Veerle Monkerhey - Participant 2020-2021
“I learned that flexibility and the ability to adapt to new circumstances are probably just as important as knowing the ins and outs of the process.”
Role
The main purpose of Veerle’s project was to analyze opportunities, develop a market entry strategy, and initiate sales for Paprika in the US.
Responsibilities
For Veerle, this was the first time in her career that she took the lead in terms of business development, networking and sales, learning in the process that you need to build and maintain meaningful sales relationships. The pandemic had a significant impact on the retail business in Europe and the US and forced her to adapt to the circumstances by developing flexibility and creativity.
How she benefited
The entrepreneurial mindset in the US increased Veerle’s confidence in terms of “jumping into the unknown”, teaching her that things will work out if you work hard and stay focused.
“Thanks to this experience, I now feel ready to leave my job and become a freelancer”, she stresses. The Prince Albert Fund was the “little nudge” she needed to be more confident and take the leap into a new career and a new life.
The company – Paprika
Paprika was established in 2003. The company specializes in plus-size clothing for women and has more than 100 stores in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, in addition to selling its fashions online to an international customer base.
“Despite setbacks and difficulties, Veerle succeeded in achieving a large part of the goals set out during the year, such as setting up a local subsidiary. She also overcame legal and financial hurdles to establish a successful entity in the US under the name ‘Talking French’.”