Start your business

Start your business

Start by shaping your business foundation to attract the right customers. By laying down this groundwork, you’ve essentially written your business plan and you’ll be ready to test your product or service. Then choose the right business structure, complete your registration, secure the necessary insurances and comply with privacy laws. Now, you’re all set to launch your own business.

Start flexible

  • Choose the complete course or handpick specific topics to build a personalised program that aligns with your goals and budget.

  • Each e-course is designed to guide you through 3-5-minute learning experiences.

  • With step-by-step tutorials, many examples, guiding questions, working documents, relevant links to trusted sources and takeaways with my personal advice.

  • By following your lessons on your mobile, you can even take the e-course on the go.

e-Courses

Your Business Foundation

Most businesses focus on what they do, making them sound identical. People are inspired by why you do something. Learn how to start a business that attracts loyal customers.

Applicable worldwide 🌏

pen on a paper

Your Business Plan

Now you’ve anchored your business idea in a solid foundation, you’re ready to complete your business plan with a market analysis, financial projections and a business name.

Applicable worldwide 🌏

Your Legal Business Structure

Choosing the right legal structure is important as it affects various legal and financial aspects of your business such as liability, tax, and set-up requirements. Learn which one is best suited for you.

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Register Your Business

Make it official by registering your business with the Chamber of Commerce and the Tax Authority and open a bank account. Prepare yourself for the process.

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Insurance

It’s better to be safe than sorry. Learn what minimum insurance package suits your business and legal structure. With an extra chapter on Occupational Disability Insurance (AOV).

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

The GDPR (AVG) Guide

Also freelancers and small businesses need to comply with the privacy law GDPR (AVG) because they often process personal data, sometimes without realising it. Get compliant.

Applicable in Europe🇪🇺

The DBA Act

Get your self-employment status status straight. Learn how to comply with the DBA Act as a self-employed professional without staff (ZZP'er), how to mitigate risks and what you need to arrange.

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Legal

Legal basics help to protect your business. Set up your legal basics: Terms & Conditions, a disclaimer, a contract and invoices that meet the legal requirements.

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Start Your Business
The complete course

Starting a business is inspiring, fun, and at times challenging. With the complete course you have access to all the e-courses of the program. We do it together.

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Your business foundation

Create a rock solid foundation for a sustainable business

Applicable worldwide 🌏

Attract the right customers

Most business focus on what they do, making them sound identical. It doesn’t evoke an emotion or feeling. People are inspired by why you do something, not just what you do.

Learn how to start a business that fits with your beliefs, in a way it energises you. Attract customers that share your way of doing business and will stay loyal to you.

Why is this important?

Before you share your business idea and model with the outside world, you need to anchor it in yourself. That way, you’ll build a rock-solid business foundation that keeps you on track when you lose faith. It’s your yardstick at crossroads, helping you stay headstrong when necessary and find workarounds when you hit a roadblock. It’s also your inspiration box when you need to write proposals and create content for social media.

How to get there?

I’ll guide you through all the essential steps to discover what sparks you and keeps you going, what energises you and what drains you (so you can avoid or manage it) to create your personal and business foundation.

After this course:

  • You’ve created a solid business foundation.

  • You’ve built your business model from the inside out, designed around what gets you going.

  • You’re ready to test your idea and complete your business plan to connect with the outside world.

Your Business Plan

Applicable worldwide 🌏

Step outside

Now that you’ve anchored your business idea in a solid foundation, you’re ready to integrate the outside world into your plan and present yourself.

You’re ready to complete your plan with a market analysis, financial projections, and create a business name.

Why is this important?

A business plan turns your ideas into actionable steps, helps you stay on track and present your plan to others.

After this course:

  • You have an actionable business plan that helps you to bring your idea to life.

  • Your business plan is ready to present to stakeholders such as the bank or investors, your accountant, or the Chamber of Commerce when you register your business.

papers with business graphics on a wall

How to get there?

I’ll guide you step-by-step through the proces with templates and examples to draft your own business plan.

Register Your Business

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

You’re really starting your business!

After creating your business plan and choosing your legal business structure, you can now register your business with the Chamber of Commerce and the Tax Authority and open a bank account. 

After this course:

  • You’re officially in business.

  • You have the necessary business registration number and VAT-number to do business.

  • You know how to get the most out of your registration.

pen on a paper

How to get there?

You’ll  get a clear overview of the most important actions you’ll need to take, so you don’t get overwhelmed by all the information out there. I’ll help you prepare all the required information.

Why is this important?

It is a legal requirement to register with the Chamber of Commerce and Tax Authority when you start a business. You need a bank account to do business.

You'll need to provide details about your business plan, your legal business structure and activity codes, company name, website domain name, and other key info needed to start.

The GDPR (AVG) Guide for Small Businesses and Freelancers

Applicable in Europe 🇪🇺

Personal data

Do you know that a name of a person is already considered personal data?

So, if you store your customer's name, for example in an email, you’re already processing personal data.

After this course:

  • You know how to comply with the GDPR to protect your customers’ personal data.

  • You’ve drafted a privacy statement, set up your cookies, enabled customers to exercise their rights, and finalised the necessary agreements with parties that process your and your customers’ personal data.

numeric lock, keyboard, sim cards, chips

How to get there?

With the 6-Step GDPR Compliance Checklist, I’ll help you set up the essential basics to comply with the GDPR.

Using the templates and clear examples, you’ll build your personal GDPR toolkit step-by-step.

Why is this important?

Also freelancers and small businesses need to comply with the privacy law GDPR (AVG) because they often process personal data, sometimes without realising it, such as customer names, email addresses, or payment details.

The DBA Act

Applicable to freelancers (ZZP'ers) in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Self-employment status

Freelancers (ZZP’ers) are often hired as a flexible layer by clients to provide flexibility and scalability for a business or project. Hiring freelancers also has implications for the businesses that contract them. 

The government has implemented the DBA Act to prevent fraudulent contracting and sham self-employment. Your legal business structure doesn't matter. The focus is on the fact that you are self-employed without staff.

After this course:

  • You’ll know how to comply with the DBA Act as a self-employed professional without staff (ZZP'er).

  • You’ll know how to mitigate risks and what you need to arrange.

How to get there?

I’ll guide you through the background of the DBA Act, explain how to comply with it, and share tips and useful links and tools, along with an explanation on how to use them.

Why is this important?

To comply with the DBA Act both freelancers and clients must structure their working relationship in such a way that it doesn’t qualify as employment under Dutch law.

The difficulty is that the criteria don’t stand alone, it’s about the specific situation and the full picture. The more you act like an independent contractor, the better. 

Insurance

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Make an informed decision

Running a business can involve various risks. Even when you don't mean to, things can go wrong, like accidentally damaging a client's property or facing liability issues with your product. Depending on the legal structure of your business, you may face personal liability. 

It's not something to stress over, but it's better to be safe than sorry. 

After this course:

  • You’ve learned about potential business and risks, which enables you to get a grip on them.

  • You’re able to make a considerate choice for the (minimum) insurance package that suits the nature of your business and your legal business structure.

How to get there?

We’ll explore the types of business insurance you need to know about. I’ll walk you through the various insurance options and the basic coverage every business should have. Plus, we’ll take a closer look at occupational disability insurance. With relevant links and tips to save you money.

Why is this important?

Insurance is a crucial part of your risk management, helping to protect against potential financial losses and liabilities.

With an extra chapter on Occupational Disability Insurance (AOV) and alternatives.

Start Your Business - The complete course

Applicable in the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Your business journey

Starting a business is inspiring, fun, and at times challenging. It’t not a straight road: there will be bends, unforeseen events and key decisions to make along the way.

With the complete course you have access to all the e-courses of the program Start your business with a 5,5% discount.

After this course:

  • You’re officially in business.

  • You’ve created a solid business foundation.

  • You’ve built your business model from the inside out, designing it around what drives you and sets you apart from the rest.

  • Your business plan with actionable steps helps you stay on track.

  • You’ve set up all the essentials and comply with legal requirements and relevant laws, such as the DBA Act and the GDPR.

4 pieces of a puzzle fitting together, hold my people

How to get there?

I’ll guide you through all the essential steps with step-by-step tutorials, many examples, guiding questions, working documents, relevant links to trusted sources and takeaways with my personal advice and lessons learned.

Why is this important?

With a strong base to return to for support and an actionable business plan, you’ll move forward with confidence.  

By completing all the essential steps, like complying with the law, official registration, and securing the necessary insurances and legal arrangements, you’re all set to go.

What People Are Saying

  • I’m not one for sitting behind books, but the e-courses on the DBA act and legal business structures actually made sense to me. Now I finally understand the rules, and I feel good knowing I’m doing things right as a ZZP’er.

    Mark, 53, the Netherlands, carpenter

  • After deciding to take the leap and start my own business, I took the complete Start Your Business course. It walked me through every step I needed to take. The online coaching sessions with Sharon while putting together my business plan were not only inspiring, she also brought fresh perspectives to the table and she even introduced me to my first clients.

    Bas, the Netherlands, 47, handyman

  • Sharon is like my online co-entrepreneur. She helped me save money by guiding me on how to work with my accountant and legal advisors. Thanks to the Start Your Business e-course, I now have the knowledge to ask the right questions and go into those meetings fully prepared.

    Mark, 41, book shop owner