are learning programs that help with things like financial proficiency, developing a business strategy, and building marketing strategies.

Courses Provided by Forward Inc

Business & Startup Booster: A two-week, free, and online workshop involving pre-recorded knowledge clips and weekly meetings with members of Forward Inc. and other prospective entrepreneurs. Keep in mind that the language of instruction is in Arabic. (Click here to find out more!)

Digital Entrepreneurship Program: The Digital Entrepreneurship Program (DEP) is an 8-week online learning program that focuses on building a robust fundamental understanding of business & entrepreneurship. (Click here to find out more!)

Growth Program: A 10-week hybrid course focused on on growing revenue and building successful businesses through tailored workshops. This will include working on topics such as paid marketing, social media, B2B sales, and negotiation.(Click here to find out more!)

Plan Einstein

Plan Einstein is a vibrant hub where meaningful connections flourish. Here, residents of Utrecht's asylum seeker centers, local community members, and other Utrecht residents come together to live, learn, and collaborate. The organization provides a wide range of course for you to develop key strengths needed for successful entrepreneurship, including business training, workshops developing professional competencies, and mentor programs!

Courses Provided by Plan Einstein

Here you can find our top picks from the Plan Einstein website that we think would benefit you the most in the preliminary stages of starting your business. By clicking on the links below, you can go to the Plan Einstein Website to learn more about each course and register using the form at the bottom of each page.

Next Move Mentor Program: Elevate Your Professional Journey in the Netherlands!

Purpose: 1-on-1 mentoring sessions with a mentor buddy from the Social Impact Factory, a well-known Utrecht-based incubator. Here you can Master networking and ace interviews with enriching workshops, group discussions, and expert guidance on your CV and LinkedIn profile.
Link to Webpage

Build Your Own Future (BYOF) - from idea to company or job

Purpose: "Build Your own Future is a 3-month program consisting of weekly workshops and personal guidance to develop your ideas for your own company or job into a concrete action plan. At the end of this program you will know whether and, if so, how, where and what actions are needed to realize your ideas for a company"
Link to Webpage

New Dutch Connections

If you are an asylum seeker or status holder, New Dutch Connections offers a few programs that center around starting your own business. These include the Start Your Own Dream Business initiative and the Future Academy.

Refugee Talent Hub

If you have come to the Netherlands as a refugee/statusholder, starting your own business could be especially difficult. Getting access to workshops and courses to develop your capabilities might also be challenging. Check the organization's website for upcoming events. Keep in mind, this organization does not focus on starting your own business, rather the largest benefit you can get from this particular establishment regards their assistance in developing your professional skills as a pre-requisite for things like building your own network.

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