How Marius Bos built KOPexpo

Entrepreneurship was not something Marius Bos inherited from home, but entrepreneurial blood runs where it cannot go... Meanwhile, the CEO runs the successful stand construction company KOPexpo. When everything came to a standstill due to corona, the entrepreneur did anything but sit still and rolled out two new concepts: 20ft Wellness and Workub. Every Bos straw blows before the wind, but did the same apply to Marius' career? Who was his wheelbarrow?

Text: Fleur de Jong
Image: KOPexpo

What was your very first job?

''I was 19 when I started as an auto mechanic. As an ADHD person, I have about the concentration of a gnat, so I wasn't able to finish my mavo. I went into a more targeted practical training program where I could work with my hands. After completing that, I started tinkering pretty quickly and so got into earth moving equipment, later as a machinist and truck driver, basically anything that had to do with big technical things. For me, it has been a long road to get to where my talents lie. Together with my twin brother, we are the first entrepreneurs in our family. Entrepreneurship and risk-taking is not something we inherited from home.''

What did your parents do?

''My father was an agricultural engineer and was in the music business for decades, first as a bandleader and in recent years he also arranged regional bands for weddings and tent parties. My mother has been a pedicurist all her life. Both are now enjoying retirement."

How did you get into the industry of your current work?

''At thirty-seven, I was freelancing and hiring myself out to a stand builder as a truck driver. I was sent on a truck trip to Warsaw before Poland was part of the European Union, and I played a big part in saving a project that was in danger of failing. Things went wrong on all fronts: we were stuck at the border for a long time, the fair location turned out not to be a fair location, and to make matters worse, the booth had to be delivered at 4 p.m. while we started building at 3 p.m. At some point, the client asked if I wanted to join him as company manager. I worked for him for two years and this is how I ended up in booth construction. After two years I resigned and then a few years later I was asked by someone to start a booth building company. The best man eventually decided not to pursue this, but I did.''

Who was your wheelbarrow?

''My wheelbarrow is my former neighbor, Ewald Siebum, commercial manager at TSN. Ewald knew me as a machinist in road construction and introduced me to the director of Techno Service Nederland. Here I got the chance to do management training and was able to set up a department with a total of 42 men at four locations. Here I learned how it is at all to communicate and build an organization. But also how important a middle management is. You need middle management which does the day-to-day management. A company is only valuable when it can function without the entrepreneur himself, which is the key to growth. The department is ultimately from scratch to an annual turnover of more than 3 million in 2 years. I am very grateful that Ewald believed in me and put me in touch with the right people which ultimately gave me this opportunity.''

So you've had many different jobs, did you always know you wanted to eventually go into business?

''I always knew I wanted to start for myself. But I learned that entrepreneurship is not an end but a means. It was a great desire, though. At a certain point within a company, if you are dealing with managers who are comfortable in their comfort zone and you yourself want to make strides, you run into the laziness of your manager. Initially, my dream was to be on that side of the table. And once I was on that side, I thought, 'I can do that myself. ''

What has been the greatest learning moment during your career?

''That's the corona period. At the moment when we were at a complete standstill, all I had was my organization, all the talents running around, myself and of course the NOW, which was welcome. I learned an awful lot about myself: how creative I am, what I do and don't want and what I think is important. We have rolled out two of the four concepts in corona time, with two more to follow, and they have been a success: Workhub and 20ft Concepts. No one told me during this time what to do. In fact, if I had had to listen to people outside my company, it would have been better and safer for me not to do it. Then you still roll out these new concepts and it also becomes a success, which is just super cool.''Photo: 20ft Concepts

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

''My greatest passion of all is making an impact. Impact can be translated in many ways, but to me it means being the best at what you do for your clients. Making a difference and not screwing around, that's just fantastic. With 20ft, we want to change people's wellness experience. Building permits, foundations, all things people no longer have to think about: we install the screw pile foundation in the morning and the unit in the afternoon. From one day to the next, you have a complete wellness unit with spa, sauna and shower.''

What advice would you give your (18-year-old) self?

''There is no reason to doubt yourself, because in the end, besides all your shortcomings, you have many talents. Don't doubt yourself.''

Have you been a wheelbarrow for anyone?

''I have encouraged several people in my network to take steps or start for themselves. This is actually the principle of entrepreneurship: seeing a need from a certain target group and knowing what the answer to this need is. When you put these two things together you have a revenue model. If you see someone who is cut from a certain cloth and is good at something, I say, 'guy take that step and do it.'"