Barbara's Blog

What is your:

Name: Barbara Barnes - Gravesteijn a.k.a. Fashiontweet

Age: 34

Country: Netherlands

City: Amsterdam

What does entrepreneurship  mean to you? the freedom to choose how I make a living, when, where and with whom.

What was your dream job when you were a kid? to become a flight attendant and travel the world.

Why and how did you start your company? I started my business in order to move freely within the business       world.  After identifying what I really wanted to do I matched this to my first client and things are progressing from there.

Is this your first business? yes

If you were to start another business, what might it be? a business that would grant me the freedom to spend my time as efficiently and effectively as possible, I am open to many new business ideas.

What were some of the early companies you worked with? I have mostly worked in consultancy for firms such as the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey and Company.

What is your definition of success and have you achieved it? the definition of success for me is a combination of different factors, not just money or business success but also a fabulous private life and a good balance. So far my business has been very succesful.

Who has influenced you the most and has been your greatest inspiration? my colleagues at the Boston Consulting Group remain a great inspiration to this day, their dedication, intelligence and hard working attitude has remained a part of me. Furthermore I am inspired by strong women who believe they can make a difference in their own world.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking of becoming an entrepreneur? Look closely at your reasoning, what are you trying to accomplish, is this reasonable. Listen to your intuition and inner voice, then go for it. *

Describe/outline to us what your typical day looks like? I tend to get up around 7.30 have some breakfast and check my email messages and I start tweeting early as well. When I work at home the news is always on, I'm a news junkie. After getting dressed my day starts with blogging or working for clients. Writing, designing PR events, doing online research. Networking is a part of everyday, be it by phone, meeting or online, through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. I might have a lunchmeeting or a coffee date at some point during the day. Other days I work from my clients' location.

Do you achieve balance in your life? yes, it was the main goal when I started working as an entrepeneur.

Where you see yourself and your business in 3 years? I see myself doing bigger projects with a larger budget.     Fashiontweet should become the go to PR writer, blogger, event producer for people who prefer a personal, fresh and original approach.

And as a final question: If we could introduce you to anyone, who would it be and why? (you never know who we know!)  I would love to meet Oprah and Annemarie van Gaal.