'Dare to choose your passion'
He is now taking 9 years to complete his studies. But that's the price Lex Willems is happy to pay for following his passion. Lex is co-owner of the company where he got a side job when he was 15.
Whether the interview can be done a day earlier. Lex Willems (27) is working on his truck driving license and his driving instructor has rescheduled the lesson. No problem. But as commercial director of an events company, do you have to be able to drive a truck? 'Well no, not that directly,' says Lex. But we have a number of our own trucks parked out front. So it's nice if you can drive one yourself. It is indeed a bit of a boyish dream that I want to make come true.
Scholar
Doing something because your heart is in it. As the conversation goes, that seems fairly typical of how Lex Willems is in life. His story began when, at the age of 15, he wanted to organize a small event in his hometown. An audiovisual company heard about it and offered to provide light and sound. The party was a success and the director of the audiovisual company asked the student if he was looking for a job on the side. That's how Lex Willems got into the events business. At first mainly as a porter of cables and lights, later more as an organizer. The former director is now his business partner, but more on that later.
Wrestling
After VWO I went to study International Business Administration in Tilburg,' says Lex. Meanwhile I was organizing student parties. After a while every association in Tilburg knew: if you want a good party, you have to call Lex. The result was that his study pace was slightly slower than that of his fellow students. After a while, this started to niggle a bit. 'I struggled for quite a long time with the expectations of the outside world,' Lex looks back. By this I mean that, especially if you study in Tilburg, it is obvious that you should graduate quickly and then go and work for a large company in Amsterdam. When I took a gap year to do management work, I noticed that I didn't really feel like it. I really enjoyed organizing parties and events in Brabant. That was my heart. At the same time I had my doubts: shouldn't I opt for a career in the Randstad, like many of my college friends?
Companions
Lex says he benefited greatly from IQONIC, Tilburg University's incubator that helps starting entrepreneurs with advice. I found the contact with other entrepreneurial students particularly valuable. They were facing the same dilemma as I was: to fully dedicate themselves to their studies or to follow their passion for business? By talking to others I came to the conclusion that I should continue with the company that was growing rapidly by now. Another nice thing about IQONIC was that I didn't have to defend myself there. If you are a student and you are also an entrepreneur, others sometimes see it as a hobby that has gotten out of hand. At one point we had twenty employees. What do you mean by hobby? All those employees depended on the company for their income and mortgage.'
Corona
In 2019, the audio-visual company was doing so well that the director wanted to broaden. Not just to do more lighting and sound but to become a full-fledged event company that could take care of all the worries. He asked if Lex wanted to become commercial director and participate in the new company. So Lex's former boss is now his partner. And then in March 2020 came corona. The events industry was hit the hardest in all of the Netherlands, no party or event could go on. Everything went on lockdown. Lex: "But Corona actually helped us to grow. We were one of the first to start live streaming. We built a number of studios from which customers could make Internet broadcasts. We did this for Panasonic and the tax authorities, among others, but also for local companies.' The new activity not only ensured that the turnover remained on par but had an important side effect: 'The festivals and parties stopped. At competitor companies I saw employees being fired or leaving the company. But we were able to deploy our people in the streaming business. In this way we were able to keep important knowledge in the company. When the restrictive measures disappeared, we were able to make a flying restart.'
Self-directed
Employees are also important in the next step Lex wants to take with Spectrum AV. 'We are moving towards self-managing teams. This means that we as management set certain goals, but that teams are largely responsible for how they realize those goals. The big advantage of self-managing teams is that you make more use of the innovative power and knowledge of employees. That is also more challenging for them.' Finally, a question of conscience: what does Lex think he'll have in his pocket sooner, his truck driving license or his degree? 'At least before the end of this year.'
Cv Lex Willems
Age: 27.
Education: international business administration at Tilburg University (2013-present).
Company: Spectrum AV (founded August 2019).
Opinion: 'In hindsight, I should have paid more attention to my studies. Still, I haven't regretted a day of entrepreneurship.'