She has big dreams and a social heart. In the future, she hopes to be able to generate sufficient income from investments in her companies, to be able to fully focus on supporting new entrepreneurs. “I would very much like to set up an institution where all information about entrepreneurship in Curacao comes together and everyone can receive appropriate support. A kind of popular university for entrepreneurs”, says Marie-Louise.
From university to entrepeneurship
After obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Curacao, Marie-Louise left for the Netherlands for further study. She earned her Master of Science in Finance at Tilburg University and immediately returned to her native island Curacao. Marie-Louise continues: “I had a short carreer as management assistant at a local company, assisting the management in directing the organization’s objectives, financial planning, marketing and accounting practices. But, I quickly decided that I wanted to continue as a self-employed person. In 2014 I started my own company Sustainable Business Growth B.V., better known as SBG accounting.” SBG focuses specifically on small and medium-sized companies and offers three main products: accounting, preparation of financial reports and training in the field of taxation and business administration.
Five year aniversary
Marie-Louise proudly says: “SBG has been around for five years now. In addition to myself, SBG has two permanent employees and we have structural room for two trainees. I teach financial management at the University of Curacao, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics. Every year two students can complete their practice days at our office. They fully participate and we also guide them in the realization of their thesis.” To celebrate their aniversary and to give something back to the community, SBG offered a free seminar for their customers and other interested companies.
Sharing experiences
SBG organizes many training courses, always tailor-made. The Qredits manager participated in one of those trainings, and asked her if she was not interested in becoming a business coach. Marie-Louise said yes and has been supporting Qredits clients on a voluntary basis for more than a year. “I provide various forms of advice and support, depending on the phase in which the customer is and what he needs. For example about setting up a good financial administration or other practical matters that a new entrepreneur has to deal with. I have now almost completed one full guidance process. In such a process I have contact with the customer about once a month for a maximum period of two years. The great thing is that I also learn a lot from such a process. Bottlenecks in the companies of others are often very similar to bottlenecks in my own companies. And because the company I supervised dealt in hair products, I now know a lot about them”, says Marie-Louise with a laugh.
New opportunity
Setting up an accountancy company is a logical continuation of her education and career to date. Her second company, her own restaurant, seems to be a less obvious choice at first sight. Marie-Louse happened to encounter this opportunity and decided to take the step together with other business partners. She often visited the Lunch Café on the Rooseveltweg and the former owner was an SGB customer. When he announced that he would stop the restaurant, Marie-Louise the thought of taking over crossed her mind. With a little bit of hospitality experience in the past and her dream firmly in her head, she added the word. The Lunch Café has now been under her management for one year. The concept has remained the same as with the previous owner, breakfast and lunch are prepared in krioyo style and ‘a la plancha’, in take-out form. Marie-Louise: “Of course I knew the ins and outs at Qredits well when I applied for a loan to be used as an investment in new cooling equipment and furniture. In this process I learned that the options at Qredits are really more favorable than at commercial banks. I did the same request at one of those banks, but their conditions and restrictions made getting a loan not realistic. At Qredits that fortunately was a real option, the procedure was smooth and fast, within two weeks my loan of ANG 25,000 was arranged.”
Tips for business starters
Based on her experience Marie-Louise has some important tips for other entrepreneurs: “Always make clear agreements with your employees and record this in a contract as this ensures that there is less chance of misunderstandings. And, don’t go too easily with price reductions from your competitors. Ensure a realistic cost price calculation that includes all costs for offering a good product. Quality is more important than competition.”