Insights From the Founder of Eco-Friendly Startup Handprint

Handprint founder.

Any entrepreneur can tell you, launching a startup is a learning process. Therefore, one of the best things you can do prior to launching a startup of your own is to learn from those who have blazed the trail. We were fortunate enough to hear some valuable insights during our interview with Simon Schillebeeckx of eco-friendly startup Handprint that will inspire, motivate, and teach aspiring and established entrepreneurs alike.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

“If you're not willing to work twice as hard as the people in your environment who work in normal day jobs, don't get started. Make sure you are 100% passionate about the problem you are trying to solve because you will spend all your time on it. And that passion is a key resource when the going gets tough (as it will) or when you have to do boring stuff that simply needs to be done (like accounting).”

What is your advice for entrepreneurs in your industry specifically?

“We do not have time to compete with each other out of the market. Let's collaborate as much as possible and build solutions that truly can make a difference in the long-term well-being of people and the planet.”

What is your advice for coming up with a unique startup idea?

“Look no further than your direct environment and your own areas of interest. In this day and age, almost anything can be turned into a business if you persist and approach it diligently. [The] uniqueness of an idea is less important than execution, so start building something as soon as possible. It's only through the act of creation that your idea can mature into something real.”

What is your advice for overcoming challenges and failure?

“Celebrate your failures in the same way as you celebrate your successes. As a founder, you will fail every day at something, and if you let it get you down, you will be unhappy. Keep notes of things that went wrong and try to put processes in place to make sure they won't happen again and when they do, continue learning to improve your processes.”

What is the biggest lesson you learned and what can aspiring entrepreneurs take from it?

“At the start of the day, you need to wake up and be motivated to work on your project. If you don't feel that sense of purpose, you're probably not doing the right thing.”

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