Ruben Hensen

Ruben Hensen never thought a degree was needed to make his dream come true. He just wanted one thing: to do business. Until that moment when he was about to take over a bakery and he suddenly started to doubt himself. At the Center for Entrepreneurship he found his own path – and immediately felt, everything was going to work out. 
 

“Before I started studying Entrepreneurship & Retail Management, I’d done two chef’s courses and studied Operational Management. And I was working full-time in the retail food sector. Entrepreneurship was my main priority – and I didn’t think studying was really necessary.”  
 

Healthy doubts 

“And yet I started to doubt things when I was about to take over the bakery I’d been working at for two and a half years. The business was well established and was going well. And that was exactly what held me back. I dreamed of building something of my own. Of having something I could shape from the ground up and work on every day. I just felt that it wasn’t the right time yet, and that I needed to invest in myself first.” 
 

A sense of coming home 

“My sister had studied at the hotel school in Leeuwarden. Her stories made me curious about NHL Stenden. When I first stepped into the building on the open day and saw the Center for Entrepreneurship, everything fell into place. It felt like coming home. I didn’t even know what programme I wanted to study, but from the moment I stepped into the CfE, I felt the energy I’d been looking for all along.” 
 

On the rise 

“The CfE was one of the most important reasons I chose NHL Stenden. But my degree in Entrepreneurship & Retail Management also perfectly matched my dream to work for myself. The idea for my own business came about soon after I started my studies – and now I give workshops in making sour dough bread, for beginners and experienced home bakers." 
 

Taste the enthusiasm 

“Baking bread is my way of emptying my head and being able to feel what really matters. It’s almost therapeutic. I want to pass that feeling on. The people taking my workshops can literally and figuratively taste my enthusiasm. And that’s what entrepreneurship means to me: conveying your passion to others. I don’t just do it to earn money. For me, entrepreneurship means daring to follow your passion and accepting all the mistakes that come with it.” 
 

The right choice 

“Looking back, that moment when I decided not to take over the bakery was one of the hardest but at the same time, one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made. I could have taken over a thriving business but I chose to stay true to myself. I want to build something that really suits me. And having help from the CfE is great. That’s what I’m proud of most.” 
 

Find out more about studying and running your own business. Check out the Center for Entrepreneurship page.