Marie worked for a large jewellery store in Brussels until the beginning of last year before taking the plunge and starting her own business. This developed into a special jewellery store that resolutely adopts a highly personal approach – just like KBC Brussels.
New in Brussels
Marie had dreamed of owning her own business for years, but up until last year that dream still seemed very far off. 'I spent almost six years working in a large jewellery store near the Avenue Louise. During that time, my husband and I fell in love with Brussels and spent over a year looking for a place to live here.'
At the end of 2014, Marie found an old shop for sale in an up-and-coming neighbourhood of Brussels, along with living quarters above it. It seemed the ideal opportunity to move to Brussels and to finally start her own business at the same time. She came to KBC Brussels with her questions. “Imagine how pleased I was when KBC Brussels told me the Region would subsidise the project.”
KBC Brussels really helped me on my way to becoming an entrepreneur in Brussels.
Marie (34)
Help starting up
'From the very beginning, KBC Brussels was extremely open and clear about the financing mix that would be necessary to make our plans come true,' she explains. 'All of our dreams became very real in just one meeting!'
As a new entrepreneur – who was also not yet resident in Brussels – Marie still had plenty of questions and doubts. Her relationship manager at KBC Brussels was able to reassure her. 'She perfectly understood all the things I needed to take into account and was quickly able to help me to make a few important decisions.'
In person and online
KBC Brussels also offered solutions for payments in the new store. Marie explains: 'Our jewels are highly personal and are often custom-made. That means our first contact has to go smoothly straight away. Quick and reliable payments definitely play a part in that.' KBC Brussels also collects orders via the web shop. 'That gives us a lot of reassurance, especially when it comes to large orders from clients abroad,' says Marie with a smile.
Assurance for the future
With self-employed people, the boundary between work and private life is often blurred. That was a source of anxiety for Marie, but she was also able to discuss this issue in detail with KBC Brussels. 'As a young entrepreneur and a young mother, I have to be particularly careful, as the future of my business also determines the future of my family. Fortunately, my meeting with KBC Brussels brought up a host of practical matters, and discussing these really reassured me.'
