LEN DE KOSTER, DIRECTOR ETC DESIGN CENTER EUROPE

Len de Koster is director of ETC Design Center Europe: the mecca in the national and international interior design industry, including furniture, home decoration, textiles and lighting. With no less than 15.000 square meters of high-end interior and exterior, you can rightly gain inspiration from interior platform. De Koster is a born entrepreneur who started various businesses after high school and also passes on this mentality to his children. But who “gave” Len his entrepreneurial power and career platform? Who was his wheelbarrow?Text: Mical Joseph
Image: ETC Design Center Europe

What was your very first job?

“My father was director of Neckermann and he believed that I had to work for my money. As a 14-year-old, I was an assistant at Neckermann's transporter who delivered furniture to customers' homes. During the holidays I was busy with this part-time job and I enjoyed it to the fullest. I earned some pocket money and was in contact with many people.

From an early age I knew that I wanted to start a business later and at the age of 19 I had my first clothing store in Den Bosch. My mother had her own fashion school, so that's why I also found the fashion industry interesting. In addition to my parents being entrepreneurs, so was my grandfather. He had his own furniture factory. This also really appealed to me.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“I met my wife through fashion and got into real estate through my father-in-law. At some point I bought the ETC building through investments, but we still had to renovate the building considerably. It was a time of crisis and the building was really on the ground, but I looked through the 'ugliness' of the building. As a young boy I played on that field, because my father was a manager at the rubber factory that was located there. I saw a lot of potential in the project.

In 2008 I took over the site and everything came together in ETC Design Center: my love for fabrics, furniture and real estate.”

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“I've had several wheelbarrows. I believe that if you want to get further in life, sometimes you need a wheelbarrow and that's not a bad thing. My parents were big wheelbarrows for me, because they helped and supported me enormously when I started my fashion business. My father-in-law was an important wheelbarrow in real estate. He helped me both financially and emotionally, I gained a lot of knowledge through his support.

What stays with me is that as an entrepreneur I used to ignore a lot of wisdom and advice and thought I knew it all myself. Once I got older, I was open to advice and took external knowledge much more to heart.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“The best thing about my profession is the passion, craftsmanship and ambition that I see in the companies that are part of ETC. For example, one of my exhibitors, a woman who is already the seventh generation of that company, hand-woven the fabric for the throne of last Budget Day. She has been working on this for no less than nine months. And in those nine months, this exhibitor has of course personally seen better and worse days, this fluctuates in the fabric and so you get beautiful nuances in the fabric. There is a whole story behind this product and that is of course with every product from the exhibitors at ETC.

In addition to the exhibitors, the Alpe d'HuZes cancer control foundation also has a place with us. I believe that you should help each other and this wonderful initiative has stolen my heart. After several cases in my immediate environment, this foundation appealed to me even more and, following a benefit evening, I offered to make a place available to them.”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“I learned not to make concessions and stand by what you stand for after running the fashion store. Because I occasionally made concessions at the time, my concept was no longer watertight and it lost part of its identity. With ETC we make no concessions and this is how we retain our target group.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

"Do things exactly the same as you did. I don't regret anything and even though some things don't go the way they 'should', everything always works out in the end.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I try to be a wheelbarrow for both my children and people who are in the same industry. My children also help in the company, but also have their own projects outside the company. For example, my eldest daughter has her own company and the other two are still studying. However, one of my student daughters has already written a business plan. I enjoy helping in the process.”