about me
From commerce to technology. And everything in between.
the detour
As a teenager I had three things on my list: sports academy, police, or art school. A torn cruciate ligament at fifteen crossed off sports and police. Art school? My mother thought of her father, an artist with an unstable income. She couldn't see the difference with graphic design. So it became sales.
I started out in client-facing sales and support roles: insurance, credit services, paper, office supplies. There I set up a ticket service desk, led a CRM implementation and rewrote work processes. Then came the premium gifts industry, with daily contact with production teams in China. That route led me into technical components: at Angst+Pfister I spent 6 years liaising between engineers and clients, at Comdes I was the first point of contact for clients in the electronic components industry, providing technical product advice and guiding the purchasing process. Every step brought me closer to the tech.
then I learned to code
Alongside all that client work I finally wanted to do something creative, and be mentally challenged. So I taught myself to code, through the big online learning platforms where the better universities of the world offer their degrees and courses. My first project was straight in at the deep end: a 3D solar system in JavaScript. From there to React, Next.js, Astro and Shopify.
Years of working with customers have taught me to ask follow-up questions. What does a customer need, what are they unsure about, and which information helps them make a decision? Now that I also write code, I can turn those questions into website content and structure, or changes to a system.
“If there's no road, I'll make one.”
the leap
June 2023 I moved to the Costa Blanca. I'd known for years I didn't want to grow old in the Netherlands. Spain had always pulled at me. Sometimes all the pieces just fall into place.
Now I work fully remote, from the Costa Blanca, for clients in the Netherlands. Travel time to a client: zero. Time zone: practically the same. The climate helps too.
outside work
Outside work I do fitness, golf, boxing and photography. My dog Shiba, a Jack Russell and Shiba Inu mix, is just as stubborn as I am. The Costa Blanca combines work and life for me: sea views, beach around the corner.
And I co-organise DamesZaken Alicante, a network for entrepreneurial women on the Costa Blanca that I helped build from the very first drinks evening. Connecting people is the strongest business skill there is.
where I am now
Today I combine those different sides of my experience. I run my own web design business, Costa Wave Web. I also build websites for a marketing agency under their name.
For Dutch clients, I work under my own name. I provide practical, commercial, digital and technical support for businesses and also build complete websites.
I work independently, look into things and get them done. I use AI tools where they actually help, including for development, automation and working out solutions more quickly.
why this works for you
You work with someone who gets to know your business, brings a commercial perspective and can carry out the work herself.
When working with customers, I ask follow-up questions, find out what is needed and make sure requests are followed up. I am used to coordinating with customers and suppliers while taking account of how the business operates.
I bring that same perspective to a website. What do you offer, which questions do your customers ask, and what do they need to get in touch or place an order? Those answers guide the layout and content. I handle the design and development myself.
If a request becomes technical along the way, I can often investigate and resolve it myself. That makes me useful across business support and website projects.