Plennid: Empowering sustainable business

In this edition of Student Entrepreneur we speak with 2 Alumni, Kees van Rengs and Niek Franken, who met each other at their first day of college and started a business called Plennid. The interview is made in collaboration with Starterslift Tilburg, which is the center of Tilburg University for entrepreneurial students with great talent and ambition.

Could you briefly describe what the business involves and what it is trying to achieve?

Plennid is all about empowering sustainable business. We do this through Consulting, Connecting, and Co-working. Everything we do is focussed on the new sustainable economy. Our consultants implement new sustainable business models into existing organizations, we make connections between potential partners in sustainability and organize sessions in which our members work together on new solutions.

When did you come up with the idea of starting your own business?

We have always felt the urge and need to contribute and realize a positive impact. Kees: During my studies I worked for Rabobank. I learned a lot and the people were great, but I could not implement my ideas, thoughts, and vision. That’s when I knew I wanted to start my own company. I met Niek Franken the first day of college and he also had this entrepreneurial spirit. Niek: We teamed up and up to today it’s a perfect match, since we complement each other in every way.

In what way has the company evolved since its inception?

Initially we wanted to start a co-working space for sustainable entrepreneurs, and offer consulting services to the community that would grow within our space. It turned out to be the wrong order. We turned this strategy around by starting with building our online community, do consulting projects for SME’s and multinationals and as a logical sequence we can offer our community a physical space where they can: connect, collaborate and create.

“Doing business is all about people: whether you provide a product, service or simply information.”

Can owning and running a business be combined easily with your study(s)?

It is possible to go through the ideation phase. But we think it’s simply impossible to start a business like Plennid on the side. Of course, it depends on what kind of business you are running. The foundation of Plennid is based on its network and connections, which takes much time to establish.

What skills have you acquired during your studies that can be applied to your daily business activities?

Analyzing situation and information, critical thinking, continuous learning and development. All facets of starting and leading a business, pitching and presentation skills. Kees: I can still remember a training session of Jerre Maas, TiU Entrepreneur…it was amazing.

Up to this point, what skills have you gained from the establishment of your business?

The most important and helpful skill which we learned is networking. We were okay at this when we started but by talking and working with so many different people and companies you get acquainted with different ways of communication, a lot of knowledge, and the quality to read people. Eventually doing business is all about people: whether you provide a product, service or simply information.

How do you see the future of the company?

In five years we will have 5 physical office spaces in the Netherlands (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag and Eindhoven) and 3 in major European Cities (Copenhagen, Berlin and Barcelona). We have a total of 40 employees (consultants) working with pioneers in the new economy and transforming the old large Multinationals into futureproof sustainable machines.

Finally, what would you like to say to students who are also planning to start their own business?

“You can. End of story.”