That Guy with the Camera

‘Classmates will undoubtedly remember me as that guy with the camera.’ “That guy” is Arathorn Gummlich. He studied Facility Management from 2004 to 2007 “at the Sib” and set up his own business when he was still a student.

That guy with the camera? How about that?

‘I could always be found at events and festivals, at student parties around town and wherever I went I took pictures of nightlife. I had the idea for a new Uitloper in my head back then. Watch out guys, this is going to be the platform for people going out in Breda, I always said.’

So out and about with the camera yourself. Did you always have an interest in photography?

‘No, not at all, I didn’t delve into that professionally until later. It was just a means to realise my idea for a business. Because I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Always have. As a little boy I was already at the market with bags of crisps to sell.’

So you already had your own business when you were a student?

‘Then I created the first Stappen Magazine. By trial and error because it was all new of course. There’s a lot involved in creating such a magazine. But the entrepreneurs were enthusiastic in the end.’

In the end?

‘I looked pretty young and then you’d see people looking – like – what’s this guy coming to do here!? Then I really had to show that I had substance. My study programme, and especially the link with hospitality – which is quite special for a facilities programme – really helped.’

Why actually Facility Management? Wouldn’t Creative Business, or perhaps simply Business, have been more logical?

‘I oriented myself very broadly when I had to choose a study programme and the small scale of Sibeliuslaan, where Facility Management was located at the time, really appealed to me. I attended a join-a-student day and it felt right immediately. I also really liked the cooking classes – still at De Rooi Pannen back then. I must say that especially the management and marketing courses appealed to me the most. We worked for real companies and also went there; everyone dressed up in suits.’

That “suit” fits you? I mean, a business role, the networking?

‘Yes, I was also really an ambassador for the programme, I think. I always used to visit open days. I still come here, and have regular contact with people from Sibelicious (the restaurant and training company of the programme, ed.), who take part in Stappen & Shoppen of course.’

The Shopping was added at a later stage?

‘I started with nightlife in Breda. I expanded the concept to Stappen & Shoppen at a later stage. It focuses on promoting the catering industry, retail and culture through a magazine, a website and a city app. The most successful platform in the Netherlands is Breda. But we’re active in 16 cities by now. We issue the licences. Furthermore, we have a full-service social media agency that also runs campaigns and creates content for, for example De Barones, Het Houtse Meer, Nova and De Bruine Pij, just to name a few.’

You are talking about “we”? You are no longer a one-man band now?

‘No, the permanent team now consists of five people. My first goal was a decent income for myself; the next goal was to be able to hire someone. That person turned out to be good at sales and in this way, we expanded it further, now also with temporary employees, i.e., ZZP’ers (independent professionals without employees, ed.).’

That sounds like a dream

‘You should always chase them, I think.’

That worked out well. What did you find hard? 

‘In the beginning I found it hard to ask money for it. But I created a product that is useful to entrepreneurs and they’re willing to pay for it. You often see city and regional marketing focusing on history and culture, but there’s more. And people want more. When you explore a city, you also want to know where the hip coffee bars are and the nice shopping streets. And that's where the entrepreneurs are established.’

Ever worked for a boss?

‘After my master’s degree I worked for Venuez for a while. It’s now called Entrée and was the magazine for hospitality entrepreneurs at the time. The owner wanted to expand to online and I thought, I can set that up nicely. But that didn’t work for me. I had to perform tasks, that’s how it felt. And I wanted to create, make things, decide for myself what something would look like. That’s so much more satisfying.’

So you also did a master’s programme. Why that? You were well on your way, right?

‘That master’s degree was a bit of a prestige thingy. Not so much to the outside world, but mostly to myself. To convince myself that I could do it.’

Where does that come from?

‘In primary school I had a teacher who advised me to do mavo. In itself, nothing wrong with that, but I thought, who are you to decide that for me? I think that that was a decisive moment.’

It has brought you far. You now hold an academic master’s degree.

‘Yes, thanks to the pre-master’s track Strategic Business Management and Marketing. This allowed me to transfer directly to International Business, an academic master’s programme, in Maastricht. The selection for that pre-master’s was exciting. I remember the conversation I had with Sybille Van Hoof. She kept on asking, are you a doer or a thinker? I think my entrepreneurial mindset was the deciding factor in hiring me. I found that year tougher than the master’s programme itself, but it was good preparation. Suddenly I had to start reading all kinds of academic papers in English, and you know, they don’t usually score high on readability.’

So you went to Maastricht University?

‘I travelled back and forth. That lasted a couple of months since the latter half of the master’s was a work placement. I was on the train at 6 a.m. every morning. Then I had exactly two and a half hours to get through those academic papers. So, altogether, five hours a day.’ 

A Master in International Business. Are you going international now?

‘We already do so a bit with the City App Antwerp of course, but indeed, plans galore. Not only for my own business, by the way. I’m also engaged in all sorts of initiatives to put Breda and surroundings on the map even better. I still care about Breda.’

The new magazine has been sent to the printers, the Stappen & Shoppen Awards have been awarded. And now?

‘And now nothing for a while. Make some space in my head. That’s usually how I come up with new ideas.’

And how do you do that, make space in your head?

‘By climbing. I’ve been doing that for quite some time. I like to visit Mallorca where you can climb above the sea. That’s really super cool, with the sea as a safety net. Deep Water Solo Climbing, it’s called. Perhaps I should make an island app. And then I’d like to have a cottage there, too!’ 

 

Interview: Maaike Dukker-’t Hart