Luuk van den Einden makes it in Tilburg

Luuk van den Einden, 29 years old, born and raised in Tilburg. Owner of Raas Koeriers, the only bicycle courier company in Tilburg. After studying Communication at Fontys, I became a manager at the restaurant where I worked at the time because I didn't see myself working in an office for a boss. After a while I heard that someone had started a bicycle courier company in Tilburg. I liked that so much that I applied the same weekend and within a week I also had a part-time job as a bicycle courier.

Then it went fast. A year later I was co-owner of Raas Koeriers and another year later I bought out my companions. In the meantime, we have tripled the turnover for three years in a row and the team has grown from three to twenty-five employees. This rapid growth is a lot of fun, but at times also hard. I have learned a lot from these 'growth pains' and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Increasing sustainability

The mission of Raas Koeriers is to make Tilburg's transport flows more sustainable by bicycle. I believe that the bicycle (in the broadest sense of the word) will occupy an increasingly prominent place within the logistical flows of Tilburg as a modern city. Bicycles are not harmful to the environment, are more pleasant for the environment and are much cheaper to buy and maintain than cars. In five years' time, I hope to see more (freight) bicycles than vans that take care of Tilburg's city logistics.

I think Tilburg is a great place to live. Authorities such as the municipality, Starterslift and the BOM offer good support for starters. The real Tilburg people were initially sceptical about 'a bicycle courier company', but I think that's a good thing.

Countercurrent advice

My advice for someone who is seriously considering starting a business may be diametrically opposed to my own previous education, but I mean it: if you are seriously considering doing business, then stop studying, stop reading books, watch videos and go to meetings about entrepreneurship. That's all fear and delay: the only way to start doing business is to start doing it.

Boss Couriers
Goirkezijstraat 3
5046 GS Tilburg
T: 013 2032087

Expo 88 - A heart for business

This story is part of Expo 88 - A heart for business. This exhibition - with photos in both Station 88 and at the university - shows twenty different entrepreneurs who followed their education at the university or a higher vocational education institution, family businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs of foreign origin and entrepreneurs who are guided by the Department of Entrepreneurial Advice of the Municipality of Tilburg. Companies that have existed for some time, but also relative newcomers. Photographers Erik van der Burgt and Tommy de Lange portrayed the entrepreneurs on the occasion of the opening of Station 88 on 1 March. The exhibition is made possible by contributions from Citymarketing Tilburg (Make it in Tilburg), Station 88 and Tilburg University.