Marre Smit

Creating and maintaining your own website is more important than you may think. Web designer Marre Smit runs a business called Smit Club, and her goal is to help female entrepreneurs showcase their talents. 

Marre teaches us that investing in yourself will help you get closer to your goals. We invite you to join us on June 30th to get the homepage of your website reviewed personally by Marre.

Read on to learn more about Marre, her business, and how she got to where she is today.

Hustle Amsterdam (HA): Where are you from? And what brings you to Amsterdam? 

Marre Smit (MS): I was born in Amsterdam and raised in Rotterdam (yes, the two rivals 😜) only to move back to Amsterdam ASAP.

I absolutely love it here and am never leaving! The place feels like a big and very pretty village. I love biking along the canals, visiting museums, and working in my studio next to one of the oldest windmills of the world. I’m a true city person who needs a good nature break every now and then to keep her sanity.

HA: Tell me about your business? What is your mission? 

MS: My main goal is to help female entrepreneurs throw their talent around like confetti. I truly believe that women still have a lot to learn when it comes to putting themselves out there as an expert in their field. 

I know for a fact that having an awesome website helps enormously in achieving this. It makes people feel more confident about their own talents and helps them showcase their talents without shame. I truly believe in the power of learning how to update and maintain your own website. It allows you to grow your website alongside your business and make sure it always puts your clients' needs first.

HA: How are you handling our new “normal” due to the coronavirus outbreak? What impact has it had on your business? How has the transition to working remotely been for you? Are you being strict with a routine or taking it day-by-day? 

MS: Pfff this new normal...It is a fine line between being so grateful for my life and feeling totally overwhelmed. I’m so grateful for my wonderful family, our lovely home, and my work that has been going forward almost as normal. On the other hand I sometimes feel that now is the time to paint all the walls in my home, redo my website, launch that new online program I have in my mind, spend continuous quality time with the kids, write a book, etc. It feels like there should be time for all that when in fact there is only very little time with balancing homeschooling, a household, and two jobs. 

HA: Why Smit Club? What brought you to web design?

MS: DIY. For me, that started over 40 years ago and has never left. For over 20 years I have had many different roles and businesses as an entrepreneur. Some very successful, others less successful, but always full of ideas and enthusiasm. 

I love the freedom that comes with doing business. Freedom to organize your life yourself. Freedom to be with my children after school. Freedom to enjoy the sun when it presents itself.  

I have been working as a web designer for years. My strength lies in turning my clients’ creative ideas and vision into a practical and well-converting website. In this design process, I always have one favorite moment: when my client experiences how easy making and maintaining your own website actually is. The freedom that they feel at that point is magical. I wanted that feeling for as many people as possible.  

Smit Club was born from that need. An online training with personal guidance, where you learn how to make your own favorite website in eight weeks. In an accessible, simple way. To follow at your own pace.

Visit smitclub.nl

HA: What is the current state of Smit Club? Do you have six and 12-month goals for your business? 

MS: Yes, I sure do and keep investing in myself and my business to achieve these goals. They challenge me (and scare me sometimes) but I feel like setting goals to work towards is very stimulating.  

HA: What kind of obstacles do you face in your company? How do you handle them?

MS: There is always something I can fix and make even better. Make an extra video on a problem that some of my clients run into, upgrade that sales page, hire more freelancers...but about a year ago I decided that 80% is also good enough to get going. I’m better off starting before I’m ready because exactly in that space is where the magic happens. 

HA: What has been your most successful moment so far? And how do you celebrate your wins? 

MS: Launching my online program last year and realising that even without doing serious marketing, I have always had sold-out courses. I absolutely love getting messages from my members saying how much they enjoy working on their website and learning that even the most non-techie ones can learn how to do it. 

Honestly, I should celebrate these wins more. This is something I tend to forget, so thanks for the reminder!

HA: How have you accomplished what you have? Did you go to business school? Did you wing it? Fake it till you make it? Get really lucky? 

MS: I did go to university but did not study web design. I learned myself and experienced a lot of trial and error. Yes, there were times when I did wing it, but I have mostly come this far with hard work. 

There have been times when I started business in fields or with people that I knew in my heart were never going to be successful. But as soon as I started following my own path and pace with all the hardship that comes along with that, my business started to become more and more successful. 

HA: How big is your team? And where are your team members located? 

MS: My team varies in size between 3-5 people, depending on the size of the current projects. Most of them are based in NL (some are very close in Amsterdam and some in the prettiest farms in the countryside). One is in Russia for now — you can never tell where he’ll end up next. 🙂

“Trust the process.”

HA: Do you have a favorite motivational quote? 

MS: “I've never done that before, so I'm sure I can do it!” and “Trust the process.”

HA: What 3 tips would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? What do you wish you had known before you started? 

MS: Start before you’re ready. Never stop learning, and don’t start a business with friends. And, always, always just keep on going.

HA: How would you describe your working style? 

MS: Fast and furious — done quickly with a lot of effort and energy. I love making jokes and having fun while working and am not afraid to be (brutally) honest to my clients. I love deadlines and getting to the bottom of things. 

HA: When you’re not working on Smit Club — where can we find you? 

MS: In summer: on a little boat in the canals or at the beach in Zeeland having a Biri. 

In winter: in a modern art museum or at the Filmhallen. And if I’m super lucky: on a lighthouse somewhere in the world. I absolutely LOVE lighthouses. Some might call it a fetish. 

HA: How do you find work-life balance while being an entrepreneur?

MS: I’m still looking for that, but keep trying every day. 🙂

HA: What is your passion? 

MS: Helping people showcasing their talents with pride.

HA: What inspires you most about Amsterdam? Do you have any favorite spots to work or hangout? 

MS: My favorite spot must be “het mannetje met de zaag” in Leidsebosje. It has been gone for while since they removed the branch this tiny artwork was on, but I saw that other week that it is back in full glory now. And I love taking ‘het pontje’ across the IJ. Always feels like a tiny little holiday. 

HA: Anything else you’d like to add?

MS: I’ll be hosting a workshop at Spark 2020 about the 10 rules for an awesome website. Would love to see you there! Want more website advice sooner? Please check out smitclub.nl for my course and marresmit.nl if you prefer not making your own website. 

Connect with Marre on LinkedIn here, and follow Smit Club on Instagram @smitclub.

Want to perfect your homepage with Marre?

Mark your calendars for June 30th at 12 PM CEST for our first Lunch & Learn webinar: Perfect Your Homepage with Marre Smit.