My First IT Service Sold in the Netherlands

I was 19 years old when I discovered I had a knack for solving problems with technology. Back then, I launched my first e-commerce store: joushop.nl. I got broken laptops from a big local company, Organon in Oss. I refurbished them — reinstalling Windows, sometimes adding extra SDRAM, a bit of cleanup — and sold them through my webshop. Delivery? I did it myself, cash on delivery. It was the early days of e-commerce, and I loved the feeling of creating value and making money on my own terms.

Then came a request that changed my path. My bookkeeper asked if I could create an application in Excel with some macros and formulas. He explained the problem, I immediately saw the flow, and I said: “Yes, I’ll build it.” I jumped into Excel, put it together, and sold it back to him. That was the moment I realized: this is IT services, this is problem-solving people will pay for.

From there it snowballed. I started selling more: building websites, designing logos, setting up Wi-Fi networks. Every request was a new challenge. And all this while playing soccer and studying at the Johan Cruyff University, working on my business economics degree.

Looking back, that was the foundation of why I chose entrepreneurship in IT. Not because I wanted to be in “tech” for its own sake, but because I loved solving problems, moving fast, and turning ideas into something real.

Now, after 15+ years in IT, I see the same truth play out again with AI. The companies that win aren’t the ones drowning in endless strategy decks. They’re the ones that move pragmatically: test fast, automate where it matters, and scale what works.

That’s the DNA of Engycs. Build fast. Solve real problems. Automate what slows you down. And above all: grow smarter.