According to Head of Partnerships Ronald, Flow can only be a real success with the right partnerships. And that is what he is going to make sure of. Ronald can also be found in his 1600 square meter garden: gardening, playing volleyball with his family or behind the barbecue with a large piece of fresh salmon.
At the end of 2020 I was one of the first people to join the Flow team. At the time, I worked as a freelancer and was mainly involved in sales and partnerships. Daan and I got talking on LinkedIn, and I was immediately enthusiastic about Flow because they make very good use of open banking and open finance. I also think it's very cool that Flow can really help people get a grip on their money. And I think that is much needed, because financial stress is one of the biggest wake-up calls in the world. When Daan wondered whether it would be possible to find partners who wanted to work with Flow, I was keen to get started. I started with one day a week, and we agreed: if it suits you, we can always expand. Well, that last thing happened."
Cooperations
"Even if you are a young fintech with a very nice product, you will have to make a connection with the existing world. Flow can only be a success by entering into collaborations, I am convinced of that. Because through a partner you can gain access to a large customer group in one go. Of course we already have partnerships with Meesman, Snelstart and Profit First, for example. More collaborations are needed. Because that's the way to start earning money for Flow. One of our investors told us: it is quite difficult to get consumers to pay for a product like Flow, because for them the app is an extra, a vitamin. But for freelancers and entrepreneurs, Flow is more of a medicin. They have started doing something they are good at, but managing their own finances is almost never one of them. They could use a little help and are often willing to pay for it."
Playground
"I have a 1600 square meter garden, which I also call our playground. There is a table tennis table for the kids and a volleyball net; almost every night we play a game of volleyball with the family. We also have a punching bag and a swimming pool. The latter sounds a bit decadent, but it's not that bad. Twice a year I spend half a day building it and taking it down myself. The garden is also full of flowers and plants, which I maintain myself. We now have a whole row of sunflowers 2.5 meters high, and in the spring I have a tulip field. I exchange cuttings and seeds with my neighbors, so I hardly ever get anything from the garden center. When I work at home I love to alternate sitting behind my laptop with a few moments of removing weeds, watering or doing something else in the garden. It's almost meditative. And then I can get back to work with new energy.
I am the oldest member of the Flow team but I don't feel old. I really enjoy working with young people and it gives me a lot of energy. We've all embarked on a kind of journey and we don't quite know how it's going to turn out. That makes it adventurous and super fun."
Connector
"Because I have a lot of experience in the investment world, I could also help Flow raise money from investors. During the last funding round, I was present at almost every meeting together with Daan. I think my strength is that I am not so formal. By nature, meetings about investments seem very businesslike, but I am convinced that the relational factor is much more important than everyone thinks. A nice anecdote or well-timed joke can give some air to a conversation, and that makes it a lot easier to talk. I am good at finding the right balance in such a conversation and see myself as a kind of connector. And sometimes I can also say to Daan, who is always very enthusiastic,: now you have to be quiet to hear what the agenda of this investor is. And Daan is totally fine with that."
Running
"In the early days of Flow, Daan, Niels and I regularly went running together. At the time we rented an office near the Amsterdamse Bos once a week and then went for a run through the woods at around five o'clock. Now that we have an office in the Houthavens we don't do it as much; the area is less suitable for it. But when we are abroad, we always go for a run. We went for a run in Regent Park in London and in Sofia we walked through a park in the middle of the city. You experience a city so differently all of a sudden! And it's always a great topic of conversation with investors, customers or partners."
