At the age when most of the people are confused about their path of life, the 20-year old entrepreneur from the Netherlands, Roel Oosterwijk is busy providing various
freelancing services to help people and businesses achieve their goals. We recently had a chance to interview this talented, young entrepreneur, and we talked from the
length and breadth of his success story.
Roel Oosterwijk is the name of a thriving, successful young entrepreneur and freelance digital creator. He provides various essential internet services, such as photography, graphic design, web design, advertising, eCommerce and online marketing, to people and organizations and helps them achieve their digital needs.
Roel is an expert in eCommerce; he already sold 3,500 products worldwide. In 2019,he was nominated as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Here are some bits of our
fruitful discussion:
At this critical age of 20, how are you able to maintain such a high level of dedication and focus?
It hasn' been easy all the time since I still study, work as a bartender, and maintain my own company. You have to take out time to do what you love. Encourage yourself
to do new things, outsource the amount of crap you follow on Instagram as an example, and start following inspiring accounts. But, please be careful about yourself.
Take your time. If you think you can't handle it anymore, take a break, and you will come more substantial out of it then ever.
When did you realize that you are going to be a freelancer? How did you get the idea of this business?
I realized that I wanted to do as many varieties of work as possible when I was at the age of sixteen. I am not too fond of the 9-5 mindset, working 12 years straight at the
same company and having the same daily job and rhythm for your whole life. I want to wake up and challenge myself. With this work as I do now, I am not restricted to anything. As long as I have my Macbook, Camera, and an Internet connection, I can work everywhere. What makes it super easy for me is to travel and still have an income.
How easy or difficult was it for you to maintain a good relationship with your friends/family during your early days in this business?
Well, I'd say sometimes it was quite hard. You do not want to cancel a party to satisfy a client. But, I am delighted that I have loving and sympathetic friends and family,
and they will always support my back no matter what.
What advice would you like to give to people who are thinking of providing freelancing services but are not able to do it for any reason?
Start small. Start with something you can pause if needed to without losing money,such as expensive subscriptions.
If you're insecure about the freelance services you are going to provide, make sure,you have a monthly income next to your freelance job.
Please tell us what are some of the biggest challenges you face while providing these high-demand services?
One of the biggest challenges was to make a high-end platform in 20 days. The brand was going to be one of the biggest eCommerce platforms on the Internet. I even had
to hire people to work with me to get the job done in 20 days. I worked on the website, maintained social media profiles, while other team members took care of the products, advertising, and content. In the end, the customers are delighted with the results, and that matters the most for us.
If you'd like to share a digital marketing secret with our readers, what would it be?
Over-deliver your customer.
Are you too busy? Is your client asking services you don't provide?
Well, there are thousands of experienced professionals that work from the comfort of their home to provide high-quality work. Hiring freelancers will give you access to
international talents that have a lot of fresh ideas and creativity to show. You won't lose your clients this way, and hopefully, they will be delighted and satisfied with your work. Build reputation, credibility, and network, A LOT.
What is the final message you have for your readers?
Know your worth, be polite, be honest, and always be professional. Keep in mind that you're primarily working for yourself, so you have to be on top of things that matter to
you the most.
