Ilja van de Ven: “I like working with people who don’t listen to the Top 40”

Who are you

I am Ilja van de Ven, a woman of 46 years. Since 2022 I have been living with my partner in beautiful Erica, aka the birthplace of Pitfest.

What company do you have?

I have a company called Dwarser. And I call myself a mentor for sleepers. I do that through brand design and coaching. And through the just newly formed Dwarser Women’s Club, completely inspired by the Metal Business Club.

Instead of working from services, I started working from needs. And especially very much the needs of myself. So then I thought: if I call my company Dwarser, then I can be cross. So then it totally fits.

I am trained as a graphic designer. I’ve been doing that for 26 years, still with a lot of love. Making corporate identities for freelancers. Especially many self-employed women who, like me, want it all to be just a little bit different. People who call themselves multi-passionate or multi-talented, who therefore find many things interesting and want to combine all of that within their business. So I’m also trained as a life coach and creative therapist. I also use those two things to help people who are stuck move forward.

The Dwarf Women’s Club is not just for entrepreneurs. It’s a safe environment for anyone who doesn’t always dare to be themselves everywhere, who leaves a big part of themselves at home in certain social settings. Who are often told, “Why are you always so difficult? Why do you have to be so obstructive? And can’t you just do as everyone else does?’ No. So those women, I now offer a club for them to spar, network and know that you are not the only one.

What are your plans with your business and what are you running into?

I would like to really grow that Dwarse Vrouwen Club, so that I can get a lot of pleasure out of it myself and give a lot of pleasure to other people. Because it’s very valuable. But on the other hand, that something also stays at the bottom of the line. So that I also make money with it. I can really see that growing with merchandise and live events.

I want that when people come to me, it will be different, but just as qualitative. Short branding processes, but also for example a coaching session of two hours long. And just get on with it. I want someone to be able to move forward after two hours. I want someone to be branded after a week. From that dopamine-driven energy that I have myself, I want to be able to work. Look, I’ve had three burnouts. Therefore, I now want what works best for my energy balance. And so that I attract the right people with that.

Why did you join the MetalBC?

Well, because I didn’t have the most fantastic networking experiences before this. That is really to cry about. With physical and online meetings, but after that I was completely overexcited. There is a kind of vibe that is not mine. Kind of like you accidentally ended up at a field hockey party. While you’re in softball. So that you really think, I can’t hear you. So that doesn’t work for me. But I do want to get to know other entrepreneurs. And preferably not just women either.

Then my friend Marloes told me about the MetalBC, which I had also seen before. So a seed was planted there. And then I saw banners at Pitfest, I went to the website and then I saw all the acquaintances. It immediately felt familiar. And apart from that, I did need an entrepreneurial network. So I was looking for what suited me. The first meeting was at Lanting Reizen in Hoogeveen, just in the workshop. I loved that, because the club obviously didn’t want to make it seem more than it is. We just all stood together in a work space. I found that very liberating, that it was just relaxed. And if you don’t know what to ask someone else, you can always ask: are you going to see another fat band soon? You already have a connecting factor right away in terms of music. That’s so easy. I thought, yeah, I should join this.

What music/work-related story have you experienced in practice?

With my clients, I do notice that they indeed don’t listen to the Top 40. It’s more people who play some more extreme stuff. That also attracts new clients, I notice. The friend of a fellow member immediately became a client of mine for that reason, because she is going to start her own business and needs a corporate identity. There is already an indirect connecting factor, so you also just get clients out of it. You actually benefit from two, three levels of people in addition to fellow members. The referral is where the gold is.

In what area would you like to spar with other members of the club?

With some members I want to, with others I don’t. For example, I’m thinking of a cluster of creatives within the club. The people who make beautiful things for other entrepreneurs, like web designers, graphic designers, photographers and maybe more who are more on content. That kind of thing seems very interesting to me, also to see if in that way collaborations can arise. For example, that you already have someone you can refer to for personal branding photos. Or you say, well then you should be with him or her to have the website made.

To add: the club has maybe 10% female members. I don’t think that feels like a barrier. It’s just a reflection of the average in the metal scene. Being a member of the club is just as much of a warm bath. So if you’re still hesitant as a woman, I don’t think that’s a reason not to become a member.