Our unique business approach
We believe in the power of collaboration. Each person has their own qualities, strengths, and weaknesses.
Running a business involves many different aspects, including creating products, marketing, customer contact, legal and regulatory compliance, social media platforms, technology (websites, etc.), design, and more. It’s not realistic to expect one person to excel at all these tasks. That’s why collaboration is so valuable and rewarding!
On this page, you can see how our special bond among siblings works and how we live together uniquely. In our businesses, we also work together as much as possible, both within our family and with people outside our family.
The Structure of Xandra’s Keto Kitchen
When I first started Xandra’s Keto Kitchen, I thought I had to do everything myself. I had the help of good friends in building a website, but otherwise, I did everything myself. It was a learning experience I don’t regret, but it could have been much more efficient.
I’ve since learned that you don’t always have to do everything yourself, and in fact, you shouldn’t. It can be so much better if you seek help from someone who has a passion or a talent for a particular task. Below, I’ll explain the strengths of each team member.
Myself (Xandra)
I am primarily focused on creating new cookbooks. This involves creating new dishes, turning them into recipes, and coming up with new specials (candies, world dishes, easy meals, vegetarian, etc.). I also continue to research developments in the ketogenic lifestyle, write content for blog articles and social media posts, and partly manage my Facebook page (along with Lin).
Louis
My brother Louis is a mastermind when it comes to coming up with ingenious constructions, marketing techniques, and visualizing the bigger picture and new business ideas. Louis can sit in silence for hours, thinking and exploring various scenarios, and coming up with solutions if needed. He enjoys this process and finds it incredibly fulfilling.
He does this so often that almost every day when I see him, he has new ideas to share. We then brainstorm together about these ideas, discuss how to implement them, and assess whether they are feasible and useful.
Monica
My sister Monica is excellent at helping with wording, customer contact, and asking critical questions. She acts as a filter through which our ideas pass, and she poses challenging questions that help Louis and me further refine and fine-tune things.
Additionally, Monica, together with her partner Joen, manages the Instagram and TikTok accounts for Xandra’s Kitchen. They enjoy doing this, and I’m very grateful for their help.
Ramon
My brother Ramon is currently our financial powerhouse. He works as a self-employed professional at oil refineries, where he oversees laborers performing maintenance work on the plant. Ramon is responsible for their safety, monitoring gas levels, oxygen levels in confined spaces, and ensuring that workers follow safety protocols. These projects vary in length, from a few weeks to several months, and can take place in the Netherlands or abroad (all over the world).
During these projects, he earns enough to financially support us (primarily Xandra, but also the businesses). This allows us to focus entirely on the businesses. Currently, the businesses do not generate enough income for us to live solely from them.
Joen
Joen is Monica’s partner. She is studying graphic design and has a passion for it. Joen helps us with the design of new products, such as cookbook covers, as well as with social media content. She also manages the Instagram and TikTok accounts of Xandra’s Kitchen, together with Monica.
Janke and Lin
They are the two Facebook wizards of Xandra’s Keto Kitchen ❤ They jointly manage our Facebook group. Lin also manages our Facebook page, handling content creation and assisting with responding to comments.
Friends
We have various friends who, in their unique ways, help with our businesses. Some friends enjoy spending time on social media, where they assist us in gaining name recognition and providing value to people seeking information about a ketogenic lifestyle.
We have a friend who excels in customer service and occasionally helps with customer interactions. We also have several friends who often serve as sounding boards for new ideas or are specialized in certain areas, providing us with professional feedback and tips.
Our Fulfillment Center
When selling physical products (cookbooks and kitchen items), shipping is a necessary step but one that can be a waste of time and energy. So, we looked for someone who could take over this part of the process. We found an excellent fulfillment center that handles everything for us.
Like us, they are a family business, run by two brothers and their father. We immediately got along well with them, and their service aligns perfectly with our values: fast shipping, secure packaging, and pleasant communication. It’s another successful collaboration where they can focus on efficiently and promptly delivering orders, while we enjoy making customers happy with our products.
But It Doesn’t Stop at Xandra’s Keto Kitchen
I’ve mentioned before that we have multiple businesses. So far, only the name Xandra’s Kitchen has been mentioned because the other businesses are still in the startup phase. We believe it’s essential to establish a strong and stable foundation before launching a business and making it active in the world.
We are a very entrepreneurial family, each of us pursuing our own passions, which we are also developing into businesses.
The Self-Confidence Institute
Louis, along with one of our brother Ramon’s best friends, is in the process of establishing the Self-Confidence Institute. It will be a place where people can turn to for help with all the insecurities they experience in their lives. In the future, they will offer various services, including live coaching, online courses (written and video), self-help exercises, and much more.
Orthomolecular Therapy
Monica graduated in Life Sciences (Biology and Medical Laboratory Research). Currently, she works at the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), but she dreams of having her own business in the future. She likely wants to establish a business in orthomolecular therapy, partially conducting medical research and studies.
Medicinal Cannabis
Ramon wants to establish a business in the cultivation of medicinal cannabis in the future. However, as you can imagine, there is much preparatory work involved. He is currently working in the background to figure out how to legally start his own business in this field. For now, his main focus is on generating income to support us and the businesses.
Tax Advisory Firm
Louis is currently working hard to finalize the establishment of a tax advisory firm specializing in self-employed professionals (ZZP-ers). His primary focus is setting up a course where he provides valuable information on the most critical tax matters that ZZP-ers should be aware of, along with money-saving tips. There are numerous opportunities for savings that most people with their own businesses are not aware of, resulting in unnecessary tax payments. This often leaves them working hard IN their businesses without time to work ON their businesses.
Hypnotherapy
Our mother is a certified hypnotherapist. She has her own practice at home, where she can work wonders. She used hypnotherapy to help me overcome my (panic) fear of wasps and to assist my partner Mitch in addressing his intolerances to red meat and dairy.
While our mother primarily runs her business independently, we enjoy collaborating and often refer clients to her. The power lies in teamwork. If I can help my clients overcome certain intolerances or mental blockages by referring them to my mother and her hypnotherapy expertise, it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing many clients achieve incredible successes through the power of hypnotherapy. In turn, my mother also refers clients to me because there is so much to gain from maintaining a healthy diet.
Do Yourself a Favor!
Stop making things harder for yourself than they need to be. You don’t have to do everything alone, you don’t have to be good at everything, you don’t have to carry everything on your own, and you don’t have to be afraid to ask for help!
Together, you can achieve so much more. All you have to do is remove your own barriers and be open to all possibilities. Share with the people around you what you’re working on, what challenges you’re facing, and where you could use assistance. You’ll find that there will always be people willing and able to help. And I bet you’ll discover much more joy in what you’re currently doing, both in the moment and in your overall life!