Mieke Neven is the textbook example of entrepreneurship being in one’s blood. Literally, because even before her final thesis was fully written, she took her first step into the business world. We talk to her about dreams and ambitions, and how in this case, they simply seem to melt together.
At the age of 31, Mieke Neven took over the Peer-based printing company Burocad, where she remains the proud CEO today. That was nearly ten years ago. Yet those were far from her first steps as an entrepreneur.
“As a teenager, I always wanted to be a journalist or work as a marketer in the luxury sector. When I had the chance to help organize a classic car rally at Business School, I came into contact with the marketing manager of the luxury brand Montblanc. Not much later, he called me. He asked if I wanted to fill in for someone in the marketing department in Amsterdam.”
“I was completely up for it, of course, but a traditional employment contract was difficult at that time. So I offered to start my own small company and invoice for my services. That way, I could take my first professional steps—right in the middle of final exams. I wasn’t quite an entrepreneur yet, but even then, I felt that I dared to make decisions that others might not have been ready for.”
“After that first experience, I knew what I wanted, and especially what I didn’t want. Not long after, I joined my father’s company, and in 2008, I founded Care4print. And then Burocad crossed my path. It’s a choice that, after all these years, makes me happier than ever.”
“As if I had just returned from a mission to Mars.”
Still, Mieke Neven notices that many people still look at entrepreneurship with a strange gaze. “I grew up among entrepreneurs. My grandfather was a true pioneer. Wherever he saw a spark, he went for it. He started making computer diskettes when there were perhaps only 20 computers worldwide. He helped produce the first well-known blue mushroom containers, invested in airplanes, and so on.”
“In our family, entrepreneurship is the rule rather than the exception. For us, it’s the most normal thing in the world. In principle, as an entrepreneur, it shouldn’t feel like you’re taking risks or sticking your neck out. Going through life with such a frame of reference is something you can consider yourself lucky for as an entrepreneur, because it is anything but a given.”
“For instance, a while ago I ran into my old high school principal. He asked me what I was doing these days. I said I had a printing company. The man almost dropped his carton of milk. He looked at me as if I had just returned from a mission to Mars. It proves how entrepreneurship is still often viewed within our culture, and I find that quite a shame.”
“That’s why in recent years I’ve been much more fervent about stimulating entrepreneurship. Telling people it’s okay to believe in your opportunities and to fail every now and then. I try to convey that message at Burocad as well. My father and fellow entrepreneurs have been a sounding board for me for years. Now I want to be that more and more for others. Because it can get lonely sometimes, and then you’re glad to have someone to brainstorm with.”
“Hoping the key still fits the lock.”
How did Mieke experience the past year? “As a printing company that stands for the craziest solutions, we had to fully apply the creativity we promise our customers within our own company. As a team, we pivoted incredibly fast when the news of the first lockdown trickled in. I am still very proud of that. I also realized then that my personality, despite the terrible situation, is well-suited to such crisis situations.”
“For example, we all immediately started producing face masks en masse, even before the first public calls for them went out. We gathered flag fabric we still had in the warehouse, and my mother immediately drove to Peer with her sewing machine. The following month, we sold tens of thousands of face masks to many companies in Limburg and the rest of the country. Proof that creativity isn’t just expressed visually.”
“Today, too, we try to make the best of it. Personally, I’ve become a big fan of walking meetings. I picked it up from a fellow entrepreneur. Just meeting clients, fellow entrepreneurs, or suppliers in nature. It caused some raised eyebrows at first, but in my view, it really creates a stronger connection. I secretly hope we can keep doing that once the pandemic has died down. Especially since I just got my first pair of hiking boots under the Christmas tree (laughs).”
What else does Mieke enjoy? “Traveling is definitely number one. But I can also completely lose myself in contemporary art and architecture. Once I’m on the road with my family or friends, I try to switch off the work button completely. Just being in the moment and fully recharging my batteries. I am incredibly grateful to my husband and children for giving me the luxury to do my thing and be away from home often. Although it’s always a bit exciting to see if the key still fits the front door (laughs).”
“Imagine it, print is. That is our baseline. Our customers know that if Burocad can’t print something, then probably no one can. But at the same time, our standard services shouldn’t be overshadowed by the specialties. That’s why we looked for a partner who could help us with something we knew absolutely nothing about: communicating our strengths to as many potential customers as possible. Our magazine is the latest exponent of that: an authentic look at how we do things.”