Tom Bouwhuis once dropped out of hotel school because his course required him to do an internship abroad. At the time, he could not imagine anything worse. Since then, he has lived in Spain, Mexico, and Romania, works from pretty much anywhere he can get a connection on his laptop and phone, and is likely to start thinking about sunnier places as soon as the grey Dutch autumn weather sticks around for too long. A lot has changed since then.

None of it was part of a grand plan. Tom prefers to think of life as a river dotted with islands. “A lot of people swim against the current, but I would rather let it carry me along and drop me off on an island where I think: I quite like it here.” After all, you can put an awful lot of effort into swimming towards one particular island, only to arrive and discover that it is nowhere near as nice as you imagined. Tom would rather see what comes his way.

From hospitality to sales

Tom grew up in Lochem and went to hotel school after secondary school. Once he had qualified as a chef, he left and spent several years working in hospitality, in restaurants, bars, and even a bowling centre. He eventually found his way to a call centre, where he worked for a provincial newspaper in a role somewhere between editorial and advertising sales. It was there that he discovered he had a knack for sales.

Around twelve years ago, Tom started working for himself. He has since built up a varied group of clients, and he is quite particular about who he works with. “I choose my clients carefully. I need to feel that I can make a commercial difference, but I also need to enjoy the work and like the team.”

A mutual contact introduced him to Mark and Paul from de BouwApp, now part of Publiq, several years ago. They asked him what he thought of the app, and Tom was immediately enthusiastic. Before long, de BouwApp had become one of those carefully chosen clients.

Sales without the hard sell

At Publiq, Tom currently focuses mainly on Dutch municipalities. He makes the initial contact, spots potential opportunities, and then brings Mark in for a demo when an organisation is interested. Some of those relationships have been developing for years.

Tom has his own approach to sales. “I do not push people or put them under pressure. It means you can just have a good conversation. When someone asks me a question, they know I am answering because I am genuinely listening to what they need, rather than because I am trying to sell them something.”

Working from another island

That independence suits the way Tom has built his life. Give him a phone, a laptop, a pair of earphones, and a decent internet connection, and he can work from almost anywhere.

Madrid was the first place abroad where he really settled for a while. He fell in love with the city on a trip with friends and decided to split his time between Spain and the Netherlands. Mexico and Romania followed later.

Then, during the pandemic, another unexpected opportunity came along. Together with a business partner, Tom set up an online flower shop that did so well they eventually opened a physical shop in Valencia. Tom himself lasted exactly three days behind the counter. “If I spend twenty minutes talking to someone and they walk out with a two-euro cactus, I do think that is a bit of a waste of my time.”

Making time for others

Most of Tom’s work may be commercial, but volunteering has been part of his life since he was young. After leaving hotel school, he spent two days a week at a day centre for people with disabilities. These days, he volunteers half a day a week as a legal support worker for the Dutch Council for Refugees at an asylum seekers’ centre.

He helps people with questions about family reunification, correspondence with lawyers, and legal procedures. Sometimes, the questions are far more practical, such as figuring out how to see a doctor. “I get a lot of satisfaction from it. I genuinely like being able to help people, especially when they are going through a really difficult time.”

Freedom as a starting point

Ask Tom where he will be living a few months from now, and he cannot tell you yet. It could be somewhere in Asia or South America, or perhaps Italy or Spain again. The weather will probably have some say in the matter, because several weeks of grey Dutch skies are fairly high on his list of reasons to pack his bags.

When Tom looks back at the choices that have brought him here, it is the freedom he has created for himself that he is most proud of. “I think that if you are willing to take risks and step away from the conventional path, you eventually get to where you want to be. I am proud that I do not simply follow the crowd, but keep thinking for myself about what works for me.”

For now, the Publiq island suits him rather well. Tom does not need to know where the current will take him next. There are still plenty of municipalities to get to know, countries to live in, and ideas to explore. And somewhere in the back of his mind, there is still that plan for a sweet factory of his own.