Marcel Duits, ondernemer
Welcome to my website. I am Marcel Duits, entrepreneur, business angel, speaker, coach and trainer. Entrepreneurship is my passion, and I am fascinated by how the brain functions. Especially the concept insights. I studied the phenomenon of “insight creation”. These studies led me to firmly believe an ecosystem to create insights should be at the core of every start-up.
When I was 11, I started my first unofficial business. Specifically, I cleaned wheelie bins for the entire neighborhood, which provided me with quite some pocket money. Later, when I was a student, I founded an MBA website. Eventually, it became a platform that quickly became well-known in the educational sector. 2013, I sold the website to the leading Dutch online learning platform, Springest.com. Looking back many years later, this was just the beginning.
Unique experience
After my studies, I started working with the innovative start-up Pingi, now a unique player in air dehumidification. For the most part, that’s where I learned the dos and don’ts of start-ups. In 2010, in the middle of the euro crisis, I was selected from a thousand participants for the Unilever trainee program. With customers like Albert Heijn, Unilever became a unique learning school. The entrepreneur in me, however, could not be restrained, so I put aside the security and the fixed salary of a permanent job. With a substantial study debt in my pocket and a very modest working capital, I launched Bye Bra in 2011 – the start of my success story.
The success of Bye Bra
Inspired by my girlfriend – now my wife – I developed an innovative adhesive strapless bra. That was the start of Bye Bra and my life as an entrepreneur. I built the company from the ground up, and enjoyed significant success: In less than eight years Bye Bra became a global player in bra accessories and shapewear. Seeing a company flourish through your business operations and innovative attitude gives you wings! In 2018, Bye Bra – which had by then become a business with offices in two countries, operating in 60 countries, and holding several patents – was acquired by an Italian investor (nu.nl, fashionunited.nl). And now? Now, I help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
Structure and vision
In the meantime, I developed a success formula to start up my businesses and make them internationally successful. With the right eco-system, optimizing the variables of time, costs, speed, and quality are the key to success. As a matter of fact, by making smart choices in business operations, along with a bit of help from me, every start-up can reap the full benefits of Porter’s three strategies. With this in mind, focusing on the success formula combines the three strategies into one leading strategy. Therefore my business model opens the door for entrepreneurs to new business opportunities such as smart sourcing and outsourcing, and lean offices abroad. My company at the time, Bye Bra, experienced its impressive growth without any external funding, all due to my business model.
Insights
An insight is the moment when new information meets existing knowledge. Suddenly, everything falls into place, and that’s the start of an idea. Consequently, I have always had an above-average interest in this process. Specifically, I like to create insights for others as well. That’s why after I sold Bye Bra I have been thinking about what I enjoy doing, what I am good at, and where I can create insights. In light of this, as a business angel, I distinguish myself by building the ecosystem of a startup based on those insights.
What’s next?
At the end of 2021, I moved to Prague. These days, I spend most of my time helping start-ups, and I am closely involved as a co-owner of Dubrink and The Kickstart Company. Through a dozen universities in the Netherlands, I share my knowledge through the training I offer to student associations. I also enjoy having ‘expert sessions‘ in which I share specific knowledge.
Are you curious about my entrepreneurial journey or how I build companies from scratch? I am happy to share my knowledge and experience with you, so feel free to contact me.
