One person, a fleet of AI agents, and a company that found its shape by hitting real walls and turning each one into a better plan.
ROERMOND
The eenmanszaak was registered in Roermond. I arrived prepared, with a long list of questions — and the best advice was to keep it simple: start with one activity, add more as the work proves itself, and lean on the free business consultants who answer through a free phone number and by email.
THE AMAZON PLAN
The first idea was Amazon FBA. Caps were selling for €70 to €100 that could be imported from the USA for about €15 a piece — with import costs, tax, delivery, and every extra cost already counted in.
THE OBSTACLES
The landlord ruled out registering the company at the private address, so a space was rented for about €80 in Rijswijk — where the company is registered today. And because the Netherlands has zero Amazon warehouses, FBA had to run through Germany: a German VAT number was applied for, and won.
THE TURN
VAT number in hand, the product upload refused to work. The manufacturer explained why: their caps were closed to Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. So the plan changed — custom pieces instead of mass listings. Hats distressed, colored, embroidered, hung with charms; print-on-demand for the wider clothing line; and all the energy that was going into marketplaces went into building a great community instead.
TODAY
Right now the company is an online clothing business. Custom caps — blanks bought, then distressed, colored, embroidered, and hung with charms, shown in the fashion area. Print-on-demand shirts, pants, and accessories, produced through Printful. And custom shoes: Hey Dude pairs, bought and then embroidered, colored, and distressed to order. Two lines, one workshop: print-on-demand products and one-of-a-kind custom pieces.
And as a hobby: working with AI agents — a small fleet that runs the technical side of this site — and building a community of like-minded people around it. That is the part of the story that is still being written.