‘In the beginning, I found the coaching a bit of an adjustment. Now I’m incredibly happy with it, because it’s already brought us a lot.’
”I have a multidisciplinary design studio. That means we’re at the intersection of architecture, design, visual communication, and new media. People might know us from the installations we’ve set up at Forteiland Pampus (photo): there we’ve created 22 interactive spots like screens, games, routes, and signs.
”So, we design the complete interior and often do so for museums or visitor centres,” says Harm Hasenaar of Studio Harm Hasenaar proudly. “We also include the complete information provision, so everything connects seamlessly. At the moment, we’re working (together with another agency) on the Stevenskerk in Nijmegen: it’s not only being renovated but also being fully equipped with new digital information systems.”
Due to our growth, I wanted to map out the tasks and processes better.’
“During my architecture studies, I already felt that some buildings weren’t logically designed. And if you want to improve something in the world, you have to do it yourself; that’s how I started my company in 1999. We do more than just architecture: for example, we also do visual communication. These design disciplines need to align well. I ran the company with just one colleague for a long time, but in the last four years, we’ve grown to five employees. You then notice that managing and organizing the projects is no longer as simple as when there are just two of you,’ Harm explains.
”This was the reason we engaged Brilliant Work. I wanted to distribute tasks within the company more effectively and map out processes better. And Lizanne Jakobs told me that subsidies were also available for this. It felt like the right moment to get started with this, as we’re still in the early stages of that growth. If you wait too long, you’ll work in fixed patterns that are difficult to change later.”
Help from two coaches under the same subsidy
Marco is mainly helping us with the mission and vision. Martine is helping us with HR matters, such as the tasks of our employees. We want everyone to know exactly what their responsibilities are, so that everyone is informed. This way, you can take over each other’s tasks more easily. Marco really pays attention to what is most efficient, and Martine helps with the structure in the working method.
“I’ve learnt from Martine that I’m still the boss, even though I’d like everyone to be equal. I want everyone to enjoy it, but that’s not always possible. I’m also not really at home with HR matters, such as how to deal with your staff, for example. Martine is very skilled and has a lot of practical experience.”
‘Breaking Open Your Way of Working Can Be a Breath of Fresh Air’
”In the beginning, I found the coaching a bit of an adjustment, especially because after all these years, you get a bit stuck in the way you’ve always done things. Everyone will recognise that. It’s precisely breaking open that way of working and seeing how it might work differently, and even better, that’s a breath of fresh air. Sometimes it seems obvious, but someone just needs to tell you clearly. So far, that’s worked out pretty well.”
As for the costs, Harm actually didn’t know that subsidies were available to support the learning and development of employees in SMEs. ”I found applying for the subsidy quite difficult. Lizanne prepared everything very well for us, which made it much easier to get that subsidy. I’m very happy with that, because it’s already brought us a lot so far. And since it’s largely subsidised, that certainly helps, because all in all it’s a lot of money. If you have to pay that as a small company without a subsidy, it might be too much, even though it helps you move forward.”
‘We’re Not There Yet, But We’re on the Right Track’
”Now, our clients are our ambassadors. If we deliver good work, we get excellent word-of-mouth advertising. We now want to explore what we can do in terms of marketing for findability and visibility. In five years, we really want to be a household name within our field, so people will naturally find us. So, if we continue to improve our company internally, the quality will become even better than it already is, and clients will automatically re-engage us or recommend us to others, saying: ‘You really should call Studio Harm Hasenaar, because they can do this.”
Do you, like Studio Harm Hasenaar, want to receive a subsidy to help your employees grow through coaching and advice from Brilliant Work? Then contact us as soon as possible, because this subsidy can only be applied for twice a year (but it does reimburse 69 to 92% of costs up to €25,000!).
