Purpose driven entrepreneurship: getting ready for tomorrow

Degroof Petercam - Marketing & Communication Specialist

In this video, Beatrice de Mahieu, CEO at Co. Station, and Hassan Al Hilou, Belgium's youngest entrepreneur, founder, and Chief Innovation Officer of CAPITAL, share their experiences in the field of entrepreneurship. One, as an experienced entrepreneur, and the other as the head of a Brussels-based start-up. Two generations, two visions of entrepreneurship, and how to approach the future of this field. They also tell us what is essential to focus on if you want to achieve your own goals.

Beatrice de Mahieu: "For me, as an experienced business leader, it is essential to be a mentor for young entrepreneurs. I exchange a lot with them! I want to know their vision of the world around them and how they anticipate the future. We have a lot to learn from them, as much as they have to learn from our experience. With these young people, we can have generous, rich, and instructive exchanges.

Sometimes the roles are reversed, and they become our mentors. They make us question ourselves and move the boundaries of our thinking. As a general rule, older or more experienced business leaders are often afraid of change, of taking risks. On the other hand, young people say to themselves, "Okay, come on, why not. If I feel capable of doing it, let's do it!" They have the freedom to take initiatives, and that freedom is an incentive to prove themselves. The young entrepreneurs have a lot going for them; given the right support and framework, they can bring any project to a successful conclusion!

Hassan Al Hilou's vision is indeed different but complementary: "For me, tomorrow is not a continuation of today. It will be attractive and more diversified.

Diversity is my main focus. It brings richness and innovation to companies, even when it is first a source of conflict. However, some people still consider it as a hairy monster, something scary. Currently, in marketing and finance, for example, there is little diversity. The profile of the recruits is quite similar, and this is true in all companies. But before making the switch to more open profiles, companies must be prepared. It is where I come in when they call on my services. Together, we go step by step so that these fields reflect the reality of our society. In the interest of all."

Both are also convinced of one thing: as an entrepreneur, you have to think about the impact you want to have on our society. Once you know where you want to go, you need to stay the course to get through the various crises you will encounter along the way. Without clearly defined goals, it will be challenging to keep the course and last over time.

Check out their tips and more in this inspiring video!

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