More than two years ago she was still working in her husband’s company and from today Isabelle De Pauw from Paveau can call herself ‘Best Entrepreneur in East Flanders’ for a year. You can read in this conversation how the Ghent mother of two accomplished this feat.
“Pleasantly surprised, but above all amazed,” is what we say when we congratulate Isabelle on her victory. “The other ladies are all great too. I have only been in business for about two years, so I am still somewhat of a rookie in the entrepreneurial landscape. This is somewhat unexpected. It is a very special feeling to notice that so many people have supported me and the company. Gratitude is the predominant feeling,” says Paveau’s driving force, who also raises two small children. How the East Flemish woman manages all this requires some explanation. Time for a conversation.
Can entrepreneurship be combined with running a family?
“I do have a lot of energy. To stand still is to go backwards. I can handle some things, but above all I can kiss on both hands that I have a nice network around me and also a fantastic man that I can rely on. My mom is also always ready to help when necessary. Over the last six months, Paveau has been growing like a comet. It has been particularly difficult at times to manage it all. A real team expansion is also coming soon and we recently moved to new offices in Ghent. Quite intense, but we manage to keep things running for the time being (laughs).”
Can you still disconnect completely?
“That’s a difficult one for me. If you are self-employed, you always take your work with you. Fortunately, I really enjoy my job and it also gives me a lot of energy. In between all the worries, I build in small moments of relaxation. For example, I regularly take a pilates class or explore the world with friends. I also try the necessary quality time to spend with my husband. As I said, our team will soon be expanded, but at the moment, as manager, I still fulfill almost all roles on my own. ‘Inaccessibility’ is not in my dictionary for the time being.”
You already indicated that you come from a real entrepreneurial family. For example, you say that you have a lot of admiration for your dad’s career and especially for “his focus, passion and his powerful, but at the same time very human way of doing business”. Make that concrete.
“My dad is CEO of WDP, a Bel20 company. You should know: when I was young, that small family business was still located in my grandmother’s basement, and they ran it with five people. A quarter of a century ago he single-handedly brought it to the stock exchange. Those were some very tough years, but he still managed to do it. And today my dad employs more than a hundred people, who all together form a very powerful team. That family atmosphere from back then is still reflected in today’s warm way of doing business. That human capital makes a huge difference. I admire him for that, and that has only grown since I started a company myself.”
“With Paveau we hope to give ‘conscious consumption’ a boost and reduce the plastic waste mountain,” you said during this campaign. Why is sustainability so important to you and your company?
“With Paveau I want to mean something for future generations. When I look at the climate and all the problems that come with it, I think it is essential that when you do something, it has the necessary impact.”
“The theme of water in particular is very close to my heart. About twenty years ago I went to live in Australia with a host family for a year. There they valued the importance of using water sparingly, even then. Here in Belgium this was still almost undiscussed. Then it wasn’t about droughts and global warming. In ‘the land down under’ I was confronted for the first time with its scarcity and preciousness. It is a philosophy that I still cherish and that forms the basis of Paveau.”
Aren’t you afraid of getting the ‘goat wool socks label’ stuck on yours?
“No, it is impossible to do everything perfectly in that sustainable story. And I don’t do that myself. When I got the idea to develop that bottle, it was not with the intention of incorporating the ecological aspect of water into a business model. I really created that from my own needs. In the sense that we consciously drink water from the tap at home, but have not found a nice, matching bottle to pour it into. At the same time, the bottle is an opportunity to address a subject that I am extremely passionate about and in which I believe very strongly.”
“It is not my intention to point the finger at others. The challenge was not given to me alone. With just my bottle I will certainly not provide a conclusive solution to the climate problem. But it is important that we all try to make a difference in the best possible way, no matter how small.”
“It’s always a matter of finding the right balance. You must try to present your marketing story in a way that everyone feels good about and, above all, try to do what you can to deal sustainably with the planet,” says the newly crowned ‘Best Entrepreneur in East Flanders’.
2024-03-08 04:06:47
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