Valérie De Clerck began her career as a vet – but soon discovered her ambitions lay elsewhere. After several scientific research roles, she realised that if she wanted to move to new things, she needed to broaden her skillset. And this decision took her to Vlerick.
In 2018, Valérie joined the Full-time MBA. She says: “My time at Vlerick really taught me a lot – especially finance skills. But I also learned a lot about personal development and softer skills, like working together as a team. That’s not something you really do as a vet, so it was a big learning curve.”
For Valérie, one of the biggest benefits of choosing Vlerick was the focus on entrepreneurship.
“I come from an entrepreneurial family, and always thought I ’d start a business at some point,” she says. “But it wasn’t my immediate goal going into the MBA.
“I was open to working in different companies to grow my skills. But at Vlerick, I discovered that being an entrepreneur was the right fit for me. I like to build things from nothing – and the MBA gave me the building blocks and confidence to take the leap.”
After graduating, Valérie teamed up with another alumnus with a veterinary background – and they began to develop a business plan and strategy.
She says: “We considered buying out an existing company. But we had a unique strategy we wanted to implement – so we decided to start our own business instead.
“Vlerick really helped us make that decision. When we were doing due diligence, I reached out to the faculty for advice and they were happy to help. I wouldn’t have been able to make the right decision without their support.”
In 2019, Valérie launched CURAFYT – a natural supplements brand for horses and dogs. From the beginning, she had a clear strategy in mind.
“At Vlerick I learned to stick to my strategy,” says Valérie. “This helped me to avoid some pitfalls along the way.
“Our model is B2B2C. We only sell via vets and our own web shop. It takes hard work to build partnerships with vets, but when we do, they become long-term ambassadors for CURAFYT.
“Networking and building relationships is a crucial part of growing the business. It helps that I already knew the veterinary industry – and already had a network. But Vlerick has a huge network too. If you go to a Vlerick event, you immediately meet other entrepreneurs. And Belgium is a place where you often run into fellow alumni.”
2022 was a huge year for CURAFYT. They developed new branding and a new ERP system – and gained a new marketing team. And 2023 could be bigger still. This year, the goal is expansion – first into France and Germany and then Switzerland and the UK.
As CURAFYT grows, Valérie finds herself drawing on her MBA skills daily.
“In my role, soft skills are very important – especially when hiring the right people,” she says. “But I also rely on the finance knowledge I gained at Vlerick. Many vets work independently but never learn to read the numbers – they rely on external people. For me, it’s important that I know how to handle my figures myself and know the value of my own business.”
And as the company looks to expand, Valérie is grateful for the experiences she gained working on diverse teams at Vlerick. She says: “When you study with such a diverse group of peers, you learn that every culture and country is different. Vlerick taught me that if you want to expand into a new market, you really have to dig deep. You have to step away from your computer and make sure you understand local ways of doing business.”
As well as running her own business, Valérie has a young family. And at first, doing both seemed like a significant challenge.
“It was something I worried about,” she says. “But I’m super happy I did it.
“You’re not alone on your entrepreneurial journey. You just need to find people who have the same mindset as you. And of course, you have to agree in advance how it will work – with both your life partner and your business partner. My business partner, Sid, also has two children, so we have a shared understanding. We’re flexible with each other. Yes it’s a challenge – but I would say to aspiring entrepreneurs, you can do both. Just remember to talk it through first!”
Valérie believes that when it comes to an MBA at Vlerick, you get out as much as you put in.
“It’s an advantage if you already have some professional experience, so you know what skills you’re lacking,” she says. “But ultimately, it comes down to the effort you’re willing to put in – it’s up to you to reach out to professors, tailor your projects to fit your ambitions and do as much as you can.”
If anyone is proof that making the most of your MBA experience pays off, Valérie certainly is.