Ambitieus MKB046 continues to grow – support for SME entrepreneurs throughout South Limburg

Labour market shortages, digitalisation and AI, energy transition, sustainability challenges. "These are just some of the major issues that keep many SME entrepreneurs awake at night," says Léon Klinkers.

"In 2022, we launched the Ambitieus MKB046 (Ambitious SME046) initiative in the Western Mining District, with the aim of helping entrepreneurs make their businesses future-proof." What started as a local approach is now developing into a broader South Limburg movement.

Léon Klinkers, from Stadslabs Sittard Geleen, is one of the co-initiators of Ambitious SME046. The initiative – originally called SME Green Deal – emerged after Covid and the subsequent energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

"The municipality of Sittard-Geleen wanted to lend entrepreneurs a helping hand and brought together several parties, including LIOF, Rabobank, Bedrijven Sittard-Geleen (the Sittard-Geleen Business Association) and Stadslabs. Soon after, the municipalities of Stein and Beek joined, followed by more strategic partners over time. The aim was to support entrepreneurs in various transition challenges, in an innovative and effective way. In the first year, nearly 70 entrepreneurs joined. Now, we have more than 450 members."

"When, in 2024, it became clear at the national level that SME services needed to be approached differently, a National SME Action Agenda was launched. Subsequently, a call was made for six pilot regions, and we were selected. That was when we changed our name to Ambitieus MKB046," Léon explains. "Ambitieus MKB046 focuses on five interconnected themes: a future-proof business model, digitalisation, sustainability, personnel, and circularity.

"We notice that digitalisation is a particularly hot topic," says Levina Raven, City Maker and communications specialist, "next to the sustainability of the business." Léon: "We work with an integrated approach based on four pillars: awareness and knowledge (Boost), actual application of innovations (Build), connecting entrepreneurs through networks (Connect), and practical support (Support)."

What really sets Ambitieus MKB046 apart for entrepreneurs? "A pillar of our approach is that we work in a demand-driven manner," says Léon. "We want to understand where the real needs of the entrepreneur lie and work with them to find solutions. In addition, we make smart use of existing programmes, funding, and schemes. We have mapped out these offerings in detail, so we can match an entrepreneur's request with the right instrument. This makes us more of a connecting platform than just another SME programme."

The community approach is a third success factor. Léon explains: "The strength of the approach lies largely in tapping into existing entrepreneur communities. In the Western Mining District, for example, there are around 35 formal and informal business associations, where entrepreneurs know and trust each other. By collaborating through these networks, we quickly reach many entrepreneurs, who can be supported by our partners with knowledge and expertise often lacking within those associations. At the same time, entrepreneurs learn from and trust other entrepreneurs more readily than external advisors, making this approach especially effective."

Levina: "We actively approach entrepreneurs, together with our partners and business associations. Our account and community managers visit companies to find out where the real needs are. Sometimes an entrepreneur thinks he has a staff problem, but at its core, it's actually about digitalisation. Together, we then determine the next steps, such as a digitalisation scan and/or a conversation with an expert at one of our strategic partners, like the Brightlands Smart Services Campus. This is how we try to create impact quickly and effectively."

"When we started, AI was still in its infancy phase," says Léon. "Because we saw that this is a development with great impact on SMEs, we started working with AI ourselves and developed a chatbot called Claire Hermans. On the one hand, to improve our own services, and on the other hand, to show entrepreneurs how accessible AI can be. Claire has now become a kind of colleague who gets smarter every day."

Thanks to Claire, we can reach a large group of smaller entrepreneurs – who often fall outside the scope of SME services – more effectively. The chatbot is available 24/7 and provides an initial form of support. If necessary, we follow up with personal contact. Additionally, using Claire delivers valuable insights into the questions and needs of entrepreneurs, allowing the approach to be continually refined. Claire now has a growing number of daily users and has been recognised as a good practice by Minister Beljaarts. This gives national legitimacy to our approach. With this method, we lay a solid foundation for companies to innovate, grow, and contribute to the economic vitality of the region.

The positive experiences in the Western Mining District form the basis for the next step: scaling up to Maastricht-Heuvelland and Parkstad. ESZL (the Foundation for Economic Cooperation in South Limburg) connects the three regions and acts as the applicant for the Regional Deal funding that makes scaling possible." Léon emphasises: "The approach is not copied one-to-one, but translated to the specific characteristics of each region, with room for its own ‘couleur locale’. In this way, a joint approach in South Limburg emerges step by step, where entrepreneurs are (eventually) also connected across regional borders and can learn from each other."

"The pioneers of Ambitieus MKB Maastricht-Heuvelland and Parkstad will have six months to get started with this fantastic challenge, with the main task of mapping out the players in their region. Starting from there, they will make a proposal for a regional cooperative organisation that will take responsibility for implementation. How all this will take shape, which governance model will be the most suitable one, and how stakeholders will work together – these are all questions that will be answered in the coming period, and we are happy to share our experience."

"Looking back over the past few years, we see that the needs among entrepreneurs have only grown," says Léon. "At the same time, we note that our approach works. Moreover, we reach entrepreneurs who often remain out of sight and genuinely help them move forward. That gives us confidence to take this next step."

Source: Economische Samenwerking Zuid-Limburg

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