Reflection written by using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

I listened to the Live Loud Entrepreneurship Podcast with Thijs. In the episode Thijs who is a young entrepreneur in the events industry, shared many helpful insights about entrepreneurship. He talked about how he got into the business, some of the challenges he faced and how important networking, creativity and flexibility have been in his journey. He also mentioned building his brand and learning by doing. The episode really inspired me since I want to be an entrepreneur myself. Thijs was very passionate and honest which made the podcast fun and motivating to listen to. I personally really liked how he said he just started and figured things out along the way. That made me feel more confident because I’ve been thinking about starting something myself but didn’t really know where to begin.

One interesting part for me was when he talked about networking. He explained how he got many of his first opportunities just by talking to people and being involved in the scene. That really stood out to me and it reminded me of something Freke also said in our own podcast. I also liked how he mentioned creativity, like choosing different kinds of venues. That made me realise how important it is to stand out and do things your own way and not just blindly do what others are doing because that is working but really add your own touch to it.

This podcast really connected well with what I’m learning in my event studies. Thijs talked about things like branding, value creation and the customer experience. All things I’ve learned about in event management. His story helped me understand how to apply those concepts in real life. It also showed me that you don’t need to wait until everything is perfect to get started. This has really inspired me to just get started.

I learned that taking action is really important, even if you don’t have all the answers yet. Thijs made it clear that making mistakes is part of the process and that you learn as you go. I also now see how important it is to be yourself and build honest relationships with clients and partners.

My goal is to start working on my own small event by the end of this year. I want to apply for Pop in Limburg’s Young Professional Platform and meet other people doing similar things. I’ll also keep looking at what kind of events people are interested in, and work on my communication and planning skills. I plan to keep listening to podcasts like this one to stay motivated and learn more about the sector from professionals in a fun way.