An inspiring 2-day YEP session in The Netherlands discussing business development with participants from 5 countries

Learning, inspiring, teamwork with like-minded entrepreneurs, new tools for business modeling and marketing, knowledge-sharing and, of course, some fun with the other outstanding participants. These were the keywords listed by the participants of the first YEP (Young Executives in Professional Textile Care) program organized by CINET. On October, 31st and Nobember 1st the first YEP session took place in the CINET office in The Netherlands. The fist session included participation from ambitious entrepreneurs & upcoming young managers from Canada, France, St. Maarten, Norway and The Netherlands with the support of CINET and Lukkien (digital marketing agency).

The learning

The presentations and working group activities within the 2 days of YEP’s first module were conducted by Mr. Tom Krabbe from Lukkien (top digital marketing agency), Mr. Geert Böttger (senior Professional Textile Care expert) and Mr. Léon Wennekes (CINET). Additionally several other experienced professionals contributed to the program.

The results from CINET market studies (2019) and market observations were presented by Mr. Léon Wennekes, with a focus on the major trends globally & in professional textile care, the four (new) most promising market areas to be developed and enabling technologies to realize this new market potential. This overview included reports and business cases from various parts of the world highlighting success stories from a variety of laundries in B2C and B2B markets.

Mr. Léon Wennekes (CINET)

Mr. Geert Böttger delivered comprehensive contributions on PTC management insights, methods for strategy building and the business plan. The major topics were the key aspects of the business model, customer segmentation and the competitive position. This provided a framework for the participants working out the assignments, as well as valuable feedback to the participants while they were working on their own assignments.

Mr. Geert Böttger (Expo & Consulting)

Mr. Tom Krabbe (Lead Experience Design at Lukkien) presented the the Design sprint method and supported the participants in working out their own designs. Participants had the option to work on their own company or to work more generally on a new business model that could apply for textile care. The second day, Mr. Marco Ophof (director sales & strategy at Lukkien) provided an inspiration session on sustainable textile care, business opportunities and smart (marketing) concepts.

Mr. Tom Krabbe (Lukkien)
Sharing experience and specifics for each country during the joint dinner at Castle Ophemert

The teamwork

Execution of the brainstorm and sprint method was done individually and withing groups. There were intensive brainstorm sessions about ideas & business challenges. Each presentation was followed with discussions and feedback from the other participants, leading to a concrete end result the participants can work on in the coming months.

Brainstorming session
Presenting the results of the teamwork
Experiencing business planning, as well as marketing and communication planning from a new perspective

The reviews.

The participants of the first YEP session were asked to list 3 things they liked the most during the YEP module. Here’s what they answered:

Ms. Laurine van der Moot – USLaundry: “Exciting, to meet new people and very inspirational”

Ms. Linley McConnell – Gibson’s Cleaners: “It was really great to be here, to meet individuals from around the world who are in the textile care industry. We’ve learned a lot from one another and I have a lot to bring home to our drycleaning business in Canada. And the last, just taking away actionable steps that we can implement in our businesses. For me, that means putting pen to paper and solving some of our marketing issues.”

Mrs. Francoise Bazin – Tykaz: “3 things I liked the most: the people, the castle, the country!”

Mr. Rudolf Vendrig – Vendrig: “It was an open discussion, with friendly people and we’ve learned a lot! 

Ms. Tøne Østbø – Renseriet: “I really like that we got to meet different people, see different business and how do they operate and come up with ideas. It was really helpful for my idea for the future.”

Mr. Joost van Leeuwen – Edelweiss: “We have been talking about strategy in the commercial field. The group was very open to talk about everything and the dynamics within the group was very nice. And the third, I’ve learned a lot about new techniques, new marketing ideas, that I will be ready to use, starting tomorrow, in my present work.”

Mrs. Hahn Vlooswijk – Wauw Closet: “The things I love about the YEP Program are especially the chance of meeting other entrepreneurs who are busy with new ideas, being inspired by them and getting the newest trends and what is happening in this industry. So come and enjoy it!”

Mr. Maurits Tietshoff – Dobbi: “Very interesting two days, always nice to share practices with the international group and to meet people from the industry. We’ve learned a lot and looking forward to the next event!”

About the YEP Program

The goal of the YEP program to exchange know-how and practical experience amongst young promising entrepreneurs aiming to develop new business cases in one of the defined new market areas. The program of this first meeting was setting the objectives of this new program and agree on the individual assignments and the format. The main benefits for the participants are the following:

  • Lead your business to NEW markets in PTC
  • Personal growth through PTC master classes
  • Meet like-minded entrepreneurs from abroad
  • Profile your business internationally as innovator

Join the next YEP session (Italy and UK)

If you’d be interested to join the program in the future you are in luck, two more sessions are coming up in Pordenone, Italy (19-21 February) and UK (25-27 April). Please send your resume to cinet@cinet-online.com to start the application process.