Get to know us: Niels Schouten

This March, Niels will have been part of design agency Fabrique Invent for 10 years. After being hired to clean out the workshop in 2013, he rose through the ranks and took over Fabrique Invent from its former owner, Theo, in 2019. Besides all the tasks associated with running the business, such as administration, HR, management, and finance, Niels is also a designer and works daily on products for our clients.

Els ter Haar 24 January 2024

What does your workday at Fabrique Invent look like?
My role is very diverse. Sometimes I have deadlines for a specific client, which can easily keep me busy all week. Other weeks, I can be more involved in other people’s projects and switch between them. Sometimes I have to do administrative tasks. Looking at my role, it’s partly working for our clients, often doing rough design work myself, but also partly working with my colleagues. I look over everyone’s shoulder to see if there are any unnoticed pitfalls and act as a sparring partner to discuss new ideas. The only fixed routine that’s part of my workday might be the fact that I’m often the first one in the office in the morning. That’s when I get up, turn on the Christmas lights, and fire up the coffee maker. If I have a moment alone, I put on classical music and can really focus for the first hour of the day.

What are the major challenges in your work?
I find the biggest challenge to be the breadth of my role. I try to stay as informed as possible about all ongoing projects, but because of the wide variety of assignments, it’s sometimes difficult to keep one thing separate from the others. That’s my focus. I know almost every project by heart, and ultimately, I have to present it to the client. Creating and maintaining an overview of all the projects is a major challenge for me.

It’s not always easy to anticipate things that happen in the workplace. The coronavirus outbreak, for example, requires taking measures because something unexpected happens. As an employer, it’s my responsibility to respond promptly. As an entrepreneur, you have to handle these kinds of situations head-on, but it does take energy.

Furthermore, I find it challenging to ensure that everyone in the office continues to enjoy their work. I invest in a team I consider important, and I want to retain them. For example, if I look at what people earn at the ministry, I can’t compete with them on salary. I have to find it elsewhere. This is reflected in the way I work, the job satisfaction, and the freedom I try to give my staff. I try to pay attention to that, although it can be difficult sometimes.

As a business owner, what is your work-life balance like?
Early in my career, my work-life balance was very different than it is now, especially after I’d just taken over the business. Back then, I also worked a full eight hours on Saturdays and was there extra early on weekday mornings. I also sometimes took my laptop home in the evenings. I don’t do that anymore. We have plenty to do at Fabrique Invent, so I could work non-stop. But then you get lost in the work, and the quality doesn’t improve.

During my last vacation, I was completely out of control. I had complete confidence in Mike and the rest of the team that my tasks would be handled while I was away. This went well, and afterward, I was re-energized to get back to work. Occasionally, I still have to do a little work at the office on Saturdays. I also spent a few days setting up a test setup in the workshop during the Christmas break. But I just enjoy doing that.

How did this transition come about? Partly, it has to do with the coronavirus pandemic. There wasn’t much to do besides work during that period, so I just kept going. Then, at some point, you think to yourself: is this it? I still work to live, I don’t live to work. Some people don’t think this is a good attitude for an entrepreneur, but I disagree. You can be passionate about your work and still take a healthy step back from it every now and then.

Who or what is an inspiration in your life?
Back when we still collaborated extensively with the other branch of Fabrique, we also shared a corporate identity. The design of our business cards back then consisted of contact information on one side, with an image of your personal hero on the back. That’s when I decided to put Walt Disney on the back of my card. He created a visionary, ultimate world based on a few simple lines on paper. I appreciate that. Disney has been popular for 100 years, and almost everyone in the world knows him. Ultimately, that includes everyone around me, of course. Mike keeps me on my toes because he thinks about some things better than I do. Looking more broadly, everyone around me is on the list of people who inspire me.

Fabrique Invent & Boal Extrusion

What do you get when you combine technical precision, sustainable ambition, and creative innovation? A collaboration that has endured effortlessly for over 30 years and continues to surprise today.

Els ter Haar 25 November 2025