It’s almost the second tuesday of this month, which means, time for Tech Tuesday! This edition of the Tech Tuesday we’ll shake things up a little bit. Connecting the regular Tech Tuesday team (Permanent Beta) with Enter Network. Because that’s how we like to do things at Seats2meet! Before we head to the details of the Tech Tuesday x Enter Network meetup, more about this mysterious Enter Network.
Because yes, you could say it all started at Seats2meet. At least that is what Jochem, co-owner of Infloat and the Enter Network, told me. Before he started Infloat (and later, Enter Network) he worked as a freelancer in online marketing. Seats2meet was his first ‘office’ outside of his own home when he started freelancing in 2016. In this interview below, Jochem will explain the concept of Enter Network, the meetups, connection with S2M and his vision.
Could you tell me a bit more about you and Enter Network?
“Certainly. Enter Network is a community for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, currently from in and around Utrecht. We started Enter Network with a meetup (then called the Utrecht Entrepreneurship Meetup) to meet other entrepreneurs and learn something in the process. I currently co-own a boutique consultancy in blockchain applications called Infloat; as a side project, my colleague from Infloat and I have been running Enter Network since we started half a year ago.”
Why do you organise these meetups?
“For several years I’ve been interested in entrepreneurship. In other cities (notably Amsterdam) there were a variety of events you could go to if you wanted to learn more about startups and meeting like-minded people — but in Utrecht this wasn’t really the case. There are some great initiatives (from UtrechtInc, StartupUtrecht) that host meetups/events, but I felt entrepreneurs in Utrecht would benefit from another initiative that took a different perspective.”
Why did you choose Seats2meet as location for the meetup?
“I think Seats2Meet is a great concept and an excellent place to host our Enter Network meetup. We try to keep our meetup open to anyone who wants to join, because we believe in the power of community and helping one another; this is something that fits very well with the S2M principles.”
What is the best serendipity-moment you’ve had so far?
“When we just started with Infloat, we had our office at the Garage at UtrechtInc. One day I was working there, and I suddenly saw a former classmate of mine from high school walk in. I hadn’t seen him for at least 8 years, and it turned out he now was also running his own company. Later on, I invited him to join our meetups, and he’s now one of the core members of the Enter Network community!”
With Enter Network, you’re organizing meetups for entrepreneurs. What does networking mean to you and why is it so important?
“For me, networking with others has benefits now and simultaneously is an investment for later. It’s great to talk to people who are facing the same challenges as you are; whether it relates to sales, startup funding, or a topic like building a local brand. But networking is also an investment; once you actually face a particular challenge you want solved (e.g. when you’re looking to gain additional customers), it’s great to start with asking advice from people you already know. So by networking, you basically expand the amount of people you can ask help from, and in this way ensure that you can solve future challenges/problems faster.”
The theme of this upcoming meetup (11th of June) will be “Digital Nomads”. A digital nomad is someone who is working remotely, preferably in a sunny place such as Thailand or Bali. Many people (specifically freelancers) enjoy working in this way because they’re able to make a good salary while enjoying a holiday-like way of living. For this meetup, we’ve invited to speakers who both have been and are digital nomads. These digital nomads are used to working with people (clients and colleagues) across borders and timezones. The evening will end with some time for drinks, and of course, networking.
Excited to join? Let us, and (even more important) others know that you’ll be there. You can find the event on the Seats2meet agenda, Meetup.com and on Facebook. See you Tuesday, the 11th of June!
