What I learnt about cravings when I quit smoking
I quit smoking in November 2021, after a ten-year stint. I was a pack-a-day’er of the shag variant, and I smoked like my life…
Columns
Modern Dutch heroes: Boyan Slat
What did you want to do when you were a teenager? What did you want to do in the future? If you were like…
Breaking down expat loneliness
It is nothing new to say that the expat life can be a lonely one. But what exactly is expat loneliness? Is it run…
Modern Dutch Heroes: Queen Máxima
Her Royal Highness Máxima recently celebrated her 50th, birthday along with the country of which she is queen. Dutch TV broadcast various specials, interviews…
How to handle the holiday blues (& other variations)
I would venture to guess that while most of us who grew up celebrating Christmas have heard that it’s the most wonderful time of…
Modern Dutch heroes: Sifan Hassan
Every country has its heroes – people who have made such an impact on the country that their influence and legacy go beyond themselves….
New Plans for Noordwijk Landmarks (hopefully!)
A couple of times last year (2020) I wrote about Ronnie van de Putte, the notorious ‘slum lord of the Netherlands’. The real estate…
Loeki de Leeuw is back!
The lovable stop-motion character from the 1970s and 80s is back! Who is Loeki de Leeuw? Loeki the Lion is the mascot created by…
How to run an environmentally friendly small business
This summer has brought the harsh realities of climate change to light like never before. Wildfires across Greece and Turkey, flooding in Germany, Belgium…
The best time on the beach
The best time on the beach is right now – right after a storm has just passed. Sure, being on the beach during the…
The best business books of the summer
If you’re a time-stretched entrepreneur, reading is an opportunity to tick off multiple boxes at once. I know, I know – not all downtime…
Quality of Life
There are many things to love about the Netherlands and one for me is how most things work towards having a nice quality of…
The rise of the self-proclaimed expert
There comes a time in every business owner’s life where it’s easier to outsource certain tasks to an expert. Whether you have a full…
Larger cities to ban foreign real estate purchasing
There have been many initiatives recently to address the real estate shortage and high house prices in the Netherlands. The most recent initiative, by…
The ‘samenleving’
A word you hear quite often in the Netherlands is ‘samenleving’. Especially in the time of corona, this word comes up often. The English…
How to stay creative during high-stress times
We’re told that 90% of startups fail within the first 5 years, but what can we do to increase our chances of success? If…
Finding an Apartment – Take 2
As I’m writing this, I am celebrating my two-year anniversary of arriving in Europe – I spent the first week in Germany before heading…
A year in … how to improve your work from home life
It’s been over a year since we entered our first lockdown here in The Netherlands, and most of us are still working from home….
Entrepreneurs and self care: keeping burnout at bay
Burnout is the buzzword of the moment. It’s unfortunately a common phenomenon at the best of times, but the entrepreneurial community is even more…
Indulge me for a moment …
First, I watch a lot of Dutch TV to learn the language. I find it a really entertaining way to learn colloquial Dutch. If…
5 alternatives to New Year resolutions
Somehow, the new year is (luckily) just around the corner. After a completely bizarre and unexpected 2020, most of us are happy to welcome…
The slum lord of the Netherlands
A few months ago I wrote about the notorious ‘slum lord of the Netherlands’, Ronnie van de Putte. The real estate businessman and his…
How to network virtually
As every entrepreneur knows, networking can make or break your business. From finding a possible business partner to connecting with venture capitalists, those Friday…
And the winner is … (no, not the election)
After eight weeks of singing, dancing, acting, sewing and design challenges, and dozens of original looks strutted down the runway, the Netherlands has its…
Rewind to when I first arrived in the Netherlands
I came to the Netherlands in April of 2019. This, of course, was before the pandemic, and riding public transportation was a very different…
Why every entrepreneur needs a personal brand
The vast majority of startups fail, so as an entrepreneur, it’s not necessarily a great idea to solely be known for your business. You…
How to avoid burnout as an entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs are known for being workaholics. The downside of loving your job is that you run the risk of burnout if you don’t factor…
The slum lord of the Netherlands
Living in the Netherlands for nearly 18 months, I’ve come to learn a great deal about the Dutch people. Their friendliness, pleasantness and all-around…
Does your brand tell a story?
Maybe it’s because social media has replaced real-life interaction. Maybe it’s because big business is taking over the world, and we’re craving the intimacy…
A cool mind and a warm heart
In preparing for the listening portion of the national Dutch language proficiency exam (Staatsexamens Nt2) I began watching past episodes of various Dutch programs,…
Without your family: interview with a French expat
As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and its enormous fallout, expats experience an added layer of difficulty, living away from their home…
The art of pivoting: how to survive a pandemic
These are unprecedented times. The Coronavirus pandemic appeared seemingly out of nowhere, putting a halt to our easy-going way of life, and the freedom…
Introducing CBD: weed’s cooler and legal younger sister
Edition 31 January, by Phoebe Dodds Amsterdam is infamous for its liberal attitude to marijuana, drawing bachelor parties and groups of interrailing teenagers since…
New Year’s 2020 in the Netherlands
Edition 31 January, by Marla Thomson “Relatively quiet” is what the headlines of the local newspaper’s weekend edition said. And though this would lead…
‘Fijne Feestdagen’
Edition 27 December, by Marla Thomson Fijne feestdagen! It’s that time of year again – lights strung outside of homes and on busy…
S.M.A.R.T. goals: the entrepreneurial New Year’s resolutions
Edition 27 December, by Phoebe Dodds New year, new you. Every year as 1 January approaches, we set ambitious resolutions, ready for the following…
Ahhh, moving to a new country.
Edition 31 October 2019, by Marla Thomson You’ve got your housing, your job and you’re getting settled in at both. You’re done with your…
Creative entrepreneurs – the unstoppable Dutch tribe
Edition 31 October 2019, by Phoebe Dodds For some reason, art and business are usually – and incorrectly – considered polar opposites. Either you…
An American expat’s journey
Column by Marla Thomson, edition 28 June 2019 I have been living in the Netherlands for almost three months now and my experience has…
An American expat’s journey
Column by Marla Thomson, edition 19 April 2019 Bags are packed, bank and credit cards have been notified, place to stay while abroad has…
Meet the disruptors
Edition 19 April 2019, by Phoebe Dodds The female entrepeneurs making waves in 2019 With the #MeToo movement sweeping Hollywood last year, the rising…