Hans Biesheuvel, founder of ONL voor Ondernemers, has been an entrepreneur at home and abroad for 35 years. With all the knowledge and experience he has gained in these years, he is committed to one goal: to make the voice of many entrepreneurs heard by politicians.

With ONL, Biesheuvel is closing the gap between the business community (the self-employed and SME organizations) and The Hague. By bundling information and translating it in such a way that it ends up on the political agenda. "Lobbying, raising problems and creating support are crucial here. But certainly also offering a solving and helping attitude in realizing this," Biesheuvel explains.

ONL has the influence to bring about real change. For example, after the corona outbreak there was immediately a plan with recovery measures, which was almost completely followed by politics. But also substantive input on the future of the Dutch labor market was included in the Borstlap Committee report. This input was created in collaboration with HeadFirst Group, similar to reports such as 'De zzp'er bestaat wél' and 'Een kijkje over de grens', and plays an important role in influencing the political agenda.

"It's better to talk with each other than about each other. Our office in The Hague is the place for that. Working together to make change possible."

In the past two years, politics has been lived by the subject of corona, while important dossiers await. The energy transition, the housing market and certainly also the labor market require attention. Biesheuvel: "It is time to take decisions. Even if we continue to be inundated by a tsunami of problems, it is important that we look ahead. And we are providing the right handholds for that."

This interview appears in our Annual Report. Curious about other interviews or our results and strategy? Then read the entire report.

HeadFirst Group Annual Report