He likes to learn from others, although at the Business Lunch Talk in Emmen, Gerard Nijhoving (38) was the inspiration himself. Over a hundred curious students listened in the canteen of NHL Stenden to the live interview on entrepreneurship with the Senbis director, who once studied here himself. His advice for anyone with a start-up idea: "Look for critical sounding boards as well as immerse yourself in existing business."
At Senbis Polymer Innovations, Gerard entered an existing company, which had been operating independently since 2008 after a history as an R&D facility within AKZO. Before stepping in as co-owner and managing director, the driven entrepreneur had worked for several years as a freelance consultant for Senbis and other companies. "And I also know what it's like to start your own company from scratch," he told the students. "After a job in the food industry, I saw opportunities for a milk powder business with a focus on the African market. I wanted to do it all myself and borrowed money from my father. It didn't turn out to be a success, but I did learn my first entrepreneurial lessons."
The main lesson Gerard likes to share: "Don't go it all alone, find partners! Look beyond the three fff's - friends, family and fools - because it may seem easier to turn to acquaintances for advice or money first, but what you need are people with experience. Like other entrepreneurs and investors. And definitely knock on the doors of companies already running a business that touches on your ideas. Because they know the market, have insights into product development, execution and feasibility. You can learn a lot from them to hone your plans. And who knows, they may also want to invest in your idea."
Critical questions and market research
"The fear that others will run off with your idea is often unfounded," states the Senbis director. "Because ideas are at most a starting point; what matters most is the process that follows. Therefore, what you need as a start-up entrepreneur are critical questions and market research. After all, who is waiting for your product or service? And what are people willing to pay for it? Often you quickly get bogged down in that, but precisely by looking for partners and delving into existing business, you come across interesting people and opportunities along the way. That is often how entrepreneurship works: you start with one thing and along the way you arrive at something else that can work seriously. And then you also manage to find financiers better."
As managing director of the innovative Senbis, Gerard himself also notices that entrepreneurship is mainly about being outward-looking and open to opportunities. "Things often go differently than expected and that's not a bad thing. It's about getting somewhere. That requires curiosity, energy and perseverance. Yes, it is important to believe in your own ideas and to dare to stick your neck out, but you also need a drive to learn and a willingness to change course when necessary. The challenge is knowing when to persevere, and that is the exciting and beautiful thing about entrepreneurship."
Exciting innovation phase
Senbis itself is also in another exciting new phase of innovation. The company - which among other things develops biodegradable plastics for applications in fisheries and agriculture - has the ambition to find a degradable replacement for polyester in clothing. With a good alternative, Senbis wants to combat the large-scale pollution caused by microplastics, which now end up everywhere in our environment through the washing and wearing of clothing. Senbis is pulling together with a consortium in which NHL Stenden, the University of Groningen, WUR and TNO participate.
"What is innovative is that for the first time we are using artificial intelligence to speed up the development process," Gerard says. "By using AI and algorithms to link relevant polymers and their properties, we expect to find the most suitable bioplastics much faster. If we succeed, we'll kill two birds with one stone: we'll have both a degradable replacement for polyester in clothing and a new methodology for future innovations." The start is promising, although there are no guarantees with innovative developments. Gerard tells the students that mistakes have also been made in the past: "We had developed a wonderful new bio-product for fishermen, but the sustainable benefits turned out not to be worth the price for them, so we had no market."
"What do you bring?
This brings the Senbis director back to the importance of market validation and looking critically at ideas. "You can be so convinced yourself that you've come up with something great, if no one is waiting for it or it's way too expensive, you won't get anywhere," he advises the students who are still discussing their own entrepreneurial plans with him after the Lunch Talk. "So go network and gather knowledge so you know what you're talking about. And also think carefully about what qualities you bring with you, that's what potential partners and financiers want to know."