Who are you?
I am Jaap Hermans, 50 years old. I live in Eindhoven with my wife and son.
What business do you have?
From January 1, 2024, I am the owner of Jokkmokk, a cheese store in Eindhoven which I intend to transform into a delicatessen with cheese as its main business. It is my intention to offer a wide range of delicacies, preferably as local as possible. The preparations for this have taken about a year.
What are your plans for your business and what are you running into?
The previous owner made a good name for himself in terms of the cheese collection. But the company still lagged behind when it came to modern and professional management. My goal is to keep the cheese collection at a particularly high level while modernizing the business. Both at the front and at the back. Think of inventory management, billing to catering customers and the other fundamentals that come with a retail business. At the same time, I do want to maintain the feel of a convenience store.
My pitfall is that my enthusiasm tends to make me want to do everything at once. So temporizing and keeping a phased plan are my challenges for the time ahead.
Why did you join the MetalBC?
I know some of the founders and I hold them all in high regard when it comes to creative entrepreneurship and thinking outside the box. I find that inspiring. I saw the MetalBC come by on my timeline a number of times and I already knew some people who had become members. I can still remember sending one of the founders an app to ask if it would be something for me to join. While I hadn’t even waited for the reply, in the same message I was already sending the reasons why I should actually become a member. So I answered my own question haha!
To get a taste of exactly what the MetalBC is all about I came to the meeting at the Effenaar. I found that extremely educational, especially the organized networking. Doing your pitch in 1 minute was a challenge for me. It took me 10 minutes! But in the second round, I just managed to get everything down to the 1-minute mark. For someone who talks a lot, that’s already an extraordinary experience. So then I knew that being a member of this club is indeed something for me.
I notice the low threshold that exists because of the common love for music. While in the meantime the members are very serious. Just knowing that I can just throw an entrepreneurial question into the group is reassuring to me.
What music/work-related story have you experienced in practice?
My favorite band of all time is The Dillinger Escape Plan. Not only in terms of music, but they are inspiring in how they handle everything around it. The first thing I put up on the wall of my store were two posters of The Dillinger Escape Plan. That has nothing to do with cheese at all, but it immediately generated a nice conversation with a regular customer, who always comes into the store in his metal shirts. He didn’t like the band’s music at all, but he loved my enthusiasm about it! And then he picked up a pound of young cured, haha.
In what area would you like to spar with other members of the club?
I feel that I will encounter issues in my journey. For that I need short lines of feedback and knowledge. An exchange of ideas about my vision and when I need to make adjustments is very valuable. I strongly believe in my own plan, but I will always keep asking entrepreneurial questions. I like to do that together with other members of the club.
Want to know more? Get in touch with Jaap!