How the financial world works, that’s not my ideal world,” says Silvanna van Graven of Van Graven Finance & Advice. “For example, old men in suits: I prefer informal settings and for people to feel comfortable approaching me as a financial advisor. Together with Marco Gorselink from Brilliant Work, I started looking at how I could express that in my mission, vision, and core values. I wanted to shape a company that suited me, and Marco helped me a lot with that.
Silvanna knew from a young age that she wanted to be an entrepreneur. Because numbers hold no secrets for her, the step to her own administrative office was easily made. “I understand the numbers, and I really wanted to be an entrepreneur. It was actually a very logical combination for me. The coaching confirmed that starting my own business was a good choice.”
More Than Just Administration: Financial Insight
“I help entrepreneurs with their administration, tax, and financial insight,” says Silvanna. “I started with that because I really enjoy brainstorming with clients and thinking together about how they can shape their company. I previously worked in the financial sector, and there you were hardly allowed any contact with clients, while that’s exactly what I enjoy most about the work. Now I can decide for myself what I do and when.”
Silvanna handles the administration for entrepreneurs, including mandatory tasks like income tax and quarterly declarations. In addition, she also provides financial insights. “Once a quarter, I sit down with an entrepreneur, and we discuss the company’s standing, where they can reduce costs or increase turnover. Recently, I helped a client who wasn’t sure how much salary he could pay himself. He wanted to work one day less, and together we discovered he was earning much more than he thought.”
‘I Wanted a Solid Foundation for My Business’
The reason Silvanna engaged Brilliant Work is because she wanted a solid foundation on which to build her company. “That’s what Marco gave me with the coaching. He made me realise that a mission, vision, and core values are truly necessary. He also made me think more about my business. I initially thought, ‘I’m just doing it because I want to help people,’ but eventually, there was a deeper layer to it.”
”Marco also helped me a lot in shaping my services,” Silvanna explains. “When you share your story about who you are and what you do, you shouldn’t say ‘I’m an accountant,’ because then people think ‘oh, I don’t need that because I can do my own administration.’ I also help them with financial insight, and by stating that, you’re more accessible to potential clients.
‘My ultimate goal is to focus on growth’
”Marco also helped me well with strategic collaborations I can enter into. For example, by networking and joining entrepreneur clubs. And of course, I also discussed long-term goals with him. I’ve already achieved some of those goals, but I’m not there yet,” she says. “I’d like to devote more attention to marketing and sales, instead of just being involved in execution. I now have almost 2 FTEs (full-time equivalents) employed, and they’ll gradually take over more and more tasks from me so I have more time for that.”
‘‘My ultimate goal is for my company to no longer be dependent on me as an individual, and for me to be able to focus on growing my business. I get a lot of energy from that. Marco taught me that it’s crucial to have the business processes in place first, so you can grow afterwards. I’m working on that now.”
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