Leidschendam-Voorburg is offering free, personalized advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals through a recent initiative launched on February 23, 2026. The program, a collaboration between the municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg and Hogeschool InHolland, aims to lower the barriers to entry for those starting or growing a business.
The “ondernemersspreekuur” (entrepreneurial consultation hour) takes place every Monday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Tuinkamer van Noord, located at Sporthal De Fluit in Leidschendam, accessible via Burgemeester Kolfschotenlaan. Entrepreneurs can drop in without an appointment for advice, support, or brainstorming sessions.
Wethouder Astrid van Eekelen, the municipality’s economic affairs representative, highlighted the program’s accessibility. “We have many entrepreneurs in our municipality and we want to help them in an accessible way,” she said, according to a statement released by the municipality. “We are doing this in the Tuinkamer, together with students, to provide them with advice and help them with their plans.”
The consultation hour is staffed by students from Hogeschool Inholland, who are gaining practical experience as part of their internships, under the guidance of faculty members. This provides students with hands-on experience addressing real-world entrepreneurial challenges, even as simultaneously offering start-ups and freelancers access to current knowledge and fresh perspectives.
Thijs Schumacher, a Business Finance & Law student at Hogeschool Inholland, played a key role in re-establishing the consultation hour. “The entrepreneurial consultation hour already existed, but there were no more interns,” Schumacher explained. “I thought that was a shame. Together with Mark, we looked at whether we could set this up as an internship again, and we succeeded. I expect a lot of variety: working with different companies and learning a lot from them myself.”
Marc Ketelaars, a Business Studies lecturer at Hogeschool Inholland, provides content guidance to the student consultants. Schumacher noted that many start-up entrepreneurs struggle with identifying their unique selling proposition (USP). “A business plan consists of many parts, but what is often insufficiently included is the unique ‘selling point,’ the USP. What makes you as an entrepreneur really strong? Why should customers choose you and not a competitor? That is something we often help entrepreneurs with.”
Ketelaars emphasized the mutually beneficial nature of the program. “We are increasingly moving away from just teaching and exams towards practice,” he said. “Students are now working on real assignments for real people and real companies. You notice that they are much more active and enthusiastic about showing their knowledge, because they can really mean something to entrepreneurs.”
He added, “Students gain practical experience as an internship and residents are helped, and that too, for free. What I find most attractive is seeing how proud students are of the products they create and how happy companies are with them.”
Schumacher encourages entrepreneurs to utilize the service. “Do you want to start a business, do you have questions or just want to brainstorm? Come to the Tuinkamer van Noord here in Leidschendam. I am here every Monday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Experience free to drop by to spar together.”
