“Our market has been declining year after year,” Jesse Marynen begins. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this process, and even afterward, Jesse noticed that companies were disappearing and demand for print was continuing to decline. At the same time, costs rose: paper prices doubled in 2022, and this year, shipping costs for printed materials in Belgium tripled. “Meanwhile, you can distribute everything for free through digital channels,” he says. “As a result, print is increasingly seen as a cost rather than an investment.”

Jesse realized as early as 2019 that he needed to change course. In the years that followed, he transformed Buroform from a traditional printing company into a specialist in high-quality printed materials. Jesse also embraced digitalization by creating online platforms that allowed him to handle the ordering, storage, and shipping processes for major brands.

Although the company was suffering greater losses than ever before, Jesse invested heavily in Buroform’s future. “I clearly remember signing an order form for a 2.2 million euro investment package on my birthday, right in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.”

Cold sweat

Buroform reinvented itself and returned to profitability, but Jesse nearly went under in the process. He tried to grow the company, but to no avail. Moreover, his father, who had founded the company, was still the official owner. Jesse had been in talks with his father for years about taking over the shares. “I had so much turmoil in my head that I couldn’t make sense of,” he says. “I thought: why are the people around me so successful, and why can’t I seem to achieve what I want?”

Jesse’s stress reached a peak on his mother’s 60th birthday. He and his family had flown to Barcelona for the weekend to celebrate. “I was in the middle of three acquisitions at the time and working long hours,” Jesse says. “I remember exactly how I was suddenly overcome by anxiety, started sweating, and just wanted to leave. I didn’t even make it to dinner.”

's Transformation Nevertheless, in 2022, Jesse managed to take over his father's company and significantly increase profits. In his first year as owner, he generated 5 million euros in revenue, and by August 2024, that figure had risen to 8.4 million—no small feat in the world of printing. This didn’t happen overnight, but was the result of a year and a half during which Jesse developed himself as a leader and, above all, changed his communication style.

“I discovered the power of language,” Jesse explains. “I started listening to others and talking to them intentionally. This led to great business results, but it also gave me confidence in myself. I now realize that, no matter what happens, I am fully capable of making my business successful again. That gives me a tremendous sense of peace in my entrepreneurial journey.”

Business Partner Instead of Son
Jesse developed these communication skills thanks to Straight-Line Leadership. In 2022, he joined the organization, and through the goal-oriented leadership training he received there, he was eventually able to convince his father to hand over the company. “The problem was that I showed up to the takeover talks as a son,” says Jesse. “Subconsciously, I didn’t see it as a business deal, because it was my father. I had to enter his world—the business world.”

Jesse set his emotions aside and refused to leave the table without concrete agreements. Jesse: “In the past, emotions would take over, and we’d sit there talking for hours without making any decisions. To actually reach agreements, I had to focus on the facts and be genuinely curious about my father’s perspective. I asked questions I would never have asked before and discovered what was going on with him. Before, I just tried to push my own way through.”

Later that year, Jesse’s father signed the acquisition agreement. “I still get goosebumps when I think about it,” he says. “It was important for the company’s bottom line, but it also saved my relationship with my father. If that hadn’t happened, I would have said goodbye to both Buroform and him.”

Conversations proved to be crucial
Once he took the reins of the business, growth could really begin. Jesse achieved this, too, through his choice of words and communication. “Before, everything had to go exactly as I wanted. I was very direct and had absolutely no idea how to convey a message. I looked outside myself for the solution. I wanted to set up a board of directors or bring another successful entrepreneur on board who could help me. Eventually, I realized that the solution lay within myself.”

Whereas Jesse used to barely speak to his team, he now spends more than half his time talking with employees. “I didn’t think it was necessary,” the entrepreneur explains. “I used to cancel internal meetings at the drop of a hat because I thought they were a waste of time. But engaging with my team turned out to be crucial.”

He didn’t just start communicating again; he changed the way he did it: “I brought my team into the conversation. Just like with my father, I listened carefully first to understand what was going on with them. Then I shared our goals with them and showed them the numbers and the impact they had on the company. Next, we worked together to figure out how we could improve those numbers. As a result, for example, our paper consumption has been reduced by 8 percent.”

The Joy of Entrepreneurship
Jesse’s approach sparked a period of growth that Buroform had never seen before. “People are now taking ownership. That’s because I give them space and entrust them with that responsibility. Of course, I provide feedback when something could be improved, but whereas I used to be very harsh and direct, I’ve now learned to give feedback in a way that resonates with the individual and their perspective.”

The anxiety he felt during the weekend in Barcelona hasn’t returned. “I’m enjoying entrepreneurship again. The Jesse I used to be would have been completely down in the dumps after setbacks. Now I just see it as a situation I have to deal with. The biggest change I’ve gone through is that I now know, no matter what, that I can do something about it myself. I always see opportunities.”