About

Scars, lessons
and leadership

From shelf stacker to sales manager. From punk promoter at seventeen to strategist. From turnover in the millions to bankruptcy. From the deepest grief to the most ambitious project of my life.

Richard Theuws
Timeline

The story in years

The honest story — with the highs and the lows that matter.

1973
Born in Brabant
Grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, in the south of the Netherlands. That explains a lot (the stubbornness, the directness, the urge to turn everything into a business).
1990
Organising my first concerts
As a 17-year-old punk I started organising concerts. Because I felt there were too few good shows. So I arranged them myself. That mentality never went away.
2003
Founded Merchandise.nl
What started as an idea grew into the market leader in the Benelux. Clients like Google, Mercedes-Benz and Pinkpop. From my bedroom to a team, a warehouse, and turnover in the millions.
2009
ZIBB Entrepreneur of the Year
€50,000 in prize money and the title, presented by Reed Elsevier. It was proof that you could build something big on pure drive and creativity.
2015
Ondernemen in de Kempen
Organised the first ‘Ondernemen in de Kempen’ B2B trade fair at the Kempisch Bedrijvenpark business park in Hapert. 1,800 m², 200+ participating companies, thousands of visitors, a symposium with Wim van de Leegte (VDL) and Erik van Loon. Launched ondernemenindekempen.nl as a business directory — since grown into the platform that connects 32,456 companies in the Kempen.
Ondernemen in de Kempen — B2B trade fair 2015
2020
COVID + Sharon's diagnosis
The pandemic flattened the merchandise industry. At the same time, Sharon received her diagnosis. Turnover evaporated. The company went bankrupt. Everything I had built was gone in one blow.
2021
Sharon passes away (23 March)
The lowest point of my life. But also the moment I discovered how much strength there is in grief — if you don't push it away but go through it. With three children, my eldest daughter the first among them.
2022
Metal Business Club starts to take shape
The idea that had been brewing for years became concrete: a business network for people connected by passion — not by business cards. The preparations began. The concept, the structure, the platform.
2023
MetalBC founded — 100 early adopters
The company was founded. The first 100 entrepreneurs joined as early adopters. Not because of a pitch, but because of trust. They knew me, they knew the idea, and they wanted to be there from the start.
2024
MetalBC officially launched
The Metal Business Club went live. Monthly regional meetings, national events, a growing community of entrepreneurs who understand that real connection doesn't come from networking drinks, but from shared passion. I helped build the website and part of the digital infrastructure.
Metal Business Club national event
2024–2025
Building, building, building
Alongside MetalBC I kept building platforms. LaunchPad AI, Elementals.nl, MerchManager, the Game World, a rebuilt ondernemenindekempen.nl. With AI as my building partner, I delivered in weeks what used to take months.
2025–2026
MetalBC grows internationally
From the Netherlands to Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 45 chapters in 5 countries and around 300 members. Proof that the concept works — not just locally, but internationally.
2026
Early 2026 — everything changes
In early 2026 a lot changes at home, and from then on I work from home in Bladel. Now all my time goes to the agency: full service, with AI as my building partner. At the Metal Business Club I remain founder and shareholder. And every day I build a little further.
What I do

Connector and builder

I bring people together and build the systems needed to make those connections work. That is the common thread through everything I do.

Main activity

The agency

A full-service AI agency, run from home in Bladel. From the first discovery session to keeping it running: I build custom platforms, portals and tools, with a team of agents. I decide, review and stand behind it.

Products

Visitr, Video Suite, Rayonkaart

Three products I first built for myself and now sell as they are: online, without a sales call. See the products.

Building

Platforms and tools

Ondernemenindekempen.nl (32,456 companies), Elementals.nl, LaunchPad AI, the Game World. With AI I deliver in weeks what normally takes months. I build what is needed — for myself and for clients.

Selective

Keynotes and engagements

A few keynotes a year, about building with AI and about entrepreneurship. Now and then a strategic engagement, preferably remote. If it fits, I make time.

How I work

Selective. Direct. Always honest.

Remote-first

I prefer to work remotely. More efficient, more focus, quicker to switch. Now and then on site, when it really adds value.

Max 2-3 projects

I do few things, but I do them well. Full focus, no half-finished work. When I say yes, I mean it.

Direct and honest

I say what I think. If something is stupid, I say so. If something is brilliant, I say that too. Straight talk.

Concrete results

Fast and concrete. Sharp analysis, concrete steps, and now and then a visit to check that it works.

Availability

The honest story

My time goes to the agency, from home in Bladel. At the Metal Business Club I am founder and shareholder; I no longer do the day-to-day work there.

The agency builds platforms, tools and games. Alongside that, now and then a keynote or an engagement for the right client. Selective. The things I do, I do well.

If it fits, I make time.

I am an entrepreneur who chooses deliberately where his energy goes. That makes the projects I do take on better — not worse.

Want to know if there is room? Send a message. I always reply, even if the answer is "not right now".

Get in touch
Contact

Just a good conversation.

Plan a discovery session or send a WhatsApp, and we will see if it fits. On WhatsApp you get me personally, usually the same day; email goes through my personal assistant.

WhatsApp · usually the same day
+31 6 1449 5130
Email · via my personal assistant
[email protected]
Location · preferably at my place
Bladel, North Brabant (Netherlands)
Availability
By appointment · video call always