It was supposed to be a conversation about entrepreneurship. It turned into a candid story about what a stereotypical entrepreneur is definitely not. “As far as a certain cliché exists: I don’t fit it,” Koen Beulen begins. “I’m not a traditional manager, I think. And I don’t want to be one either.”
Koen Beulen is the fourth generation at Hout Beulen. “Actually, we are atypical entrepreneurs,” Koen says, surprisingly. “At least according to the cliché the outside world still has of an entrepreneur. We aren’t the hard-nosed businessmen who forget to take the perspectives of those around us into account. For us, doing business is about building relationships.”
“I’m a person who follows his intuition. My dad is too—the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. For me, everything revolves around trust. That’s what you build long-term partnerships on, both with customers and suppliers. You go through things together, experience ups and downs. That creates a bond.”
“I also find trust important in my own business. Staff who have to account for every hour? A time clock? Fixed working hours? That’s outdated. The day I have to play policeman over my staff, that’s when I’m done,” says Koen Beulen. “We have open communication. Well, at least I think so. And I hope my employees feel the same way. In any case, I see them as valuable sounding boards.”
“I live and do business according to the principle of tit for tat.”
“Because I make myself accessible, concerns reach me quickly. I think that’s fine. But that low threshold has a downside. Sometimes they expect a solution the very next day, so to speak. And then I have to explain that it’s not possible in such a short timeframe. So open communication is a double-edged sword. Still, I stand by it, even though it’s a more intensive way of working than if you just didn’t care as a manager.”
“I live by the principle of tit for tat,” says Koen Beulen. “If you do good, others will do the same for you. Do bad, and you get bad in return. That’s how I do business too. I always assume the best in people. I start from a positive place. That’s also why I don’t like the feeling of someone imposing something on me. I can’t stand it when someone tries to force something out of me. Then I get difficult. That, too, is tit for tat.”
“A good work-life balance is important to me. I’ve made clear agreements about that with my wife. Every now and then I have to correct myself. Or my wife does it for me. Maintaining that balance requires discipline.”
“That balance starts with normal working hours. For me, that’s a story of trial and error. I try not to be the man who works long days. Respect to those who can put in many hours, but I believe you should mainly be able to peak during certain periods. Yet there seems to be a kind of expectation: as an entrepreneur, you should work as much as possible. Always more and more… but you can’t keep that up for years.”
“There will always be work; your job as an entrepreneur is never finished. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep going. Time is my most precious asset—for all entrepreneurs, for that matter. The moments when there is room to switch off, I resolutely choose to do so,” Koen Beulen concludes. “Time for my family is a firm priority.”
What makes you angry?
“People who talk too much about how many hours they work. I like talking about work, but the hours put into it are less relevant to me. I’d rather talk about how those hours are spent, or how you are doing as a person.”
Who do you consider friends for life?
“My friends from the scouts. Other entrepreneurs? I get along very well with some of them. In my VKW working group, confidential things are shared. That forges a certain bond. When we see each other, I feel a sense of camaraderie. But I still place my scout friends a step higher. That’s logical too; I’ve known them my whole life.”
Where do you find peace?
“In the mountains. Together with my family. Three or four times a year we head to the Dolomites to ski and hike. There’s a saying: ‘I don’t need therapy, I have the mountains.’ That’s really true. I need those mountains. It’s yoga, it’s mindfulness, it’s everything rolled into one. Even though I’ve been there so many times, I’m still surprised by those views every single time. It’s different every time. That nature, that panorama… When you discover the Dolomites for the first time with someone—the wonder you see on their faces. Sharing that together, for me, that’s the ultimate.”