Thinking partnership with Ina De Quint
What would you like to make possible?
Perhaps you see an opportunity others haven't spotted yet. Perhaps there's an idea that keeps coming back. Or you sense your business is ready for something new, without quite knowing what shape it should take.
That's what makes me curious.
I love to think things through with you: what's possible, what's still missing, and how we can take a first thought further. Sometimes by exploring together, sometimes by developing a concept, sometimes by stepping in as a fellow entrepreneur for a while.
You don't need a finished plan. I'd simply like to hear what's on your mind.
Perhaps this sounds familiar
- Are you carrying an idea that hasn't found its right form yet?
- Do you sense something new is possible within your business, but can't yet see what it looks like?
- Are you looking for someone who dares to think along, challenges your idea and, if need be, helps set it in motion?
How I can help
From a thought to something that works.
What I bring depends on what your idea needs. Sometimes that's one sharp perspective; sometimes I write or build alongside you for a while. Below is what's possible, not a set of fixed packages.
“The idea is strong. But can it live?”
Helping an idea become viable
Who is it for, why would anyone get excited about it, and how does it become feasible? We make the assumptions visible, look at the economic and social logic, and find a first test that genuinely tells you something.
“You know what you mean. Others don't, yet.”
Writing with you, finding the words
Your founder story, a pitch, your website, an opinion piece or an editorial campaign. I write alongside you or write it myself, until it sounds like you at your sharpest.
“There's growth in it, but where exactly?”
A commercial think tank
Looking together at new propositions, audiences, your sales story, potential partners and B2B opportunities. I help shape direction and proposal; I don't make the cold calls.
“There's a hunch, but no shape yet.”
Shaping concepts
A theme, a leap of thought or a new project within an existing company: we give it a concept, a way of working, a revenue model and a first route.
“The moment to begin has come.”
Initiating and setting things in motion
Getting people around the table, writing the launch story, taking the first steps. Where it fits, I develop alongside you for a while, without that automatically meaning a permanent role.
“Sometimes all that's missing is one conversation.”
Connecting
In some journeys this comes naturally: connecting with people who can make the difference, with expertise, partners and, where needed, questions of funding. I do this with care, and always in agreement with you and with them.
What that can look like in practice
Examples of possible questions, not client stories.
You have deep expertise, but can't find the language that makes the market understand it.
What I can do · Together we find the core of what you do, translate it into something your clients recognise, and I help write your positioning, your website or your first opinion piece.
Your business sees a new opportunity, but there's no clear concept yet.
What I can do · We explore who it's for, what it should solve and how it fits with what you already do. Then we work it out into a concept with a first route to test it.
There's a social idea. How does a pilot become viable?
What I can do · We look at who carries it and who benefits, what it can cost, and which small trial shows whether it works, before you invest big.
Recognise something here? Bring it to me.
How we keep it fair
- A first message and an exploratory reply come with no obligation.
- Substantive work is professional and paid. What we do, for how long and for what fee, we agree together.
- I choose projects where there's a real click, in substance and as people. That works both ways.
- What you come up with stays yours. What we create together comes with an agreement on who contributed what.
- Some collaborations grow further: into connecting people, exploring funding, co-creation or participation. We explore that together, when the initiative calls for it.
On the other side
Who's on the other side of the table?
I'm a writer, sociologist and entrepreneur. With Captain Cork I took a brand idea all the way to shops, international e-commerce and business clients. I know how a concept lands in the real world, and where it rubs.
I write essays, opinion pieces and strategic stories, make complex knowledge readable and quickly see where a business opportunity lies. Today I'm building Aurora Nexus and developing new initiatives from scratch. A thinking process that's going somewhere gives me energy.
My former company
Captain CorkCork as an ecological alternative to animal leather, built into shops, e-commerce and B2B. Interview in Dutch.
My platform, still growing
Aurora NexusA place where experiences, patterns and social questions meet.
Proposal in development
Female LodgesA contemporary idea for circles in which knowledge can flow between generations.
Concept in development
Be Safe, Girl!A movement around safe mobility and shared responsibility.
Two strengths at one table
And then there's Stefan.
When our strengths come together, a good idea gains new possibilities.
My partner, Stefan Peetroons, shares my life. In much of my thinking work he's also the first person I sharpen an idea with. We think differently, and that's exactly why together we get further than either of us would alone.
Ina
The idea, the story, the momentum
I see concepts taking shape where others still see scattered signals. With Captain Cork I built a brand from an idea to shops, e-commerce and business clients. I work on positioning, business development, storytelling and public voice, and I get social initiatives off the ground.
Stefan
The people, the structure, the decision
For more than 25 years, Stefan has advised entrepreneurs, owners, boards and CEOs. He's a psychologist (KU Leuven) and works on leadership decisions, executive search and assessment, CEO succession, governance and organising for growth. He knows the decision-makers, and he reads people sharply.
- years advising entrepreneurs, boards and executives
- 25+
- years advising entrepreneurs, boards and executives
- directors and board members recruited
- 350+
- directors and board members recruited
- executives and professionals assessed
- 1,900+
- executives and professionals assessed
Figures as stated on Stefan's own website.
What happens when we sit down at the table together:
- intuition and realism
- concept and organisation
- story and leadership
- business model and decision-making
- a new proposition and the people who make it real
You have a strong idea, but partners or a view on funding are missing.
We sharpen the concept, make it testable, build a business case and explore who in our network can help take it further.
Your business is facing its next phase of growth.
We look at your proposition and at what growth asks of leadership, organisation and the people around the table.
You see social potential, but no path yet to making it real.
We look for the story that convinces, a possible funding route, partnerships and a first pilot.
Possible questions, not client stories.
Where it fits, we go beyond advice: introducing people, exploring funding or investment with you, sometimes stepping in ourselves or co-founding. We look at that per initiative, and agree on it together with you.
Tell me
What are you working on?
A few words are enough. Your idea doesn't need to be finished, and you don't need to share any details.
Sometimes something begins with a simple message.