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“Since August 2022, I’ve been selling stylish, high-quality children’s shoes from brands like Ocra, Naturino, Angulus, and Blundstone, and I prioritize personal service. A lovely extra at LOU is that the kids can have fun here too: a photo booth, stepping stones, a drawing mirror… it’s all here.
The idea to open my own children’s shoe store came to me during my first real holiday job at a children’s shoe store. I’ve always really enjoyed helping the kids find their favorite pair of shoes.
When I was selected for the BAAS program in Leuven to receive further personalized guidance, I decided to take the plunge and go all in. The BAAS program is a project of the City of Leuven that supports young people between the ages of 18 and 28 in developing their own (business) ideas.”
A sole proprietorship with challenges
“My journey has gone pretty much according to plan so far, although there have been a few challenges. For example, you constantly have to figure things out on your own, experiment, and keep trying to launch fun, new initiatives—think of a cool collaboration or a small event.”
LOU as an established brand
“My goal? For LOU to truly become an established brand in Leuven. I hope that when people are looking for children’s shoes, they’ll think of LOU right away. I also want to further professionalize all internal processes and systems, such as the customer management system, sales tracking, and inventory management.”
Advice for starting entrepreneurs
“My advice to other starting entrepreneurs: surround yourself with the right people! Whether it’s writing your business plan, your marketing, or your communications… You can’t do everything on your own. I also recommend not incurring huge expenses right away. For example, I kept my store’s decor fairly simple and didn’t invest in expensive furniture or decorations from the start.
As for accounting, I tried doing everything myself for a while. I also filed my VAT declarations myself, but that caused me a bit too much stress. Until I discovered Dexxter! I’m very happy with it. A major advantage is that Dexxter is much cheaper than an accountant. I run a sole proprietorship in secondary occupation, so Dexxter is truly perfect for me.
My final tip is definitely to do market research. I didn’t do enough market research myself, so it wasn’t until after my first season that I really discovered what my customers are looking for.”
