If only she could have set up a student company herself, in the past. But such a program did not exist then. Now Monique Ansink is a supervisor at Jong Ondernemen, “It makes a difference in someone’s life.”

She will not soon forget the four shy, insecure MBO girls who participated in the Jong Ondernemen programme, says Monique Ansink. It is the owner of Jumbo Tension Belts, manufacturer of, among other things, lashing straps and tension straps. She is also a mentor, or officially: business advisor at Jong Ondernemen. Through this program, pupils and students, from primary school to higher education, receive lessons in entrepreneurship. They can also set up their own business to run during a school year.

This is how these MBO students became the heroes of the school

Anyway, those four student entrepreneurs. “It was a group of insecure girls and they didn’t really know what was expected of them. They came up with a multifunctional shopping bag for the car. A bag in which you keep your oil or ice scraper, with a part that you can take off to use as a shopping bag. Very creative.”

Coincidentally, Ansink saw a Hyundai design competition pass by and urged ‘her’ group to register. Long story short: they submitted their product, won the national edition, and were allowed to participate in the international competition in the Czech Republic. “They became the heroes of the school. They experienced personal growth and gained more self-confidence. That Jong Ondernemen assignment made a difference in their lives.’

‘I teach students to think entrepreneurially’

As a business advisor, Ansink guides MBO and HBO students in drawing up a business plan and raising starting capital. “I teach them to think entrepreneurially. To figure out what you want in life, set goals, and take action to get there. It’s like TomTom, I say. Without navigation, you drive around without direction.’

Monique Ansink (Jumbo Cargo Products) also wants to have a social impact with her company. And not only contribute to the development of young people. How exactly, she tells in this video.

In this way, Ansink wants to contribute to the ‘good growth’ of entrepreneurs. “Business owners are retiring, many positions are becoming available. Those gaps need to be filled.’ She also hopes to help connect entrepreneurship, education and government. “That’s three more islands. Sometimes students say that they learn more in a three-week practical internship than during their entire study.’ The government can also keep a finger on the pulse of entrepreneurs. “Get out of that turret. We now have a shortage of installers and IT professionals. The training courses for this should have been set up or renewed years ago.”

Monique Ansink behind ‘her’ students of technical business administration, who devised an anti-slip mat for the laptop with which you can take your things to another workplace

Photo: Mark Horn

She likes the hour a week for Jong Ondernemen. ‘The young people of today are mainly concerned with the planet, I can also learn from that. They are our future employees and business partners.”

If only she had had a mentor from Jong Ondernemen herself

Does she have a mentor herself? ‘No. In that regard, I would have liked to have had a program like Jong Ondernemen in the past. I have been an entrepreneur for 22 years now and I mainly did learning by doing.’ She does receive support within Entrepreneurs’ Organization NL, where she is the chairperson. ‘You share experiences and stories with a group of peers. For example, about problems with a partner, financial situations, and staff shortages, but also about the combination of work and private life. They are my advice.”

Ansink spends 50 percent of her time on her business and 50 percent on social activities. In addition to her volunteer work at Jong Ondernemen, she gives guest lectures at the University of Amsterdam, is a member of the supervisory board of Cono Kaasmakers and Rabobank West-Friesland, and is a member of the NL Groeit steering committee. ‘You add one thing, that becomes two and so it becomes more and more. That came about organically and is part of my entrepreneurial journey. I like it. I enter companies and learn how they approach things. I bring in knowledge from the outside. This is how I put lifelong learning into practice.”

Source: https://www.vno-ncw.nl/forum/waarom-de-ceo-van-jumbo-spanbanden-mentor-bij-jong-ondernemen