“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

So… there I was.

I had done it…

The one thing that I set as a goal for myself…

From now on I could call myself…

An Entrepreneur!

I remember the day so well that I walked out of the Chamber of Commerce feeling like the next Richard Branson. Here I was… conquering the world!

Soon to be followed by the proverbial black hole that awaits right afterwards. So, I was an entrepreneur. Now I needed to actually work. Get clients. Make money.

But how?

Of course I knew how. I knew how to write an online marketing strategy, I knew how to set up a Facebook campaign, or how to get more visitors to a website.

What I didn’t know is how to get that first client, how to do my book keeping, and don’t get me started on taxes and jurisdiction.

Of course I had anticipated all these things and I started to work hard to overcome these challenges. From home, on my laptop, I read, researched, planned, organized. I got my first sales meeting, I set up a bookkeeping account, I did what was necessary to succeed.

However, there was 1 thing that I didn’t anticipate.

I felt extremely lonely.

There I was, leading my ‘dreamlife’. Working from home seemed like such a dream come true.

But in reality, it resulted in days where the only conversation I had was with the cashier in the supermarket. Some days I wouldn’t change out of my pajamas at all.

So one day I decided enough was enough and that I needed people around me in order to feel happy.

Enter… Strijp CS.

I was a little bit weary to join a co-working space due to the costs (remember I had just started as an entrepreneur and was still relying heavily on my savings).

But little did I know that this step was exactly what I needed.

And even more… it propelled my business.

The first day I joined “CS”, I was introduced to Maurice. We started talking. He asked what I did for a living and I explained. That same week Maurice introduced me to my very first client.

And this is what makes Strijp CS so special.

There are no “one-day-flies” in the office. Only entrepreneurs who rent a desk for a longer period of time. Meaning that we get to know each other really well.

It means we all collaborate and push each other upwards

When I ran into an unfair client who refused to pay, I could ask for legal advice from a lawyer who also rents a desk. When I needed a new brand, I made use of the skills of an art director which work I had come to be familiar with.

The possibilities joining Strijp CS have given me are endless. There’s always someone ready to help, ready to work with you, or ready to be a listening ear when you need to vent.

We are colleagues without being colleagues.

We lunch together, go to events together, introduce each other to other entrepreneurs or potential clients, we collaborate on projects so we can attract larger fishes, and we also organize the occasional party.

Joining CS has changed my business and my life as an entrepreneur. I still have days working from home, I still even have days that I stay in my pajamas. But if I do want a desk, and most of all, if I need help, I know my “colleagues” are there.