Like-minded people

February 2023.

A business idea is just an idea, the “business” part remains to be proven.

Beef jerky is fun to experiment with, but could it become a full-on business project ? I thought there might be a market for it in Europe, but that was really just a hunch based on my own experience.

A post on LinkedIn encouraged me to apply for the Feb23 cohort of the StartLAB. I applied and had to pitch in front of Joëlle. I instantly liked Joëlle. The absolutely immaculate positive vibes I got from her convinced me the startLAB would be a good place to start and explore whether my idea actually had potential, and ultimately answer the question : could there be a product-market fit for beef jerky in Europe ?

I would attend masterclasses, workshops and meet entrepreneurs to find out.

My favorite part ? Meeting passionate people, with bold ideas. Discussing these business ideas. Feeling the energy flow. I always got home excited about the future.

I’m still part of the startLAB today even though I must admit I’m not that present at workshops anymore. However I’m still very much enjoying the opportunities they provide. In the last few months I’ve had access to :

• 12 marketing students doing a study on expansion in Flanders;
• A nice interview video showcasing a prototyping day (which you can watch here below);
• Sections in their newsletter to announce new stuff (such as the new product range, Tof Raw).

Also made a few friends there. So, thank you StartLAB !

There are other organizations who’ve helped me along the way. Hub.brussels is an important one. But that’s a story for another day !

Sharing more tomorrow.