One Year of Brightest Netherlands: Building a Company Where Employees Come First

A year ago, Brightest Netherlands was still in the starting blocks. There was a business plan, a clear vision, and above all, a lot of ambition. Today, there’s a growing team, and every consultant is out working with clients. For Remko van den Bogaard and Willem ten Brinke, that first year is above all proof that the idea they started with actually works in practice.

“Of course, we’d made a plan beforehand of how we wanted the company to look,” says Remko. “How great is it when it actually turns out that way, or even better than you’d hoped?”

From the first consultant to a growing team

For Willem, one moment remains special: the very first consultant and assignment, which coincided exactly with the launch of Brightest Netherlands. “It couldn’t have been a nicer coincidence. It’s a moment I’ll always remember.”

Things moved quickly after that. March and April in particular brought a strong growth spurt, with five new consultants joining in a short time. “Barely six months in, we earned the trust of familiar faces as well as new ones. It meant a lot of organizing, but it also gave us a huge amount of energy.”

Remko also sees the combination of people and assignments as one of the biggest successes: every colleague who joined Brightest Netherlands was able to start working with a client from day one.

Building a company from the ground up

That growth went hand in hand with another challenge: building an entire company from scratch.

“Building relationships with clients and employees while having to set everything up at the same time: that was the biggest challenge for me,” says Remko. “You make a plan beforehand, and it’s great to see that it actually plays out that way.”

Changes in laws and regulations also demanded plenty of attention this past year. According to Willem, that immediately proved the value of a solid foundation. “The fact that we have a lot of structure in our company, that our processes are in order, and that certain things are outsourced, has already proven its worth.”

A nice confirmation of that came with the SNA certification. For outsiders, perhaps a less visible milestone, but for Remko an important recognition that the processes and administration are well in order after barely a year.

More than an investor

Brightest Netherlands is building its own story, but can rely on the experience and support of Brightest Belgium. When Remko and Willem set out with their business plan to look for an investor, they found much more than that at Brightest.

“In Brightest Belgium, we found a company founded with the same intention: to build a great company that takes good care of its employees and clients,” says Willem. “And because we operate in the same market, we can also make good use of each other’s knowledge and expertise.”

Remko especially recognizes the same culture: helpful, open, and transparent. At the same time, the Dutch team can rely on support from Belgium for things like finance, marketing, and other back-office activities. That allows Remko and Willem to focus mainly on recruitment, sales, and operations.

“The collaboration is going really well,” says Willem. “And whenever we visit Belgium, we feel completely at home.”

Proud of the first year

Looking back on their first year, Remko and Willem both come back to the people.

“So many colleagues have found their way to us, believe in and embrace our story, and are building the company with us from the ground up. That’s what I’m most proud of,” says Willem.

Remko, too, looks at the company that stands today with pride: “An open and transparent company, where the employee comes first.”

That people-first approach was an important part of the plan from the very beginning. Brightest Netherlands wants to grow, but not at the expense of the culture it started with.

Moving forward with confidence

The ambition for the coming years is clear: keep growing while holding on to the culture Brightest Netherlands was built on. In the short term, Remko dreams of fifteen colleagues around the table at the Christmas dinner, and in the longer run, he wants Brightest to be known as the testing specialist of the Netherlands. Willem shares that ambition: “A warm and people-focused, yet at the same time serious and driven software testing company.”

After one year, what stands out most is the confidence that they’re on the right track. The lesson Remko would give himself? “Trust yourself.” Willem keeps it just as simple: “Don’t look back, look forward.”

And that’s exactly what Brightest Netherlands intends to do.