Brilliant Work

Workshop | How to attract more business leads
2026-04-10 09:00 - 10:30 (Europe/Amsterdam) | Gemeentehuis Druten, Heuvel 1, Druten
This workshop is organised by Brilliant Work and StartUp Nijmegen
We would all love to generate plenty of high-quality leads, month in, month out, whether from the businesses you want to attract as clients, or from schools or government organisations, for example. The ideal client, with the right budget, who is exactly looking for your product or service and magically comes knocking at your door. In reality, however, that rarely happens, or at least not as often as you would like.
So what can you do to gain that initial interest from potential clients? So that you can then start meaningful conversations with them. In this workshop, you will learn how to improve your approach by becoming better at:

Taking a close look at your target audience
Identifying where to find them
Choosing the right activities to spark their interest in a conversation
Planning these activities effectively throughout the year
It is important to note that this will vary depending on your sector and target audience. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, but there is a way to take control of your own online and offline marketing activities.

This workshop is valuable both for start-ups who are still figuring out how to generate leads, and for more established entrepreneurs who want to do so more effectively.
About the workshop facilitator
The workshop will be delivered by Lizanne Jakobs, founder of Brilliant Work and a well-known coach at StartUp Nijmegen. They have been voted Best Coaching and Consultancy Firm for SMEs in the Netherlands on multiple occasions. Lizanne lived in the United Kingdom for several years and was recognised there as one of the 50 best business advisers. Brilliant Work is a team of 20 professionals who advise, coach and train self-employed professionals and SME clients, often with the support of 15 different types of funding schemes.
This workshop takes place at the Town Hall of Druten.
Please note that the workshop will be presented in Dutch.
Participation is free, but you need to register. For registration and to find out more about this workshop please click on this link.

Ambitious entrepreneur — will your business still be here in five years?
2026-05-06 16:00 - 18:30 | Countus, Frisopark 4, Entrance C, Ede, 6711 WZ
Do you want to be able to look back and tell the story of your company’s success? Join this masterclass on securing your future. Be part of the conversation on how to ensure your brilliant business doesn’t end in a brilliant failure.
Many businesses excel at delivering their product or service, but ensuring your company is still standing strong in five or ten years is a different challenge altogether. As you grow—adding more employees, increasing revenue, or expanding internationally—running a business becomes significantly more complex. Many companies don’t survive what is often called the “Valley of Death.”
What risks should you be aware of? What needs to be firmly in place as an SME owner? How do you stay in control and safeguard your company’s future? And how do you make sure you come out the other side of the Valley of Death?
The real question is: when should you start? … Now.
Martijn Croon and Lizanne Jakobs will guide you through it all in this free masterclass. We’ll cover topics such as:

How do you define your long-term vision: your story, your future?
How do you set clear, specific goals for yourself and your team?
Financial control of your business: insight and overview bring peace of mind
How do you identify your key risks and turn them into a clear plan of action?

There will, of course, be plenty of time for your questions. Afterwards, you’re warmly invited to join us for a networking drinks reception.
Lizanne Jakobs is a well-known speaker in the field of entrepreneurship. She is the founder of Brilliant Work, a multi award-winning coaching, consultancy and training firm for SMEs. Together with a team of 20 experts, they support entrepreneurs and their teams in growing and professionalising their businesses—often making use of a wide range of subsidy schemes.
Lizanne has over 15 years of experience as a business coach, holds a degree in Corporate Communication, and is known for her engaging and highly practical approach.
Martijn Croon is a business advisor at Countus, a full-service mid-sized accountancy firm with 25 offices across the eastern Netherlands, specialising in supporting SMEs.
Martijn Croon (MSc in Business Administration, Master in Finance & Control, and a Registered Business Succession Advisor) is a former entrepreneur himself. With over 25 years of advisory experience, he has witnessed both remarkable successes and notable failures.
For Martijn, it’s not the numbers that form the foundation of success, but the entrepreneur’s story. His passion lies in helping business owners shape and write that story for themselves.
Programme:

15.50 Arrival and welcome
16.00 Start
17.30 Drinks and networking opportunity
18.30 End

This masterclass will take place at the Frisokazerne site (Frisopark 4, Entrance C, 6711 WZ Ede).
The sessions will be held in Dutch.
Participation is free of charge. Registration is required.

Workshop: More grip on figures and cashflow
2026-06-11 17:00 - 21:00 | Kokspad 2 Velp, Kokspad 2, Velp, Gelderland
Many entrepreneurs only realise that something is wrong with their company’s cash flow when it is already too late. Not because they are careless, but because they never truly had insight into their figures. No clear overview, no control, and no plan for the months ahead. In this practical workshop, you will learn how a monthly budget can give you exactly that insight, enabling you to steer your business proactively rather than being caught off guard afterwards.
Brilliant Work is organising this practical workshop together with Ondernemersclub Nederland (OCN). In a short presentation, Maarten Wienbelt will explain how you can maintain control over your figures and cash flow by using a monthly budget.
Next, participants will work on a practical example themselves to see how this works in practice.
After the workshop, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and network.
The workshop will take place at the business centre located at Kokspad 2 in Velp (near Arnhem).
You can join this workshop for free (also for non-OCN members). The workhsop is facilitated in Dutch, but you have plenty of opporrtunity to aks questions in English. More information about this workshop can be found on the OCN website.

Walk & Talk with Brilliant Work | Plan Ahead for Your Business’s Future
2026-06-12 14:00 - 17:00 | Landgoed Groot Warnsborn, Bakenbergseweg 277, Arnhem, 6816 VP
On Friday 12 June, Brilliant Work invites SME owners to join an inspiring Walk & Talk. During a relaxed walk, we’ll explore the future of your business together. What’s working well, what could be done more effectively, and where might there be opportunities you haven’t yet spotted?
Fresh air often sparks the best ideas. Together with one of our coaches, you’ll join an open conversation with like-minded entrepreneurs who, just like you, are focused on the future and ready to grow (groups of up to 10 people).
As part of Arnhem MKB City 2026 and to mark Brilliant Work’s 10th anniversary, we felt it was the perfect moment to look ahead together to the coming year, the next five years or even the next decade of your business. Participation is free, but places are limited, so be sure to sign up soon.
After the walk, there’s time to continue the conversation over coffee or tea with cake.
Practical information

Date: Friday 12 June 2026

Arrival: between 2.00 – 2.15 pm

Start Walk: 2.15 pm

Duration: Give and take 1 tot 1,5 hrs

We’ll wrap up with coffee or tea and cake, until around 5.00 pm

Location: Hotel Groot Warnsborn, Bakenbergseweg 277, 6816 VP Arnhem

Get inspired, share experiences and head back to your business with fresh energy.
Brilliant Work is a multi-award-winning business coaching and consultancy firm for self-employed professionals and SMEs. The team consists of 20 experts. For our programmes, entrepreneurs can often make use of up to 14 different grants.

Masterclass on Selling Your Business in Association with Finance Solutions
2026-06-23 08:30 - 10:00 | Connectr, Gebouw KB, Westervoortsedijk 73, Arnhem
Are you ready to take the next step with your business?
You have built a business with passion, and naturally you want to see it continue to thrive — whether you are looking to sell it for a strong price or pass on something truly valuable. But how do you approach this successfully? Which steps are essential for a smooth succession process and achieving the best possible sale value?
During this masterclass, you will receive answers to all these questions.

How to prepare your business for sale
How to arrange effective succession planning for staff and management
How to find the right buyer
How to secure an excellent sale price and negotiate smart agreements
Which grants and subsidies can support this process

Naturally, there will be plenty of opportunity to ask your questions both during and after the masterclass. The masterclass is facilitated in Dutch, but there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions in English.
Practical information
Location: Connectr, Gebouw KB, Westervoortsedijk 73 in Arnhem
Programme:

Entrance: 8:00 uur
Masterclass: 8:30-9:30 uur
Networking opportunity tot 10:00 uur

Breakfast included!
Register by sending an email to: info@financesolutions.nl

About Brilliant Work
Lizanne Jakobs is the founder of Brilliant Work, a multiple award-winning business coaching and consultancy firm for SMEs. She is a highly sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship, business growth, and professionalisation. Most of Brilliant Work’s programmes make use of 17 different grants and subsidy schemes.

About Finance Solutions
Finance Solutions supports businesses with important strategic decisions relating to growth, continuity, and business transfers. We provide guidance on mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, financing issues, and strengthening organisational structure and management. By combining financial expertise with insight into day-to-day business practice, we help entrepreneurs make decisions that are not only well-founded, but that genuinely work in practice.

Save the date: Selling without being pushy
2026-06-29 15:00 - 17:00, 2026-11-23 15:00 - 17:00 | Ondernemerslab Arnhem, Bovenbeekstraat 10, Arnhem
Together with Startclub Arnhem, Lizanne Jakobs gives this free workshop.
Whether you have a lot of experience with sales calls or none at all, this workshop is very useful for anyone who has to try to bring in a client at some point.
In it, we discuss how:
– you ask potential clients for an interview
– you can surface the information you need to close the deal
– you can tell the best about you and your company
– and then how to bring in the client
During the workshop, you’ll learn how to make selling feel easier without coming across as pushy. You’ll learn which questions to ask, and how to persuade in a way that doesn’t sound like a hollow call-centre script. After this workshop, you’ll know how to achieve far better results with less effort and less stress.
Participation is free. Registration for this workshop is possible by clicking on this link.
This workshop will be facilitated in Dutch.

Webinar: Doing Business Across Borders — How Do You Take the First Step?
2026-06-30 12:00 - 13:00
Are you looking to take your business across borders? In this free one-hour webinar, you will learn exactly how to make it happen.

Do you have a strong product or service and wonder whether there might be customers for it beyond the Netherlands? Or have you already generated some international revenue but are looking to build on it? Then this webinar is for you. In just one hour, you will gain practical insights into how you, as an SME owner, can take the step towards international markets — without needing years of export experience or a large budget.
What will be covered?

Wanneer ben je klaar om te gaan exporteren?
Hoe kies je op welke landen je je het beste kunt richten?
What do you need to have in order before taking your business across borders?
How do you choose between selling directly from the Netherlands, working with distributors or agents, or selling directly to retailers or wholesalers?
What support and information is available for entrepreneurs looking to export?

A third of our gross national product comes from exports — so there is every reason to explore what the possibilities might be for your business too. Including which subsidies and free support you may be able to access.
About the speaker
Lizanne Jakobs is the founder of Brilliant Work, a multi award-winning coaching, advisory, and training firm for SMEs. With a team of 20 experts, Brilliant Work helps entrepreneurs and their staff to grow and professionalise. Lizanne has been a business coach for 15 years, holds a Master’s degree in Business Communication, and is known for her engaging and pragmatic approach.
Sign up now for free and discover how you can broaden both your revenue and your horizons.
This webinar is facilitated in Dutch, but afterwards you will have the opportunity to ask questions in English.
