A frustration many self-employed professionals will recognise: Jasper Spronk worked to everyone’s satisfaction for a dream client, and still didn’t get the follow-up project. Not because of the quality, but because as a freelancer he was seen as a risk. “What if something happens to you?” Together with studio mates Jonas Spronk and Marieke Veere Vonk, he decided to do things differently. Working from a shared studio in a former cinema hall in Rotterdam, they laid the foundation of The Jetpack Network together with seven other studio mates.

Through Samenwerking & Schaalvoordelen, they first applied for a Verkenningsbijdrage, and later a Stimulansbijdrage as well. The application went smoothly. “Clear requirements, little hassle, quick response.” The Verkenningsbijdrage made the real difference. “It gave us the push to move from plans to structure: defining roles, developing formats and setting out a sharp positioning.”

Since 1 January 2025, The Jetpack Network has been a company run by Jasper and Jonas, with Christian Waard in the core team and a network of more than eighty self-employed professionals from the cultural and creative sector. For each project, they put together a tailor-made team with a single point of contact. The projects are of a very different calibre than in their freelance days. For Planet Conservation, they developed a multi-year communication strategy. For the Steward Ownership Festival Amsterdam, they handle communication and design, from core message to animations. “Teams of a strategist, designer, copywriter and animator that we could never have brought together in a single project as freelancers.”

And now, there is room for their own initiatives. They’re building TenderBlinder, for example, a platform that makes public tendering manageable for SMEs. “You don’t start things like that as a freelancer.”

What Jasper notices most himself: “I’m no longer on my own, and that makes me a better maker.”

His tip: “If you enjoy what you do, become the best at it. If you want to work together on bigger projects, make a strong plan and join forces.”

Robin Brugman wanted to collaborate with other trainers in Art Based Learning. Through the Verkenningsbijdrage from Samenwerking & Schaalvoordelen, he got the means to investigate this thoroughly.

The result was surprising. “In the end, the collaboration didn’t happen, and that’s thanks to the scheme. That sounds paradoxical.” Thanks to the contribution, Robin was able to do intensive research into shared values and ways of working. It turned out there were too many differences in approach and vision. “That meant we could part ways on good terms.”

But the story doesn’t end there. The process led to what Robin calls ‘positive fragmentation’: partners who didn’t find each other in the original collaboration did find others who are a better match for their vision and way of training.

“The scheme gave us the room to work this out properly, and that was exactly what we needed.”