Who helps business owners in Flanders?

When you carry a business alone, you often do not know who to turn to. Not because there is no help, but because there is a lot of it, and it all sounds the same. Support, guidance, advice.

This is an honest guide. Who does what, when you need whom, and where Illustrated fits in. I do not know every offer down to the last detail, so always check the details on their own sites.

UNIZO: the voice of the self-employed

UNIZO is the interest group for entrepreneurs and the self-employed in Flanders. It stands up for entrepreneurs in politics, offers information on rules and obligations, and brings entrepreneurs together through a network and events.

When you need it: when you have questions about rules, want to be part of a network of fellow entrepreneurs, or want your voice heard in policy.

DYZO: when things are really difficult

DYZO helps entrepreneurs in difficulty, free of charge. When the business is in trouble, financially or otherwise, and you no longer see a way out on your own.

When you need it: when it is no longer about improving, but about getting through. The sooner you call, the more options there are. What you can still do yourself is in my business is losing money, what now.

Liantis and Xerius: more than social contributions

As a self-employed person you are affiliated with a social insurance fund. Liantis and Xerius are two of them. Most people only know them for the contributions they pay. But they also work on prevention and well-being, with information and self-tests, for example around stress.

When you need it: when you want to know where you stand, or when you notice that the business is weighing on you more than it should. Have a look at what your own fund offers.

Your accountant: correct, and afterwards

Your accountant makes sure your books are right and your returns are on time. He knows your figures better than anyone, but he sees them afterwards, once they have been booked. That is his job, not a shortcoming. See you only find out in March how December went.

When you need him: for everything fiscal and legal, and for the question of how a year or quarter went.

A business coach: behaviour and structure

A good coach helps you look at how you work. What you take on yourself, what you could delegate, how you organise your week, where you get stuck. That can be very valuable, especially if you do everything alone.

When you need one: when the problem is mainly in how you work and decide, not in what you know.

Your GP: when it gets into your body

Not a business organisation, but worth mentioning. If you sleep badly for weeks, are constantly tired or notice that you no longer enjoy anything, that is not something to solve with a better spreadsheet. Then your GP is the first step.

Where Illustrated fits

Between all of these there is a gap. The accountant sees the numbers afterwards. The coach helps you work differently. But who makes sure that on Monday morning you see how your business is doing, without searching for it yourself?

That is where I fit. I build the system that sits in between and keeps running: your numbers from the accounts, the till, the payroll provider and the planning, brought together in one overview that refreshes itself, with a message when something deviates. Preventive rather than curative. And everything is in your name, so you can do it yourself afterwards, without being dependent on me.

Who do you need when?

• Questions about rules, or looking for a network: UNIZO.
• The business is in real difficulty: DYZO.
• You want to know where you stand mentally: your social insurance fund, and your GP.
• Returns, taxes, annual accounts: your accountant.
• You want to work differently: a coach.
• You want to see every week how your business is doing, without searching: that is what Illustrated does.

They do not exclude each other. Often you need several at the same time.

The claim

Nobody has to do everything alone, and knowing who does what is the first step towards not having to.

Tell me what keeps you up at night. No-obligation conversation. No sales talk.