You could have bet money on the fact that Davy Jonckers would one day become an entrepreneur. “My dad was a butcher, my mum a hairdresser. At eighteen, I immediately ditched my schoolbag. I was ready to find my own way.” Today, he is the driving force behind Yontec, a partner in industrial, facility, and logistical maintenance. A powerful story with strong people as the central characters.
“I just want to have the biggest company”
However, Davy’s great passion during his childhood and teenage years was mainly animals. “I always rode horses. At twelve, I saw a farrier working with a hammer and anvil for the first time. I wanted that too. Working hard seven days a week, but so rewarding at the same time. From the age of sixteen, I started preparing for farrier school. Once I turned eighteen, I threw myself completely into that training and took a course in treating hoof cancer in America. In the years that followed, I mainly looked after many international show jumpers.”
Unfortunately, an unlucky incident decided otherwise for his future career. “Physically, it was no longer possible to carry out my trade. So I was forced to look for something else. And that while I had spent so long studying the bottom 30 centimetres of the horse.”
According to Davy, the switch to the world of electromechanical maintenance happened almost naturally. “Once I was in business, it was always my ambition to have a company with many people, preferably as large as possible. When I got the chance to start Yontec, I just went for it. With my own savings. I looked for my first employee through a small advertisement in Het Belang van Limburg. Nearly fifteen years later, we are already at more than two hundred colleagues.”
“After all these years, I still have no affinity with technology”
Why exactly did Davy Jonckers choose that industry? “For me, the most important aspect was that I could work with many people. At Yontec, we match the right technical profiles with the right company. But I could just as easily have started an industrial bakery. Even after all these years, I still have no affinity with technology. I can join the conversation, but that’s where it ends. I take care of the work and the wages; the employees are the real specialists.” Davy himself never had any trouble with the strong growth. “You shouldn’t overestimate it either. You just have to never place yourself above the rest. Personally, I am still as accessible as I was all those years ago.”
“But the foundation is and remains hard work. Focus, focus, focus times a thousand. Strategy also times a thousand. Entrepreneurship is actually surviving. From day to day, but evaluating and adjusting in between. If you have a clear vision, things will work out. 90% of companies lack the vision to know what they will be doing in three years. At Yontec, we know perfectly what we are working towards. Over the past ten years, we have never deviated more than 2% from our goals.”
“A good entrepreneur cannot do without the right people around them. A good banker, a strong account manager… Even though I am an anti-networker, it is still important to build a good network.”
“The rest I do on gut feeling. People need to know that there is no malice in me. But if I feel that someone is lying or beating around the bush, then it stops for me. I am mega-accessible; anyone can come to me personally. There’s a reason my business card says problem solver. But I do expect people to treat me as I treat them: with the very best intentions.”
“Family is our most important pillar”
Davy Jonckers wants to preserve that open character at Yontec at all costs. “We are growing strongly, so it is difficult to be everyone’s best friend. But the family feeling remains strongly palpable. That is our number one strategic pillar. Everyone gets all the necessary support, and we ensure that everyone can work in complete safety. You don’t want anything to happen to your brother, sister, or parents either.”
“In addition, we try to do a larger activity every three months. And the door of our Yontecafé is always open. Many of our people go directly from home to the client and hardly ever see each other, yet they regularly come to Hasselt. That proves the community spirit is strong.”
Finally, how does Davy handle the stressful moments that come with entrepreneurship? “I have a great sense of responsibility, but never stress. I also never feel like I can’t solve a problem. Call it concern instead. I don’t like it when work tapers off and gaps threaten to appear in the planning. If everyone can keep working, I am a happy man.”
Is there anything you miss in your job?
I do think it’s a pity that there is no tangible end product in our case. In a brewery, you see full bottles of beer rolling off the line. You don’t really have that with a service.
What would you do if you got an extra hour a day?
Certainly not sleep. I sleep seven hours a night. If you aren’t well-rested, you can’t be an entrepreneur. And you don’t solve problems at night anyway. Just doing nothing for an hour can also be nice for a change.
Is Yontec your life’s work?
I am incredibly proud of Yontec. I will fight to ensure it always keeps its soul. But raising my son and maintaining my relationship, those are my real life’s works. My son, for example, is incredibly passionate about karting. I try to guide him in that as closely as possible.”