Unusual careers: An interview with alumn Niels Geominy
SBE alumnus Niels Geominy did not follow the typical career-path as you would expect from someone graduating from a Business School. When most of his fellow SBE alumni were signing contracts to work for multi-nationals, Niels decided to launch his own start-up: Fiks.
What is Fiks?
“Fiks is an internship platform tool assisting students in finding available and suitable internship opportunities. Using the platform WhatsApp, Fiks enables a personal connection between companies and students. Simple but effective! Learn more about what we do on fiks.nl“
What was your main motivation to start your own business?
“During my studies in Maastricht, I lived with other SBE alumni, and one of my housemates mentioned that there was a definite need for a platform to connect students considering internships with companies offering internship opportunities. We then decided that we should do something about it, and Fiks is the result!
Our team members are:
*Berke Verhey, (SBE alumnus) mastermind behind the Technology
*Iron Brands, (SBE alumnus) responsible for the Sales
*And me, Niels Geominy,(also SBE alumnus) responsible for Growth & Product Design.”
What makes Fiks unique?
“The fact that we use WhatsApp, to connect students with recruiters or HR Managers who can recommend vacancies makes the service we offer quite unique. In this way we try to lower the barrier of entry for students and personalise the contact. In addition to the more effective and faster service, students find the customised advice while searching for a first job very helpful. Seeing that this process can be frustrating and difficult, the value we offer lies in assisting them in their ‘job hunt’. ”
Can SBE alumni advertise their vacancies on Fiks?
“Fiks is a great platform for SBE alumni to advertise their (companies’) vacancies. Fiks is currently only active in the Netherlands, but our company portfolio consists of all sorts of businesses, ranging from international corporations like Nationale Nederlanden to SMEs and Scale-ups like Boldking. And we’d be very willing to offer discounted rates to my fellow SBE alumni! On our website, we have specific information about Fiks for Companies or feel free to send me an email directly (niels@fiks.nl).” His response times might vary depending on which side of the earth he is working from!
Do you have a message for other alumni contemplating starting their own business?
“Many people come up with brilliant ideas, however only a few actually do something with those ideas. My advice is: dare to take the step. The idea doesn’t even have to be ‘novel’, not everybody can launch the next Uber and statistics show that less than one per cent of businesses are an immediate success. But if your idea solves a problem and there is a market for it, I encourage you to give it a try, maybe start with it as a side project and see where it leads. The possibility of failure might be very scary but however way it plays out, you will learn a great deal from the process. I was also hesitant in taking this step, but looking back at it, it was one of the best things I could have done! So, fellow alumni with a unique idea, go ahead and put some effort in to turn your idea into reality.”
| Niels Geominy completed a BSc in Economics and Business Economics (2018) and a double MSc in International Business track Strategic Marketing (2020) and track Organisation: Management, Change & Consultancy (2020) at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics. |
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