A girlboss who has a webshop for girlbosses. Then you must be a real girlboss. And that's Danique Poldervaart. She set up her first business when she was 19 and quit her full-time job to work on her current company. What she does now, why she is a true entrepreneur and how she gets inspired? Watch and learn.
About her two companies
Let's let the first little secret out right away: her current company is called Add To My Wishlist. Danique came up with this idea when she went completely crazy with two wardrobes. "I sell women's clothes that are suitable for work and super cool to wear in your spare time. Seriously, I really didn't know what to wear on my first day at my very first real job. Everything I had was so... student-ish. With my clothes, I want the "girls next door" to be able to feel like a real girlboss. Everyone should be able to go to work confidently."
I am a fan. I want to go shopping. But no, just finishing this interview. This is not Danique's first business. At the age of 19, she started a business with her twin sister. Together they organized bootcamps and gave personal training and nutrition advice. "My sister had done CIOS and I studied Media, Information and Communication. A perfect combination, we thought." Yet things didn't work out so well Danique eventually distanced herself from the business. "We had to rely completely on each other's knowledge and qualities. We also had little work experience. Unfortunately, we got into more and more arguments and our conversations were only about work. We had never wanted that. It was a hugely educational time and very special to be able to do that with my sister."
How she set up her second company
And a year later, Danique started Add To My Wishlist. This was not an easy journey. But Danique was totally up for it. "Quitting my full-time job didn't scare me at all. I got the idea for my webshop and 8 weeks later I quit my job. At the time, I was working as a branded content manager at a social studio. In short, I was looking for advertisers to work with influencers who were affiliated with our company. But I was hardly getting satisfaction from my work and I was getting SO excited and happy working on my company ... the choice was quickly made."
So can she make a living from Add To My Wishlist so soon after its launch? "No, I can't live off it yet and I don't know when I will be able to. Every euro I earn, I put back into my business. I live off a part-time job in the hospitality industry. From this I can make ends meet. And I was also able to save a lot during my full-time job. My business is the priority and I'm willing to sacrifice a lot for that."
So what specifically is the added value of being an entrepreneur? "The freedom to come up with things and work them out. My god, how I used to hate it when I would come up with an idea and my boss would say, 'No, we don't have the budget for that,' or 'No, we don't have enough manpower for that,'. That's the beauty of being your own boss, you're in control."
Why she is a true entrepreneur
In case it's not clear yet, this is a real girlboss. Learn from her mindset, for example, her view of work. "People don't realize that we only live once. They go to work first and then see. So then they settle for a job that actually makes them dead unhappy. But a week consists of almost 25% work, so then you're just unhappy for a quarter of the week. That's way too much!"
"Through entrepreneurship, the word 'work' has taken on a whole new meaning for me," he said.
Still, returning to finances for a moment, how does she look at that as an entrepreneur? "I've always said I'd rather earn less and do what my heart is in, than be unhappy and earn a lot. Mind you - as an entrepreneur you don't necessarily earn less, but you have to invest a lot. Not just money. Time, energy, blood, sweat and tears."
What does Danique think makes her a true entrepreneur? "I dare to take risks and have a very big drive. If something interests me, I can be working on it day and night. And that doesn't matter to me. Entrepreneurship has given the word 'work' a whole new meaning for me. I love to work. I happily whip open my laptop in the morning and reluctantly close it around 10 o'clock at night. I do try to stick more and more to fixed working hours and to work only on weekends when necessary."
All due respect, but I'm getting a little FOMO from this. As a 21-year-old, there are SO many fun things to do. "I never really feel like I'm missing out on things. The things I experience with my company also open new doors. Then I experience things I would never have experienced otherwise. Sleep and friends - you have to give up things like that for your business, otherwise you shouldn't get into entrepreneurship." True that, though.
For her age, she can already do quite a lot. And she has also managed quite a lot. How does she do it anyway? What's the secret? "I do what I am good at and ask others to do what they are good at. Why put a lot of time into something if someone else can do it much better and more efficiently? I'm super eager to learn. Of course I can't do everything, but I want to keep learning. During my studies I was already a typical workaholic and even now I find it hard to do nothing. I didn't go out much or spend days watching Netflix like my fellow students did."
"Enjoying oldschool renting a book from the library or buying a book is something I love," he said.
Lessons from girlboss books
I would advise you to look the trick with Danique. You've learned quite a bit about and from her by now, right? Next level ... where does she get her inspiration? "Girlboss books! Nice oldschool renting a book from the library or buying a book I love." Any books in particular? "Masterclass Entrepreneurship by Annic van Wonderen and SuperOlcay by Olcay Gulsen. Both women with a healthy dose of guts and who managed to set up a successfulvil business without rich parents. Another such girlboss is Danique Bossers of Most Wanted. She is also going to publish a book, I can't wait!"
What lessons did she learn from this? "Cheeky people have half the world. Show guts. For example, I found it really scary to call." I can relate to this, though. Do you? Then pay attention. Now you want to call, too. "You get a lot more done by calling. People are more willing to do things for you because they've heard your voice. They feel like they really know you. With an e-mail, everything takes much longer and you don't get nearly as much done. People don't feel connected to you."
Danique's vision for the future
All good. We have now discussed how Danique founded two companies, why she is a true entrepreneur and how she stays inspired. Now back to the business and that is: the future. Danique is happy on her own as an entrepreneur (if that wasn't obvious), but doesn't have anything against working as an employee per se. "It offers financial security and you have colleagues you can learn from. But you can also brainstorm and chat with them and I had to get quite used to not having this anymore. As a beginning entrepreneur without staff, it can be quite lonely."
Tell me about it, that's the reason I took a part-time job. Just for the nice buffet lunches and the social environment. So wouldn't a co-working space be an option? "That's definitely something I'm considering, but at the moment I don't have the budget for that yet. I work 4 nights a week in the hospitality industry, then I go and chat with guests. Lovely to be among the guests again for a while then."
Okay, what about working 50/50? Danique is not so keen on that. "For now that goes well, because I'm really done the moment my shift is over. I'm the type who takes her work home with her and that's not convenient in this case. When I take time out for my own business, I really want to be able to dedicate that time to my business."
Dreaming big. Yes, that's what she does. "Dreaming small won't get you anywhere. In three years I want to be the forerunner of business women's clothing for young professionals. Right now we only sell clothing, but shoes and accessories are definitely on the 'wish list' as well. I want to make it as easy as possible for the customer. They should be able to shop the whole look on Add To My Wishlist."
This is a very long interview, I know. But this girl is so inspiring. One last question: what is her best tip for startup entrepreneurs? "Facebook groups are your best friends. How much I have benefited from that. You can't know everything and you can't be the best at everything, so find people who know more about it than you do. These days there is a Facebook group for almost everything where you can ask your questions or brainstorm together. Sometimes there are valuable collaborations among them. Simply type in a keyword or industry that relates to your question and see the magic happen!"
