Doing business internationally

Do you have a business in the province of Drenthe, Groningen or Friesland and would you like to broaden your horizons by doing international business? Then read on about international business.

Two NOM colleagues conferring

International entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly important for the Northern Netherlands. For that reason, the possibilities for advice and support for entrepreneurs who want to cross the border have been expanded. And that is necessary, because import and export present quite a few bumps.

Exports are essential for business. Thirty percent of sales are made abroad. International business provides nearly a third of the FTEs. For manufacturing, the figures are even more telling. Some sixty percent of income comes from abroad.

And yet, it's no A-B-C't that entrepreneurs turn their gaze across borders. After all, there's quite a bit involved, when it comes to exporting and importing. Think different tax laws, different regulations, as well as cultural differences, subsidy opportunities and more. You have to know what you're doing.

NOM supports companies in the Northern Netherlands with international business in two ways:

  • NOM portfolio companies are supported directly by Wibo van Wier.
  • Other companies located in the province of Drenthe, Friesland or Groningen are supported by our partners GroBusiness, YnBusiness and I Am Drenthe Entrepreneur, utilizing NOM's regional, national and international network.
The DJ Company, Yme Sake and Tette Boekema
Yme Sake and Tette Boekema Founders of The DJ Company
International Business

'It was very valuable. Wessel has an awful lot of international experience and allowed us to take full advantage of it. He showed commitment from the very first moment and was constantly on top of things. It resulted in a smooth and constructive cooperation'.

Read the review

Are you not a NOM portfolio company and want to do international business and could use some help and advice?

Entrepreneurs in the Northern Netherlands can go to their own Province for comprehensive advice on international entrepreneurship. The Northern provinces each have an entrepreneur contact point; Ynbusiness, GroBusiness and Ik ben Drents ondernemer ( IBDO). These organizations are ready for entrepreneurs with questions on topics such as innovation, circular entrepreneurship, funding and international entrepreneurship.

The so-called "Trade Relations" advisory talks is an assignment of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation to NOM. Every year, 80 entrepreneurs can make use of this advisory capacity and the global "Trade and Innovate NL" (TINL) network. NOM is part of that TINL network and carries out this assignment in close cooperation with the Provincial Entrepreneurial Contact Points. In the video an impression of that network and what entrepreneurs can expect in an advisory meeting.

Entrepreneurs in the provinces of Friesland and Groningen can contact:

Wessel de Vries
E. wesseldevries@ynbusiness.nl
T. (06) 11 26 59 90

Entrepreneurs in the province of Drenthe can contact:

Han Smidt
E. han@ikbendrentsondernemer.nl
T. (06) 20 82 76 77

Are you an NOM portfolio company and want to do international business and could use some help and advice?

Wibo van Wier, Account Manager Trade at NOM conducts independent advisory interviews with NOM portfolio companies on international entrepreneurship on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This can include export strategy, best practices or country information, market research, knowledge, network and funding opportunities for international business.

Contact details:

Wibo van Wier
Account Manager Trade
E. vanwier@nom.nl
T. +31 6 835 518 20

The front cover of the white paper International Entrepreneurship
Do you want to do business internationally? In this white paper, you'll find out what it takes and what help is available in your province. Download the whitepaper