“We initially started this project in our spare time, alongside our regular jobs, because we were eager to do something meaningful. So, we started off in our basement, making simple circular products, mainly from glass waste – drinking glasses made from wine bottles, for example,” Jeroen paints a picture of Pottle’s early stages.
Slowly but surely,Pottle grew into a social workplace where all kinds of different products are being made. Jeroen: “We have now made and sold over 500,000 products and we work with a team of over twenty people, most of whom are disadvantaged in the labor market. Since the start, we have helped around forty people gain a better position in the labor market.”
Better than that
From the very start, Pottle’s aim was to be both sustainable and socially meaningful. “Our idea was that if we were going to start a business, we wanted it to be both sustainable and social. And so, we obtained subsidies and machines, and the rest is history,” Jeroen says.
“We give people a chance who often don't get opportunities at other companies, who are used to being rejected in the workplace. With us, they get the opportunity to grow and participate, to build self-confidence. Ultimately, they can even become our employees and then move on to other jobs. It's wonderful to be able to contribute in that way,” he explains.
On the other hand,Pottle offers the opportunity to give a sustainable gift. Jeroen: “We focus on promotional and Christmas gifts, mostly. Very often, you see that these are actually a bit of rubbish: everyone is familiar with companies’ Christmas giftsfull of products that end up in the cupboard and then in the trash. And then,of course, there are the endless pens, water bottles, and plastic junk from China.”
“We thought: we can do better than that. That's why we offer original gifts with a story, often rescued from the trash, but also beautiful new sustainable products. We now have a very diverse range of over one hundred products now, it didn't stop at those wine glasses,” he says.
In a heartbeat
When learning about the BeStart program, the team at Pottle immediately thought participating was agreat idea. Eventually, they were part of the 2021 cohort. “We were eager to learn new things, boost our entrepreneurial skills, and hopefully give our company a boost as well,” according to Jeroen. “Of course, as an entrepreneur it's always difficult to commit to a program like BeStart, because you're always busy. So, we said to ourselves: we're going to go, this is important to us,even if it means falling behind on our day-to-day business. In the end, it was really fun, educational, and meaningful.”
“The BeStart program helped us bring more professionalism to our company by teaching us a lot about doing business from a theoretical perspective,” he adds. “We have finetuned our business model. We have better identified our customers: who are they, what do they want, and why. We have learned about raising investment and how it works.We have worked hard on our pitch and tested it extensively in different settings, which has helped us refine our story and communicate it moreeffectively. This has resulted in more leads and sales.”
“I am grateful to theBeStart team for offering us the option to participate,” Jeroen concludes. “Theprogram stays with you for years, maybe even your whole life. It shapes yourway of doing business. Time is always scarce, but I would do it again in aheartbeat.”
