How do you arrive at an impactful business strategy that contributes to an inclusive society in which everyone can make a valuable contribution, irrespective of age, origin or gender? As an entrepreneur, how can you respond to “the gap in society” instead of just “the gap in the market”? These entrepreneurs give substance in their own way. During our inspiration sessions and interviews they told more about it. Here’s a short recap
upcoming events
4/04/2023 - Online inspiration session with Theo Vaes
Do we agree that social organizations without a cost-benefit analysis are not sustainable today? Do we also question whether a business without a social purpose is viable in the future?
heo Vaes shares his experience and insights on entrepreneurship and social relevance. As “consultant foreign investment” he managed to attract foreign companies to come to Flanders. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded several initiatives. As a person, he was touched by the insights into poverty from generation to generation.
Time to start a new venture … With ArmenTeKort he founded a non-profit organization that is “more tightly run than an SME” to effectively make a difference. By connecting people, ATK offers quality services and scalable approaches to combat generational poverty.
More info on ArmenTeKort can be found hier.
events
6/12/2022
Also at the second edition of the Makani festival (short for ‘Make An Impact’), A School Of Will will be represented. Grab the opportunity to network with fascinating entrepreneurs of the future at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences and visit our stand.
get inspired by these pioneers
arian de wit..
…knows from experience how passion, craft and employment opportunities can go hand in hand. Bakkersgasten is ready to conquer Ghent’s hearts and taste buds.
What’s his story?
Arian de Wit had enough. The baker’s trade was no longer necessary for him… The workload, which is all about producing and ensuring that the shops are full by 7 am. Until about five years ago he ended up at the Bakkerswerkplaats “We are Rotterdam” of Lisette Magis. There he got and found his passion again. The smell of fresh bread and the making of beautiful products. But here they not only made beautiful products, they also contributed something. Making people happy and giving them opportunities. Now, five years later, he wants to do this in Ghent. Starting a bakery where it’s not about hard numbers and deadlines, even if there is of course turnover, but where it adds something extra to the lives of others.
luc de clerck..
…completely believes in the value of a conscious choice to match projects with employees and rethinks the way things are done.
Within Agnitio Belgium he believes in learning opportunities for professionals (in the making) by offering them work that intrinsically motivates and challenges.
This may imply a financial constraint, because not all projects are completed. But the ambassadorship that comes from the employees makes up for this. This is employer branding to the next level.
dennie declercq
Curious about what the connection between the world of IT and the social sector has to offer? Are there still doubts about the importance of digital accessibility if 40% of Belgians are at risk of digital exclusion? And how far can you go with the possibilities of artificial intelligence? Dennie Declercq did not want to accept that his dreams were taken away by school, at work, … and just followed his own will. He started DDSoft in 2015 and is now in demand as a speaker all over the world. Without hesitation he explains what autism has to do with the purest definition of entrepreneurship… “to call a spade a spade”.
katrien de groote
jaimie hindryckx
Jaimie Hindryckx (HR Responsible for Zorgband) is happy to share his practical experience about open hiring. With the support of Divergent (UGent), the healthcare company started working on this strategy.
Because how can you find and keep the right employees in the current spirit of the times as an employer? How do you deal with the “tightness on the labor market”? Do you also experience that the relationships between employer and employee have changed completely in the current zeitgeist? Time to completely rethink your HR strategy!
The city of Mechelen was also inspired by this working method in the roll-out of the 12work project and the establishment of the business counter.
Ben Poelmans
Are you also curious about Ben Poelmans’ experience and the story behind Amazing Cultures?
“The Culture Defines the Business.” But what does culture have to do with sustainable growth of your organization? That’s what Ben Poelmans found out after his education as an economist and experience in marketing, leadership and business development. A journey of personal development, deepening and advancing insight into people and organization led to the founding of Amazing Cultures, together with Heleen van der Meulen and Christophe Degrez.
Through Team Mentorship they guide leaders and organisations at a crossroads in their growth towards more sustainability. And we don’t mean an effort to keep everything alive. On the contrary. Sometimes existing systems need to disappear or change. But that is difficult when human complexity is involved … The more complex the challenge, the more relevant Amazing Cultures’ approach!
As with a person’s personal development, the driving values of an organization are contained within its core. Delving deeper to get to the essence is the key to sustainable success, with engaged and motivated employees.
Interviews
Can entrepreneurs accelerate the development of an inclusive society? Can they offer opportunities to the weakest and mine all talent to create added value, both socially and economically? With these questions, we address entrepreneurs in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Marseille who have proven that they contribute to an inclusive society in an innovative way.
Dutch 
English