Renske Teekens studies Applied Psychology, but fell ‘in love with entrepreneurship’, as she calls it, during her studies. Earlier, she never saw herself as an entrepreneur. That changed when Renske attended the Startup Entrepreneur minor of the Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship (SCvO) last academic year. There, she not only received practical tools, but also developed more self-confidence to further shape her company Book bundles. Something she is now fully engaged in. ‘The most important thing I learned at the SCvO is that I can believe in myself,’ says Renske.
Her own studies are currently on pause, Renske tells us at the beginning of our conversation. For good reason: ‘I only have to graduate and I'm definitely going to do that, but at the moment I'm really focusing on the programmes I'm following at SCvO in Enschede for a while. I'm now taking a bit of a turn with the wonderful, extra things I can learn here at Saxion. When I oriented myself to that, I became more and more curious about what Saxion has to offer students.’
Taking a step back for a moment. We are writing ‘academic year 2020-2021’ as Renske is fully engaged in the first year of her Applied Psychology course. Corona brings the world to a halt at once. And even though education at Saxion will start online in a few days, it is a crazy and special time when everyone has to find their way again. This also applies to Renske. She studies hard, she says, but regularly finds it difficult to oversee how to organise her study programme and where to find information from a distance. Suddenly she no longer walks through the corridors of Saxion, or sits next to her classmates in a classroom. Suddenly, it is no longer possible to consult each other ‘as a matter of course’: How do you approach this subject? Do you have any tips on how I can cram this book into my head as well as possible before the next exam? It got bigger and bigger. Senior students from the course also joined in and started giving tips.
Cramming lesson material
‘I was looking for practical tips, but also to connect with fellow students. It seemed important to do something about that, so I started a study questions group app,’ says Renske. ‘More and more people joined. We agreed to help each other: online study sessions via Teams to motivate each other, making summaries of lessons together, Kahoot quizzes to rehearse those lessons for exams. It got bigger and bigger. Senior students from the programme also joined in and started giving tips. This is how, for a certain subject, a Word document came into being with summaries, mnemonics to memorise the lesson material, links to YouTube videos with extra explanations and other tips to complete that subject well.’
At some point, Renske concluded that quite a lot of time and work went into making the collection documents.She decided to rename these ‘subject files’ as ‘Book Bundles’, which others could purchase from her for a fee.
‘In the beginning, students could request one via a dm in Instagram. We then sent the document by email. But the administration was growing, so I decided to offer them through a webshop. There, people can create an account and download the Book Bundles by subject. The students who participated in it could send me a receipt. That way I could compensate them neatly for their work.’
For me, it was important that I really dared to start seeing myself as an entrepreneur during the minor. The most important thing I learned at SCvO is that I can believe in myself. That is so valuable.
Solid foundation
A great initiative, created primarily to help each other, but a stepping stone to entrepreneurship. Still, there are questions. About copyrights, the quality of the reading lists and references, the reliability of the sources. How does Renske deal with that? ‘That is definitely a point of attention. Together with the coaches of the Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship, I am currently focusing on laying a solid foundation for my business. An important part of this is developing a quality assurance system. As is securing regulations around copyright.’
Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship
First the step that brought Renske to the SCvO. For Book Bundles came into being informally during the corona years, even before Renske realised she was an entrepreneur. Let alone that she saw herself that way. ‘We wanted to create overview with our student team first and foremost. For certain subjects, you have to go through about five or six books. How do you do that conveniently? What are good mnemonics and tips for memorising the large amount of material, what other videos or websites can help you understand the material better? Book bundles were mainly about helping each other at first. Not at all about entrepreneurship yet.’
How did Renske get in touch with the SCvO? ‘I saw the centre come up online and was curious what I could learn there. That's how I latched on to something like the business coaching the centre offers students. Then I thought: yes, this is it. This is where I just have to join. I wanted to take the Startup Entrepreneur minor mainly for my personal development. Not because I needed the credits. Book bundles already existed, but the business got much more direction because of all the things I learned in the minor.’
Book bundles was mainly about helping each other at first. Not at all about entrepreneurship yet.
More self-confidence
And so, Renske stepped in. Last year, she took the minor. She thinks back fondly of her class, the inspiring coaches and the interesting workshops, she says. She also found it a challenging course: ‘But I like that. For me, it was important that during the minor I really dared to see myself as an entrepreneur. The most important thing I learned at SCvO is that I can believe in myself. That is so valuable. They really gave me more self-confidence there.’ That self-confidence also grew through the practical workshops. For example, on LinkedIn, marketing, sales and communication, Renske explains. ‘Basically, you learn the basics you need to be an entrepreneur. I found the workshops enormously motivating.’
Meanwhile, her minor has officially ended. She is still in touch with some classmates. Renske is also still connected to the SCvO, where she is allowed to use a room in the Saxion building at Ariënsplein in Enschede. She can be found there almost every day, doing research on how to further shape Book bundles. ‘I feel very involved in everything that happens here around entrepreneurship. And I am now following the follow-up minor: A Scale Up Entrepreneur.This academic year is all about laying a solid foundation for Book Bundles for me. In the process, my life has really changed because of entrepreneurship. I feel a lot better about myself and really supported by the help I get here at SCvO.'
Are you entrepreneurial, ambitious, and willing to take risks? Then the Startup Entrepreneur minor is for you! In an inspiring environment, you will learn the skills you need to become a top entrepreneur. You will learn by doing and will be actively working on your own business and your entrepreneurial skills for a total of twenty weeks. You choose your own path and determine (partly) your own office hours.
This minor is an adventure within your own studies — an opportunity that won't come around again anytime soon, so sign up quickly! Find more information and how to sign up here.
