New entrepreneurs make a difference

Do you know what you don't see when you look at benefits? What someone is planning.

"Benefits make sure someone can keep going, even when there's temporarily no work, and that people can keep caring for their loved ones. Many people at UWV work hard on that. At KVK, people are linked to an activity and what they're planning. The same person, two systems looking at something different.

Entrepreneurs are a special breed. They want to get something done in the world, change something in their neighbourhood, add something to other people's lives. As the pilot we ran with Everyday Heroes showed, that's just as true for entrepreneurs in a vulnerable position. A sworn interpreter, a dog trainer, a wine expert, a restorer of historic monuments.

People do their work out of commitment and passion, and want to make a difference with it. That goes for everyone. And those who shape that work into a business of their own carry the risk themselves and bring something into the world that wasn't there before. We invest in one person and what comes back is a business that in turn creates work and customers. And it's almost always about manageable investments in basic provisions: work materials, a course, a laptop, a driving licence. We have the knowledge and the position. It's up to us to make this the rule instead of the exception."