To great applause, Iris Zonneveldt (CEO Treams), during the JM entrepreneur of the year awards on April 10, 2019, was named Entrepreneur of the Year 2019! In an exciting final she competed with four other top entrepreneurs. During this 10th edition, the jury looked for a good, special and inspiring story of entrepreneurs who have shown substantial growth. After the pitches and round of questions, Iris was declared the winner, making her Entrepreneur of the Year 2019! "Super fun of course!" says Iris. "Initially it was already a great honor that I was nominated by my circle (Eindhoven) to represent them nationally at the election of entrepreneur of the year. To me, Young Management is a group where fun and interesting entrepreneurs come together. The fact that they nominated me as JM Entrepreneur of the Year is cool, and the fact that I won nationally is even more so. A very nice appreciation for the work!"
Jury comments
The jury was raving about Iris' story during the entrepreneur of the year election. They felt she told a very clear story about her vision as an entrepreneur, but also about Treams as a product and service. "After my pitch, I received very critical questions from the jury and the audience. Your story stood like a house, the Jury told me. One of their examples was that I dare to say 'no' to customers and that we don't always blindly accept everything. We have a clear direction and they thought that was strong. That is a big compliment for me," Iris says proudly.
Entrepreneur of the year award
During the pitch and answering the questions, the judges looked, among other things, at the distinctiveness of Treams as a product/service. What sets Iris apart from the other finalists? "One difference, for example, was that we developed our own product. In addition, I think the distinctiveness was also in that I told not only what we do, but especially how we do it and what values are central to it."
Future Vision
Iris has a clear vision for the future. By 2030, Treams wants to help 5 million people continually grow and develop in their work. "There are many different elements in that vision. One is a very clear dot on the horizon with which we keep inspiring and driving everyone around us to be the best they can be. Another is that we force ourselves to think big. We are not going to reach those 5 million people if we double every year as we are doing now. We have to do more for that. It forces us to be engaged in our future today."
Enterprise
For Iris, entrepreneurship is a way of life in which you constantly reinvent yourself and are busy learning, trying out and creating new things every day. "In that, you raise the bar higher and higher. You are completely free in what you do and have the responsibility to fill it in yourself every time. When you are an entrepreneur, you can ideally build the company that fits you and fits around you. It has to be a jacket for you. In that, it is important that you don't start living up to other people's expectations or ideas but stay with yourself. It must be the ultimate place for you to bring your ideas to life and develop yourself. As a result, your business will develop and grow. Making mistakes is part of that, of course. As an entrepreneur, you're going to make a lot of mistakes and have to solve problems every day. But that's okay. Above all, think of it as a great learning experience."
Tip for other entrepreneurs
Finally, Iris would like to pass along a tip to other entrepreneurs. "Know what you are working towards. Have a clear dot on the horizon and make sure you can explain why your product or service is so special. Above all, make the personal link. The company is a mirror of yourself, so how do you make it unique? If you list these points for yourself, you will come a long way. Who knows, maybe you will become entrepreneur of the year next year."
Video: YoungManagement & MikedeHigh.com