How frequently do you practice meditation or yoga to maintain your mental health? Creative Ink believes there is a simpler technique that anyone can use anywhere and it only takes ten minutes of your day; calligraphy. “While this technique has been around for thousands of years, we are modernizing it by creating fun, easy, and aesthetically pleasing tools and by incorporating technology into this amazing style of art,” co-founder Sergey Kasilov says.
Back Edwin van der Heide on starting a business in the Netherlands
Moving abroad to start a business in a foreign country is an exciting process for entrepreneurs yet easier said than done. The founders of Creative Ink, a calligraphy company, are all too familiar with this process. They have now been in the Netherlands for several months so we wanted to check in with their Back/coach, Edwin van der Heide: “It’s been great to be able to support them; from discussing practical matters related to starting a business in the Netherlands to guiding them in pinpointing their strategy. The top priority at the moment? Branding.”
Edwin has a background as an experienced entrepreneur (from Ontbijtservice.nl to McNetiq), so he knows a thing or two about creating an effective market development strategy. “They are enthusiastic, which is a great start but it is still a long way to becoming an important player in the calligraphy world.” He believes that especially in this stage it is important to develop a good brand and marketing strategy: “I reached out to Globrands and managed to get them involved for the branding to ensure a good foundation.”
Sentimental importance of calligraphy
After making sure there is a solid foundation, it is important to create brand awareness. Edwin sees many different trends that they could tap into: mindfulness of course but also exclusivity. “People want something unique and valuable. Letters have a sentimental value since you know the other person took the time to write the letter themselves and post it. This sentimental importance is why we go back to handwriting, to calligraphy.”