Annebet van Mameren
Hustle Amsterdam (HA): Where are you from? And what brings you to Amsterdam?
Annebet van Mameren (AM): I am Dutch, but I moved a lot as a child and young adult throughout the Netherlands, so I feel I am not really from somewhere specific.
After graduating from university, I lived for 2.5 years in Italy. When I decided to move back to the Netherlands, I only wanted to live in Amsterdam, because of its international atmosphere. Soon after, I met my American husband in Amsterdam and most of my friends in the city come from different countries around the world. This is where I feel at home.
HA: Tell me about your business? What is your mission?
AM: My business is called New2NL. I am an independent education consultant for international families in the Netherlands. I want to make sure that the international children thrive at their new school in the Netherlands.
Next to my education services, together with a business partner, I have also created the not-for-profit Guide2NL platform, where I work with trustworthy providers who offer valuable services to internationals in the Netherlands. In this way, we make it easier for internationals to navigate the Netherlands. This year, our profits will be donated to the Red Cross.
HA: How has the shift to remote work affected you and your business? Are you being strict with a routine or taking it day by day?
AM: A big part of my business has always consisted of video calls with clients all over the world, and calling schools to ask if they have a spot for my clients' children. So in that respect not so much has changed. I do miss the school visits that have now all been canceled, though, as well as the network meetings I used to attend. Hopefully, they’ll restart soon.
HA: Why New2NL? What brought you to education consulting?
AM: My mother used to be a teacher for newcomers, my husband is American and we have two bilingual sons. Furthermore, I have a master’s degree in Organizational, Social, and Personality Psychology and research background in Intercultural Conflicts at Work, and I have also lived in Turin in Italy, where I experienced some of those intercultural conflicts myself. In the past, I have organized playdates, day trips, and parties for international parents with young children. Seven years ago – a little bit more than that in fact – I combined all of this experience, knowledge, and expertise to create New2NL.
HA: What is the current state of New2NL? Do you have six and 12-month goals for your business?
AM: Despite the corona crisis, my business is still going pretty well. Since most parents cannot visit the Netherlands anymore to see some schools, they have become more dependent on my support. I really feel for them and do my utmost to show them the complete picture.
I expect that the numbers of people moving to the Netherlands will go up again once the coronavirus is more under control. Hopefully, that time will come soon.
My business has always grown organically, so when I see a need, I will offer a matching service. I don't have very fixed long-term goals.
HA: What kind of obstacles do you face in your company? How do you handle them?
AM: Because of coronavirus and the control measures, a lot of things are changing last-minute: people get sick, suddenly have to quarantine, are waiting longer for their visa than anticipated, their flights or in-person school visits are canceled, or families have to change their relocation plans altogether. This makes my work more challenging and time-consuming. I constantly have to shift gears and come up with Plan B, C, and D.
I try to help the parents and the schools through frequent and clear communication, and often ask them what support they need under these challenging circumstances. For example, I have given multiple webinars to explain the Dutch education system and frequently keep my clients updated about the schools closing and re-opening, and the corona measures schools have to deal with.
On the plus side, this approach has brought me a couple of new clients.
HA: What has been your most successful moment so far? And how do you celebrate your wins?
AM: Oh, wow, I have experienced a couple of highlights through my business. For example, I was very happy and proud when Netflix became my client. I help find a school for the children of their employees who relocate to Amsterdam, and I really enjoy working for them.
I also got nominated three times for the prestigious Relocate Awards, in the 'Excellence in Education Consultancy/Support' category, and attended their big award ceremony in London twice, which was truly amazing. I was one of the very few small business owners there, alongside many big relocation companies. I had to chuckle when they asked me prior to the event how many seats I wanted to reserve at the dinner table for my company and which colleague would receive the award if we won.
I recently discovered that I have already assisted more than 700 families since the beginning of New2NL. This made me very proud as well.
I was also invited to give a presentation during the Families in Global Transition (FIGT) conference for more than 300 people, which was my record in terms of attendees. The topic was completely new to me and I felt miles out of my comfort zone, but luckily it went very well.
I am also very happy with the videos I have created to explain various elements of the Dutch education system. I have already received a lot of positive feedback about them, and it also saves me a lot of time explaining things.
The last big thing worth mentioning is that I contributed to a large study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education about the hurdles international parents experience when applying for Dutch schools. We presented the outcomes of our study to the ministry, some municipalities, school principals, and other important people in the field. One of my previous jobs was in Market Intelligence, so my research experience came in very handy there.
Sometimes I celebrate these successes by taking my family out for a nice dinner or a day out, or I treat myself to a spa day.
HA: How have you accomplished what you have? Did you go to business school? Did you wing it? Fake it till you make it? Get really lucky?
AM: I didn’t go to business school, but through my study of organizational psychology and my internship on intercultural conflicts, I learned how to deal with all kinds of people. I have worked for some small companies, where I got to experience how a company works and understand all business tasks. I have also worked for big corporations, where I got to understand that side of things, meaning I can now relate well to my corporate clients.
Besides this, I have learned a lot from fellow entrepreneurs whom I have met during networking events. I am also a member of a mastermind group of entrepreneurs. Their advice and support are very valuable to me.
Every time someone has asked me whether I could provide a certain service, I have said ‘yes’, and then gone home to figure out how that would work. In this way, my business has grown very organically, I have learned on the go, and I'm sure that I'm offering services for which there is a demand.
I try to stay true to myself and I am genuinely interested in the wellbeing of my clients, so no faking for me.
HA: Did you fundraise for your business? If so, tell me about your experience.
AM: No, no fundraising, but at the beginning of New2NL, when I didn’t have that much to spend, I did some barter deals with other professionals. They helped me with, for example, the pricing of my services, the design of my PowerPoint presentations, and how to improve my presentation skills.
In return, I helped them find a school for their children or solved some issues with the schools of their children. That worked very well on both sides. I am a big fan of helping each other move forward.
HA: How big is your team? And where are your team members located?
AM I am the only person on the payroll of New2NL, but I do sometimes hire professional freelancers to help me with, for example, editing my English texts, writing reports about schools, social media promotions, calling schools to ask for availability, etc.
Most of these people are based in the Netherlands, but some of them got stuck in other countries during the lockdown and are still working from there. In the end, with email and video calls, it doesn’t really matter where they are.
“I don't have a specific motivational quote, but I always ask myself ‘What CAN we do?’”
HA: Do you have a favorite motivational quote?
AM: I don't have a specific motivational quote, but I always ask myself ‘What CAN we do?’
Especially in these times, in which so many things have been canceled, postponed, or rescheduled. I try to find creative solutions and see what we can still do. It is important to try and keep a positive spirit.
HA: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? What do you wish you had known before you started?
AM:
Ask your potential clients what they need and how much they would be prepared to pay for it. In this way, you make sure that you will be providing meaningful services or products. I have seen so many people opening their business and then sit back and wait for their clients to come. That often doesn’t happen.
Think of an hourly fee for yourself. With every task that needs to be done, decide whether it is cheaper to do it yourself or to hire someone. For example, in the beginning, I spent hours and hours building my own website and I still wasn’t satisfied with the result. During that time, I could have worked with my clients and made some money, which I then could have spent on a professional to build my website. The barter deals I described before also helped a lot.
Stay true to yourself and protect your image. You are your business. For example, when you say bad or strange things on social media, it could backfire on your business. How do you want people to perceive you? Act upon it. On a couple of occasions, I have chosen a different entrepreneur for some projects, because I was doubtful about what I saw about them on social media.
“Stay true to yourself and protect your image. You are your business.”
HA: How would you describe your working style?
AM: I am very flexible and can work from almost anywhere. I can concentrate pretty well and take my laptop everywhere. I often have client calls late at night to accommodate my clients who are located in different time zones.
I am also very detailed and thorough and do a lot of research to find the best matching school for each family.
HA: When you’re not working on New2NL — where can we find you?
AM: I like to spend a lot of time with my children and often take them on visits to family or friends, or we play soccer in the park, go on a bicycle trip, visit a museum, or do other activities (pre-corona, that is….). I am also very active at their school and have been part of the Parent Council and a class parent for the last six years. I help organize activities and events in school, including a parents' evening in English for international parents.
HA: How do you find work-life balance while being an entrepreneur?
AM: I am happy that I can plan my own work schedule, for the most part.
I work while my children are in school or in bed, and while I am waiting for them to finish their sports training or other activities. Most afternoons I spend with the children and we often have their friends over at our house. I find it important to have dinner as a family and try as much as possible to schedule dinner around my husband’s work calls.
Sometimes it is difficult for the children that, although they can see me, I am working, and cannot be disturbed. When they were smaller, I used to wear something on my head to show I was busy. Now they understand it a bit better.
Especially during the lockdown, when both children received online education at home, and the four of us sometimes had a video call at the same time, getting some work done was a big challenge.
A couple of times in the past few weeks, one of my children's teachers or the entire class had to quarantine, and then suddenly you have one child at home, while the other one has to go to school. I try to adapt to the situation as much as possible and accept that I am not able to accomplish everything the way I want to (answering these interview questions, for example…).
Because of the corona measures, parents are no longer allowed to enter the sports venues, and the canteens and cafes are also closed. This means that I cannot stay and work from there anymore while waiting, so I have to cycle back and forth to the sports clubs and children’s activities the whole time. We try to combine with other parents, but in the end, the logistics have become much more complicated and ever-changing.
I often work late in the evening. When everyone is in bed, I can finally focus in peace and quiet and actually finish something in one go.
HA: What is your passion?
AM: I love to make a meaningful contribution to the success and wellbeing of international families who are moving to or have already moved to the Netherlands.
HA: What inspires you most about Amsterdam? Do you have any favorite spots to work or hang out at?
AM: I grew up in different towns in the Netherlands, far away from Amsterdam. One uncle and aunt have always lived in Amsterdam and every time I visited them with my parents, I knew for sure that this was the city where I wanted to live as a grown-up. I have always liked the international atmosphere of Amsterdam and wanted to learn from all those people with different backgrounds and languages.
I also find it important that our children are brought into contact with all these different people and I like to take them, for example, to the Tropenmuseum, a cultural festival, or a shared dinner with refugees. I have become friends with some of my clients and our children often play with each other. In this way, my work also enriches my children’s lives.
That is the beauty of Amsterdam!
Follow New2NL on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Connect with Annebet on LinkedIn.
