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Global Entrepreneurship Week 2010 – Meet the Dragons
Thank you to Stephanie Ward (Firefly Coaching) and her retweet on Twitter about the ‘Meet the Dragons‘ event – I was intrigued!
My good friend and fellow photographer, Vinita Salomé and I signed up for the FREE event and excitedly waited for the day to arrive!
That day, was yesterday: Monday 15 November 2010!
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. The week is a worldwide movement of entrepreneurial people, with millions unleashing their entreprising talents and turning their ideas into reality.
The Women’s Business Initiative International (WBII) also takes part in GEW and so I headed over to the WBII for their GEW Kick Off Business Lunch where the topic of the round table was “Magnify your Marketing Message, how to effectively use your personal network and social media tools to grow your business”. Then it was a quick dash to the train station to meet Vinita and we were on our way to an aircraft hanger at Rotterdam – The Hague Airport for the official opening of GEW Netherlands and Meet the Dragons!
The event was much bigger than I had anticipated and we were so happy to be part of the audience. It was all very exciting!!
The dragons were introduced and took to the stage: Arjen de Koning (Founder & CEO Paradigit Group), Henk Keilman (Founder & CEO RIG Investments), Willem Sijthoff (Renowned Media Entrepreneur) and Rachel Elnaugh (Renowned Serial Entrepreneur, and also a Dragon on the first two series of BBC’s Dragon’s Den). It was all very dramatic with big music and big lighting, quite spectacular!
Four pitches were presented to the Dragons by CityHub Hotels, Tinypay.me, Aquaculture Benin City and Aesthetic Interactions.
But without a doubt, the highlight of the event was the official opening by UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and the keynote speech by Rachel Elnaugh.
Nick Clegg stressed the importance of entrepreneurship as an essential ingredient for economic recovery, and surprised the audience by speaking in Dutch too. You can watch his opening speech here: Part 1 and Part 2.
Rachel Elnaugh captivated the audience with her keynote about ‘The Extrepreneurial Rollercoaster Ride’. Speaking of her first entrepreneurial venture, Red Letter Days, which was generating £1million profit per year at it’s height; she showed incredible strength in recovering from it’s failure and her story was extremely inspiring.
She shared the following fabulous tips.. take note!
- Find your passion
- Go it alone, put yourself at the helm of your business
- Dare to be different
- Strong brands sell – you have 7 seconds to engage a potential customer
- Focus on sales, sales, sales
- Your customers are your biggest marketing department
- Defend your energy, stay positive and manage your motivation
- Never say die – there is always a solution, there is always an answer, if you look for it
You can watch her keynote speech here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
Be sure to visit her website at www.rachelelnaugh.com
Most certainly, it was an incredibly inspiring and motivating event! When can I sign up for next year? and who’s coming with me? :-)
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in personal
Also tagged GEW, GEW 2010, Global Entrepreneurship Week, natalie carstens, Netherlands, Nick Clegg, Rachel Elnaugh, rotterdam, wbii
3 Comments
Ianthe, Alegria and Zeno – three gorgeous Maine Coon cats
The Maine Coon breed of cats are absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t wait to meet these three special felines.
Meet the very beautiful, very curious and very playful Ianthe..
She loved to play, and would quickly run and jump, all the while keeping a keen eye on her toys!
Zeno, the male and the oldest of the three, was really quite a lot bigger than the two females. Curled up in his cosy basket, his size wasn’t so obvious at first; but when he leaped up for the cat toy I got quite a surprise!
And then I saw Alegria..
I was a little worried that shy and anxious Alegria would hide away whilst I was there, but no, here she is… She was clearly a little anxious at first, but with a little patience, and perhaps some curiosity from Alegria, she did show her pretty face :)
She’s beautiful! :)
I can’t resist sharing a couple more photos of Ianthe..
Ianthe was quite content with my presence and took every possible opportunity to pose for me ;)
They were really an absolute delight to photograph, I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!
Have a wonderful week :)
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in pets, sneak peek
Also tagged cats, den haag, maine coon, natalie carstens, pet photographer, pets, professional photographer, the hague
6 Comments
playing a game of water fountain | sweet newborn baby boy
Remember this beautiful couple? Here’s their sweet baby boy.. the one who liked to play a game of water fountain! ;-) I completely lost count of how many times he played that game! We changed blankets so many times; I had quite some laundry to do afterwards, not that I minded one bit!
Introducing Cas…
His little game began a nano-second after I took the photo above (also the very first photo I took at his newborn session and the only one in this pose) – with his hand held up to his face like that, he looks like he’s planning it too, so funny!
*Hello cutie*
He’s absolutely gorgeous, and utterly adorable! Don’t you think?
Ssssshhhh… baby dreaming :-)
Ahhhh total sweetness! *love*
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek :-)
Have a fabulous Friday everyone, and a great weekend!
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in baby, newborn, sneak peek
Also tagged baby, belly to baby, den haag, in-home, natalie carstens, portrait photographer, professional photographer, sneak peek, studio, the hague
10 Comments
waiting for baby…
I didn’t hear yet if this baby has arrived… but surely must be any time now! This gorgeous mama-to-be has such a cute little bump that we waited till later in her pregnancy for the maternity session.
So… will it be a boy? or a girl? I can’t wait to hear!
And this gorgeous little one is going to be a fabulous big sister!!
Isn’t she adorable?! :-)
Such a beautiful family of 3, waiting to be a family of 4. I’m so excited for them! :-)
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in maternity, sneak peek
Also tagged baby, baby's first year, belly to baby, den haag, family, in-home, natalie carstens, portrait photographer, professional photographer, studio, the hague
3 Comments
an adorable little brother, just 10 days new
I was super excited to receive the news of George’s arrival and couldn’t wait for his newborn session. Last year in August, I photographed his delightful big sister the day after her 1st birthday, and I was really looking forward to meeting the newest member of this wonderful family!
Isabelle is a beautiful big sister, isn’t she gorgeous? And little George, just 10 days new, was an absolute star!
He was such a ‘curly’ little baby, and he slept beautifully for me too :-)
*smile*
I think the one above is a clear favourite of mine, each time I see it I want to reach out and snuggle with him! ;-)
And for the last image in the sneak peek, a special outfit for George and a look at those baby blues!
Oh George, you. are. gorgeous! *ahhh* :-)
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in baby, children, newborn, sneak peek
Also tagged baby, baby's first year, den haag, natalie carstens, newborn, portrait photographer, professional photographer, the hague
6 Comments
and the winner of the Spring Portrait Session in The Hague is…
Thank you so much to everyone that entered the prize draw to win a fabulous Spring Portrait Session in The Hague with Tigs Creations. I asked you to tell me at least ONE thing you love about The Hague, and your answers were an absolute delight to read. I’m going to share a few that caught my eye…
“I love the Keizerstraat on Saturdays! It is like a little village full of lovely people.” – K
“This spring I discovered the Frederikstraat while on my way to a childbirth preparation class. I love the shops and the restaurants, and I want to shop in every shop I’ve seen! It’s utterly charming.” – J
“I love this all-in-one package in the Hague: you have a city for going-out and shopping and the beach and the dunes to enjoy the nature.” – J
“What I do love about The Hague is, well, love! My fiancé lives there, so for three years, I’ve been spending my weekends and the odd month here and there at The Hague and surroundings. He’s taken me sightseeing, we’ve spent hours walking at the beach, and I regularly request he takes me to the big vegetable market on saturdays.” – E
“The atmosphere, the old city look, there is much green in this city.” – F
Many of you also mentioned the international feel, the blend of cultures and ethnic diversity, foods from all around the world, the cycling lifestyle and the simplicity of living here. I’m in agreement with all of you; I love living in The Hague! :-)
So, who won the Spring Portrait Session…..?!
Congratulations to Mariam Raafat!
Mariam has been living in The Hague for less than a year and loves that people from all over are living here.
Mariam, i’m very much looking forward to working with you and meeting your family. Please send me a note to claim your fabulous Spring Portrait Session and a CD of all your images!
Thank you again to all of you that entered the prize draw! :-)
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in news
Also tagged den haag, expat, fair, international, natalie carstens, portrait photographer, prize draw, prize draw winner, professional photographer, the hague, winner
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hush, sleeping newborn baby girl *melting my heart*
oh-oh-oh my heart is in a flutter from all the cuteness! what a beautiful photo session I had with this gorgeous little lady, and how wide my smile was as I was editing these photos for the sneak peek!
all my newborn clients are making me sooooo very happy, and Lana Grace is no exception. She was absolutely wonderful, and so sleepy too!
sssssh sleeping peacefully.. do not disturb ;)
And I just love this next one…
Ohhhh…
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek! :-)
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in baby, newborn, sneak peek
Also tagged baby, den haag, natalie carstens, newborn, portrait photographer, professional photographer, sneak peek, studio, the hague
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baby Adrian, all fresh and new
I had a lovely photo session with Adrian, he’s such a happy little baby, a real sweetheart! I’m so glad I was able to squeeze in his newborn session :-)
Here he is, 16 days new, perfectly quiet, and observing the big wide world around him.
But with his belly full, he was soon sleeping peacefully…
Peek-a-boo! ;-)
Oh, those sweet newborn pinkies are just too cute!
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek :-)
Best wishes,
~ Natalie
psssssst!
Don’t forget… you can WIN a Spring Portrait Session in The Hague, enter the prize draw today! All you need to do is tell me one thing you love about The Hague. Don’t wait, the prize draw ends this Sunday! The winner will be announced here on the blog on Tuesday 19 October 2010. Are you feeling lucky?
Posted in baby, newborn, sneak peek
Also tagged baby, den haag, natalie carstens, newborn, portrait photographer, professional photographer, sneak peek, studio, the hague
6 Comments
Featured on ‘A Letter from the Netherlands’
Shortly after receiving the WBII Social Innovation Award 2010 earlier this year, Amanda van Mulligen asked to interview me for the Expats@Home Newsletter on the subject of social responsibility.
You can now read the interview on her blog: Expat Entrepreneur Inspiration.
Go take a look! :-)
To be an inspiration to someone is something quite special…
Thanks so much for the opportunity, Amanda!
Best wishes,
~Natalie
CRAVE Amsterdam: Big on the Inside
It’s probably high time I shared another CRAVE Amsterdam photo session! Meet Jacinta Noonan, the owner of Big on the Inside…
Doesn’t she look great? I love that shade of blue on her.
Jacinta is a Personal Coach and Trainer, specialising in Weight Loss Coaching. Big on the Inside is a specially designed program to set you to free from the dieting treadmill, to cultivate a healthy attitude to food and eating and to develop a positive attitude to your body. The focus is on treating the underlying cause rather than just treating the symptoms and aims to empower women to be their very best and to feel beautiful, healthy and happy.
Jacinta’s also published a book entitled “My Perfect Weight“. It’s full of inspiring and motivating quotes to get you moving on your quest to achieve your perfect weight.
Here’s a couple of excerpts from the book:
“I achieved my perfect weight when: I cleared out all the ‘skinny’ clothes that were gathering dust in the cupboard and brought myself some fresh, moden and flattering clothes, and wow, didn’t I feel great!”
” I achieved my perfect weight when: I stopped looking at my faults and decided only to notice my good points.”
“I achieved my perfect weight when: I allowed my inner child to have fun on a regular basis.”
There’s also an activity section with a list of questions to spring you into action. It’s a great little book to motivate you as you embark on your journey to the perfect weight!
If you’d like a copy of My Perfect Weight, you can purchase it directly from her webshop.
I have one last photo I’d like to share…
I love this ‘outtake’. For me, this totally sums up our portrait session together. Jacinta has a warm and vibrant personality and being around her puts you in an instant good mood; I had an absolute blast working with her! Thank you, Jacinta!! :-)
Look out for her feature in the CRAVE Amsterdam guide book, it’s on page 30. Shout up if you’d like a copy of the book! :-)
Best wishes,
~Natalie
Posted in commercial-business, sneak peek
Also tagged crave company, den haag, natalie carstens, portrait photographer, professional photographer, the hague
2 Comments
