Most of us know what it’s like to have a brilliant idea. But then we sit on it, sleep on it, and mull it over until we eventually pack it away in the farthest corners of our minds. We chalk it up as a good idea that won’t go anywhere.
Sander Nieuwenhuizen and Paul Reijnierse, co-founders of The Main Ingredient, are here to help. The Amsterdam-based firm works with individuals who have that proverbial light bulb hovering over their heads, helping them to realize their dreams. They also guide and support existing companies that need to revamp their business models.
Nieuwenhuizen and Reijnierse have plenty of experience working with some of the most innovative and transformative startups. Here, the WeWork Weteringschans members dish on how their unique backgrounds brought them together to deliver The Main Ingredient.
WeWork: Let’s start from the beginning. Where did you grow up?
Nieuwenhuizen: I grew up in Schagen, a small town 45 miles north of Amsterdam. My grandparents lived in Amsterdam, so growing up, I was impressed by the big city—the subways, the trams, and how vibrant everything was.
Reijnierse: We moved quite a bit when I was young, so I always find this a little hard to answer. But if I had to pick a place, it would be Utrecht, a college city in the center of the Netherlands.
WeWork: How did you both meet?
Reijnierse: We met at a joint client of ours. I had just left my previous company and started a freelance job at a local agency here in Amsterdam, to do strategy for a startup that they were working for and help them with teambuilding. Sander had been working with them for quite some time as well. We worked together several times, and we found out that we had good chemistry when it came to running a workshop, guiding a team towards design decisions, and shipping a product.
Nieuwenhuizen: We regularly talked about the project and what to do with the team to make the most awesome product ever. These talks led to talking about our own dreams, passions, and how we think companies should work. There was massive overlap in our visions.
WeWork: And how did the opportunity to start The Main Ingredient come about?
Reijnierse: At my previous company, we mainly focused on online advertising campaigns. While we did some really high-quality work, I found that in many cases, I would rather work on the product itself than on the marketing material for the product. My co-founder and I were not fully aligned on how to approach this, so I decided it was best for me to leave the company and pursue the dream of creating products at a new venture.
Nieuwenhuizen: We decided to stop our freelancing adventures and continue full- time as The Main Ingredient from 2015. We now guide several startups, organizations, and create products of our own. We love the experience of changing the mindset of people and doing things for, and together with, organizations that they themselves beforehand could not imagine.
WeWork: Has your initial vision for The Main Ingredient stayed true or did you have to change your direction at any point?
Nieuwenhuizen: We started just a few months ago, and our vision and beliefs have not changed. We’ve been experiencing a lot of cool stuff coming our way, and we have so many cool ideas, so we’re in the process of expanding our team. Our vision is rock solid, yet our path is to be uncovered and is changing frequently.
WeWork: Where did the name come from?
Reijnierse: The name really stands for our biggest challenge whenever we start working with a new client or when we start building a new product—figure out what the main ingredient is for that specific case. It can be a simple solution for a product, figuring out what the real problem is that you’re trying to solve or the combination of the right people to create the perfect team. Usually you need all of them, but finding out where to start can be different for every case and finding that main ingredient and adding it to the mix is what we do.
Nieuwenhuizen: I heard the term being used in an interview with an Amsterdam-based rapper, and it matches greatly with what we do and what we believe in.
WeWork: How does living in Amsterdam impact your creativity?
Nieuwenhuizen: Amsterdam is an awesome place to be. It has similarities with Brooklyn. There are lots of fun places to go to, and people are very open-minded. The architecture and canals are simply beautiful and there are plenty of places to visit and people to meet for inspiration.
Reijnierse: The vibrant startup community is what really fuels my creativity. It is really inspiring to meet so many driven entrepreneurs with cool ideas, so living in Amsterdam definitely helps me to stay on the edge of my seat.
WeWork: What was your biggest screw-up at The Main Ingredient and how did you recover?
Nieuwenhuizen: We’re rolling pretty nicely, but we had some issues with prospective clients. We like to only work with parties we trust, and it happened a few times that clients agreed to work together and all of a sudden pulled out before the start. That is seriously disappointing, but we don’t want to start a relationship based on a 500-page contract.
Reijnierse: Fortunately, we recuperated quickly and found plenty of work from other parties to fill in this blank spot. But it felt like a bump in the road.
WeWork: What’s your favorite drink to start or end the day?
Nieuwenhuizen: Probably a glass of fine wine during dinner or some sort of hipster beer. I start the day with a properly brewed coffee, either an espresso, latte, or tea.
Reijnierse: I usually start with an espresso or a latte. A Hendrick’s gin and tonic or a Zatte, a beer from a local brewery, at the end of the day.
Photo credit: Lauren Kallen