Spargle meets Nike Festen
Category Manager at iBuyFlowers.com
Book: ‘Maybe You Should Talk to Someone’ by Lori Gottlieb
Documentary: anything by David Attenborough
“I love the speed of a scale-up, you can make a change and see the impact within hours.”
What is your role in your company?
I’m the category manager and merchandiser at iBuyFlowers, a B2B marketplace that connects growers directly to professional customers like florists and wedding planners. Our customer base is in the US, but the majority of the team is actually based in the Netherlands. The floral industry in the US is huge, so there’s a lot of opportunity for us to grow.
Do you find any influence from the US in your company? How does that work with communication and company culture?
Our team is split across the world, part of us is in the Netherlands, Ecuador, and Colombia, and then we have our sales reps in the United States. From a culture and communication style, surprisingly, it works really well. The Dutch tend to be very direct, and so do the Americans. That similarity actually makes it easier. Many of our growers and part of the team are based in South America, and that’s a different cultural dynamic. But everyone’s very open and adaptable. People understand cultural differences, so we flex when we need to so everyone feels comfortable. It keeps things fun and interesting.
What have you done before stepping into this role?
My background is very corporate. I used to work at Unilever and then at Arla Foods, both in e-commerce and digital. That kind of environment was very comfortable for me, but moving from a big company to a scale-up like iBuyFlowers was like entering a whole different game. I love the speed, you can make a change and see the impact within hours. But I’ll admit, it’s a world of scarcity. Time, people, money: there’s never enough of anything. In a large company, you have to pitch for budget or resources, sure, but they’re usually there. In a scale-up, nothing is. You’re constantly deciding which three of the 1,000 things you could do will have the biggest impact right now. It’s very different, very intense, and honestly, I’m loving the ride.
Coming from a big company with all its hierarchical layers, do you feel you have more freedom now?
Yes and no. In a large company, you spend so much time talking to get alignment and approvals, discussing what needs to happen instead of doing it. In a smaller company, you have more freedom to take action and make decisions yourself. The flipside is that there’s constant scrutiny, both internally and across the company, about making sure that we’re staying in the right lane. Especially in a company that’s growing so quickly, you need to be hyper-focused on the things that truly matter. That said, the freedom is there. You can come up with an idea, call the CEO, say “I want to do X, what do you think?” and five minutes later you’re already moving on it. Still, you also need to keep stepping back and asking, am I focused on the right stuff?
“I am really focused on building a house, a solid foundation, not just putting out fires everyday.”
How was your study trajectory?
I did an Erasmus exchange in Milan, then my Masters in Boston, and also spent time studying in Shanghai and New York. My class had 70 people and 54 different nationalities, so there was an incredible variety of cultures. I studied Economics and Business, one of those subjects that gives you a solid base, but also leaves the door open for you to go in all kinds of directions. I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do long-term, so that broad foundation gave me the freedom to figure it all out along the way. I think that would be a good summary of me: I still see myself as a generalist.
When you say generalist, what do you mean by that?
Most of my roles have been in e-commerce and digital, whether at big corporates or now in a small company. When I first started, e-commerce was so small it was like the “Friday afternoon” team: no one really cared what we did and we had to reinvent the wheel with every process ourselves. That means there was never someone to just hand the problem to, like a dedicated IT partner, legal counsel, or finance contact. If you needed something, you had to figure out what it was, how it worked, and then go knock on the right door. That has changed me into being very hands-on and cross-functional. I never just had a strictly e-commerce role. You end up knowing a bit of everything, just what you need to make something happen across all parts of the business. And honestly, that’s what I really enjoy: going deep into whatever issue is in front of me and working out what we need to do. It’s not just knowing the what, it’s about figuring out the how, so you can make it happen.
From what you’re describing, you’re not in some overviewing role: you’re doing a bit of everything. How do you find structure and focus in that?
By constantly talking to people. I’m always asking, “Here’s my plan, what do you think?” That kind of ongoing feedback is invaluable. But one of the most important things I learned from my time at corporates, is the way of thinking. In a large company, you take processes and structure for granted, but there’s a methodology for everything. When you jump into a scale-up, that mindset becomes one of your most useful tools. Whether it’s a business model canvas or a digital flywheel. I am really focused on building a house, a solid foundation, not just putting out fires everyday.
“If your focus is improving margins or inventory levels, you need to give yourself the time to do it properly, not just slap on a quick fix.”
What would you say is the biggest challenge in your role?
Prioritization, hands down. In a scale-up, you never have enough of anything: time, people, money. The real challenge is picking the most impactful things to focus on and then sticking with them long enough to see real change. That’s harder than it sounds because every day there’s some new urgent issue that could pull you off track. Being flexible is important, but if all you ever do is firefight, you’ll never build a sustainable business. If your focus is improving margins or inventory levels, you need to give yourself the time to do it properly, not just slap on a quick fix. There’s this expression about working in your company versus on your company. Even though it’s not my company per se, the balance still applies. Working in the company is the daily doing: the tactical stuff that gives you that instant “yes, we did it!” dopamine rush. It’s very short-term and hands-on. But if you want to scale and grow into a serious player, you also need to work on the company: stepping back, looking at the bigger picture and figuring out, “Where are we going? What do we need to put in place to get there?” That part is much more of a slow burn, and you don’t get that immediate gratification.
Would you say that’s also the key to overcoming that challenge of focus?
It’s a bit of a cliché, but honestly, it’s a journey. And the most important part of that journey is bringing people along with you. None of this is a one-person job. Everyone’s involved, especially in a small company, so you need to make sure people understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. That means striking a balance between the structure and methodologies I learned in the corporate world, while also keeping the scale-up DNA: the speed, the flexibility, the bias toward action. It can feel bumpy at times, but that’s also part of what makes it fun.
“People want to treat themselves or create meaningful moments. Flowers have an emotional value that people don’t easily trade away.”
What trends do you see shaping the future?
Well, I’m going to give you the one that everyone says – and for good reason – AI. Especially for a small, fast-growing company like ours, it’s critical. It gives us the opportunity to automate processes that free up time and mental bandwidth for the work humans do best, like strategic thinking and creativity. It’s a huge enabler for us to grow. And if I have to name another one, it’s cost-consciousness. Right now, people, both customers and consumers, are thinking twice before they spend. Given the geopolitical climate and everything going on, it’s an interesting dynamic. Coming from an FMCG background where most products are commodities, I now work with flowers, a product that is more indulgent or luxurious. Even then, we’re still seeing strong growth. People want to treat themselves or create meaningful moments, whether it’s buying flowers for a partner on a Saturday, decorating a wedding, or marking a special occasion. Flowers have an emotional value that people don’t easily trade away. That said, the focus of the consumer on cost means we have to be incredibly sharp with our pricing and positioning.
And what about integrating AI into the business? How do you make sure it supports creative and strategic thinking rather than replacing it?
Honestly, it’s all moving so fast that what we’re doing this week is different from last week. But overall, I look at AI as an enabler, not a replacement. It should support the critical thinking and creativity we rely on as a team. Even if you build an AI agent to do something, you can’t just set it and forget it: someone still needs to review the output and make sure it’s correct, not built on hallucinations. That balance is key. Especially for a startup or scale-up, where you’re often creating new processes as you go. AI can take on the “systematic stuff,” the kinds of tasks a large company would do with a fancy software package that we can’t afford. So for us, it’s about using AI as a smart substitute for those kinds of tools, without expecting it to do all the thinking for us. In this kind of business, time is one of the most valuable things we have. Being smart with AI lets us put our energy where it really matters, enabling those special moments of celebration or loss that people value so much about our company.
“As a small kid I wanted to work at Artis when I grew up. Then my mom would say, “Why don’t you aim to be the director there?””
Who inspires you and why?
My mom, absolutely. She grew up in a traditional family with seven kids. My grandparents owned a shop, and the boys were sent to college while the girls stayed home to help in the store. My mom didn’t go to university until she was 30. After that, she built a career in the art world and even became general director at an artist residency. She was a mentor and motivator to so many people. That mentality carried into my own childhood: my mom always pushed me to dream big and stand tall. As a small kid I wanted to work at Artis when I grew up. Then she’d say, “Why don’t you aim to be the director there?”. That was the kind of encouragement I had growing up. And besides ambition, my mom also instilled in me the idea that you are responsible for your own happiness, that’s the real secret to flying. She passed away a year and a half ago, but her light still shines on me every single day.
What’s your life motto?
With my name, there can only be one life motto: just do it. The reward comes from action, not from discussion or talking about it, thinking in your head. You can apply it professionally or just in general in life, just do it.
What’s your favorite documentary and book?
Anything by David Attenborough. The man is a legend. He’s been a voice for the planet for forever and a true figurehead for nature preservation. Any time there’s a documentary with his narration, I’m in. In terms of books, one I recently loved is Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. It’s a breezy summer read, as I laughed out loud so many times, but it’s also incredibly insightful. The author is a therapist writing about her practice and going to therapy herself. I kept underlining little bits of wisdom and, honestly, I always know it’s a good book when I find myself reaching for a pen.
