ENTREPRENEUR IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Daniël Corsen

Striking a Balance: Running a Company & Getting Involved

The world is becoming more and more interconnected, and as a consequence, people are becoming more important in the sustainable development of their societies.

TEXT NEELAM MELWANI

Whether people decide to remain at home; work abroad and send remittances home; or move their entire families abroad in search of new opportunities; each decision could have a lasting impact on a society, particularly in smaller contexts like that of Curaçao. As people start to play a larger role in development, it is clear that improving society stretches far beyond the work and possible limited resources of government, but that a “future that we want” needs to be built through collaboration between the private and public sector.

Although ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ (CSR) has become a catch-phrase in the business community today, its definition tends to differ depending on the context in which it is used. Holistic CSR strategies stretch beyond sustainably using non-renewable resources, recycling renewable resources, donating money to foundations, or hosting charity dinners. While all of these are of course important, a holistic CSR policy entails encouraging employees to play a larger role in effectively realizing positive change in the community.

In Curaçao, like in other small island communities, a company’s reputation plays a large role in determining its client base. Considering that the local ‘pie’ is already small, it is important to motivate employees to be actively involved in their communities, both through their work and outside the workplace. A small or medium sized company’s reputation is very much defined by the people who work there. In small communities, everyone knows everyone, and your employees are an indication of what your company stands for. Therefore, it is important to: define a company culture; strike a balance between work and community involvement; and create ways to allow your company to transcend sectors and borders.

To get a better idea of how to “strike the right balance” in the specific context of Curaçao, CBM interviewed Mr. Daniël Corsen, 28-year old co-founder and co-owner of D&I Business Support Services (D&I), a local consultancy firm; lecturer for finance at the University of Curaçao; and Chairman of the National Platform for Youth Development.

Defining your Company Culture

In the modern day and age, defining a company’s culture has become a more flexible process. Taking advantage of technological possibilities, working hours can become more flexible, and work places more informal. Corsen explained how D&I Business Support Services (D&I) is a relatively new company founded five years ago, with the intention of doing business differently. A rather small company, with only five full-time employees, and two part-time assistants, the company has an innovative working culture: no defined working hours or vacation days, and online work space that allows employees to log in from any computer anywhere in the world.

“Your employees should feel like they have the space and time to invest in themselves and in their community, and partake in initiatives that add to their quality of life and surroundings.”

While Corsen mentions that the company hopes to grow, he claims that the flexible company culture will play an important role paving the road further. By creating a less rigid company structure, CSR can be better incorporated in a company’s culture. Corsen says, “Your employees should feel like they have the space and time to invest in themselves and in their community, and partake in initiatives that add to their quality of life and surroundings.” Flexible working hours and vacation days, allow for a result-based management approach where deliverables matter more than the amount of hours spent sitting at a computer in an office.

Employees are therefore able to allocate their time to fit their busy schedules, whether this is training a little league baseball team on a Wednesday afternoon, cleaning up a beach on a Saturday morning, or working with the elderly every morning. At the end of the day, they are evaluated on the work that they are doing rather than how or when they decide to do it.

A less rigid corporate culture also encourages employees to prioritize their time, and dedicate their time to things they consider important.

Why it’s important to Prioritize

In countries like Curaçao, collaboration is key. Corsen feels like it is the responsibility of everyone, and not just the government, to bring about real change, and therefore spends a lot of his time on an issue that is close to his heart: youth development.

He says: “being optimistic, I hope that in five years, through the National Youth Platform, we’ll be able to realize real change: a collaboration between different actors to decrease youth unemployment, crime rates, and in ten years, we’ll be able to create a generation of ‘rockstars’- a generation that recognizes their potential and has the resources to take on their dreams without the fear of failure.”

Much like prioritizing within a company, it is important for busy business owners to prioritize their time outside of the workplace. The challenge with flexible hours is that it is easy to get off track and become involved in too many different things at once. According to Corsen, it is important to find the one thing you’re interested in; an issue that is close to heart, and focus on bringing real change in that area. For Corsen, it’s obviously youth development.

“Becoming involved should not come at the expense of your work… before saying yes to any opportunity outside of work, I make sure that my colleagues feel empowered enough to do their work, and I encourage them to do the same.”

Expanding your boundaries

While the ‘pie’ is only so big in Curaçao, there are so many ways to get involved and so many initiatives to support. For Corsen, there are no such things as business and non-business hours. “I have one agenda,” he claims, “and that’s how I get everything done in a day. There’s one life to live, not two. Trying to build a rewarding personal life around the traditional ‘8 – 5’ working hour mentality does not work if you want to bring about real change in your community.” Connecting your business to your passion is important when looking to add value and be successful at both.

The Many Benefits

How can your business benefit from being socially involved? The answer, according to Corsen, is quite simple, especially with regards to youth development. By becoming involved in youth development, you can ensure that the youth is able to participate in creating their future. This can consequently lead to more employment, social cohesion, and a better link between schools and the professional world. Economic growth is sure to follow, if these preconditions exist, and a growing economy will have employees that are well-prepared, equipped and motivated to contribute to society. Corsen also explains how being actively involved in your community could give your company an international edge. His company, D&I, is part of a global network of 33 consulting firms that have similar business models and corporate cultures. Companies are able to compare social contexts across borders, and look at issues they face. No company today operates within a specific sector or country alone; it is becoming more important to transcend these boundaries to ensure your company’s success, whether that is eating a larger piece of the small pie, or getting your hands on different pies as well.

What can you do?
In summary, Corsen suggested doing the following things to get more involved:
1. Get rid of rigid company structures – be more flexible with working hours and vacation days, for example.
2. Let your company transcend borders and sectors – look for other companies that have the same passions you do, and see how they are getting involved in their communities and coping with local contexts.
3. Redefine your business – approach CSR holistically and incorporate it in your company culture rather than using it as an ‘add-on’ or ‘extra.’
4. Find a passion that resounds with you — and be sure it also has a positive long-term impact on your company’s success.
5. Encourage your colleagues to find their passion — give them the time, space, and flexibility to add value and bring about change in their communities.