The Netherlands has become a zzp economy. In 2024, 1.3 million people had zzp as their main job — 13% of all employed workers — and zzp’ers now make up 78% of the entire self-employed population according to CBS statistics. Many of these independents come directly from salaried positions: each quarter, about 83,000 people become self-employed, and roughly 36,000 transition straight from employment. Growth is especially strong in business services, ICT, healthcare and education, sectors where many professionals leave corporate or institutional roles to work for themselves.

But here’s the problem: too many of them still run their business as if they were running a corporate project.

They copy-paste the tactics they know: campaigns, funnels, content calendars, only to discover that what worked in a team of 100 collapses when you’re a team of one.

The result? Overwhelm, burnout and businesses that stall instead of flow.

Why the corporate playbook doesn’t work

  • Budgets don’t match. Corporations can test and waste; solos need traction now.
  • Teams don’t exist. You are marketing, sales, ops and finance.
  • Brand gravity isn’t transferable. Corporations get attention by default; you must earn it through story and trust.
  • Activity isn’t strategy. Doing “all the right things” without a unifying framework just creates noise.

It’s not that you’re failing. It’s that you’re playing the wrong game.

A new ecosystem for doing business differently

The solution isn’t another tactic. It’s a new playbook for solopreneurs and small businesses, one that combines strategy, accountability and systems.

1. Strategy → SPIN Methodology

I created the SPIN Methodology to help founders stop guessing and start marketing with purpose:

  • S — Story: your identity, values, and voice.
  • P — People: your audience and what drives them.
  • I — Intention: goals you actually revisit.
  • N — Navigation: an actionable roadmap.

It’s sustainable marketing you can implement with your own energy and resources.

2. Accountability → Elevate Circles

Clarity is useless without follow-through. That’s why we co-created Elevate Circles: small, mentor-guided groups of 3–6 entrepreneurs.

  • Confidential, supportive space
  • Six sessions over four months
  • Themes like sales, structure, storytelling, energy mastery, and AI

This isn’t theory. It’s guided peer mentorship: accountability and support to make sure you act on your strategy.

3. Systems & Community → BASE Conference 2025

Finally, you need systems that create flow. That’s the theme of this year’s BASE Conference (30 October 2025, Amsterdam).

Because most businesses grow by trial and error. It works until complexity takes over. Without the right systems, growth collapses into chaos: missed deadlines, scattered communication, financial stress, and burnout.

At BASE 2025, we’ll explore how systems don’t limit you. They unlock clarity, creativity and sustainable growth.

Guided by the four BASE pillars — Build, Advance, Sustain, Elevate — you’ll learn how to:

  • Onboard smoothly and align teams on values.
  • Create human-centric marketing and sales pathways.
  • Build financial transparency and long-term resilience.
  • Design repeatable innovation rooted in sustainability.

BASE isn’t another pitch-fest. It’s a movement to redirect time, money, and partnerships back into small businesses, where the real impact happens.

From chaos to flow

The Dutch solopreneur ecosystem doesn’t need more noise. It needs clarity, accountability and systems.

That’s how you stop copy-pasting corporate chaos and start building a business that grows with focus, connection and flow.

Explore the ecosystem:

Because vision isn’t enough. To grow, you need systems that create flow.