Bloom: Jolien De Clercq
What if you could turn any passion into a working business model? Well, Jolien De Clercq can, whether it's about her innovative tech start-up Blue Goose or her passion for photography and travel. Once upon a time, she was firmly convinced of a career in insurance. After her encounter with the ICT sector, she never looked back! Modestly, Jolien tells us how she found the perfect match for her talents. Read her story here! ⬇️
I would invariably work in the banking or insurance sector and did not see the point of taking an ICT-related major during my Finance & Risk Management master's.'
Bye bye insurance, hello ICT!
Passionate about everything she undertakes - and she does undertaking in just about everything that crosses her path - Jolien wants to help as many people as possible, especially from the ICT sector. She studied commercial sciences and initially wanted to work in a bank or insurance company, but in her first job she immediately came into contact with the technical side of business analysis. From then on, her curiosity for the tech world only continued to grow and led to a managing partner position in an innovative tech start-up.
Of course, we want to know how you got into tech?
I am a good example of someone who had no intention of working in ICT, but ended up in that sector anyway,' she laughs. I was always going to work in the banking or insurance sector and didn't see the point of taking an ICT-related Master's in Finance & Risk Management. It was only in my first job that I realised it made sense. I was a business and support analyst and formed the link between IT and the business. Although we operated under IT, we were in contact with the end users. That fascinated me enormously! My interest grew to such an extent that I wanted to work more in ICT and less in the insurance sector. That was when I decided to build up my technical knowledge as an analyst. I really liked being able to support the business from within ICT! As part of second-line support, I could really help people. I was the one who listened to everyone if talking between different parties did not work. That was the catalyst for me to take my career in tech.
"I really enjoyed being able to support the business from within ICT! As part of second-line support, I could really help people."
The rapids
Jolien's decision to switch to a more IT-oriented job brought her to Cronos where she received the necessary training and certification and started work as a business analyst. My image of consultancy totally changed then. During my studies, I mainly knew the image of hard work and long hours at "the big four". I did not fit into that picture and therefore thought that consultancy was not for me. At Cronos, things turned out to be completely different. Hard work is possible, but in an interesting and above all human way. That is more my thing'.
In the meantime, you have become a managing partner. How did that happen?
Well, how I became an MP is actually a coincidence! That's a bit of a theme in my career', she jokes. It typifies me to make decisions step by step by feeling. I had been working for just under four years Cronos when the idea arose together with a colleague Dennis Aarts to set up Blue Goose set up. The concept of the company actually came from the market demand for the deployment of low-code platforms. With years of experience in translating business needs, we can now approach the various low-code platforms on the market from a different perspective. Our expertise lies in a methodology called 'model driven engineering'. With this, we provide automation and configuration of business models in low-code platforms, so that the analysis largely shapes the implementation.'
Did you ever have the ambition to go into business?
I didn't really aspire to it explicitly. I had to think about it for a while, but I don't regret my decision for a moment. We were in the middle of the pandemic, which was a real challenge because everything happened virtually, from setting up to staffing. In addition to the great drive that I always showed, general knowledge was also needed to help build the business unit together with Dennis, who has a lot of technical expertise. That's how the match came about, based on our complementarity.
"Becoming the trendsetter of our innovation with a new way of approaching IT projects, that would be really incredible!"
What do you want to achieve in the future?
We have been working with Blue Goose for about a year now and it remains exciting! From one day to the next I was at the helm of a business unit. Especially the recruitment process, guiding and supporting people are things I still want to learn a lot about. Virtual staffing is not easy, but we are gradually growing. Developing Blue Goose into a great competence centre with a strong team is my dream. Becoming the trendsetter of our innovation with a new way of approaching IT projects, that would really be incredible! I really believe in it, because there is a need for more model driven engineering like Blue Goose does. That market is almost virgin territory in Belgium.
A business model in ... everything?
"I take the time to think because I don't want to regret not doing it. (...) The road I have taken so far has already given me so much satisfaction."
When we ask her if Jolien has any projects besides her work, we fall from one surprise into another: Jolien combines her fine intuition for business with her entrepreneurial drive. Jolien's love for photography has led her to fully booked weekends with festive photo shoots which she enjoys doing as a sideline. Besides photography, travelling is another passion that is inextricably linked to Jolien. American national parks and especially Vietnam have stolen her heart. Together with her partner and boyfriend of many years, she bought a mobile home which she of course rents out to complete the business model.
Of her other love, her dog, she gratefully takes many pictures which she Own Instagram page post. Not only does this attract many followers, but also providers of free dog food, invitations to dog festivals and more.
So that entrepreneurship is really in you! Do you do it based on your feelings, your intuition?
Yes, I do. When something comes my way, I don't avoid it. I take the time to think because I don't want to regret not doing things. I try to get everything out of the moment, even when we travel, it's just in me. The road I have travelled so far has given me so much satisfaction. There is a social idea of having everything in order by the time you are 30. That's the age I am now, and I can't say I've experienced major drama with the decisions I've already made, everything is fine and I'm very happy about that!
