About the "Student-Zelfstandige" Status

Before diving into my story, a quick explanation: in Belgium, there's a special entrepreneurial status called "student-zelfstandige" (student self-employed). This allows students to run their own business while paying reduced social security contributions, as long as their income stays below a certain threshold. It's designed to encourage young entrepreneurship with minimal financial risk, making it an ideal way for students to gain real-world business experience while continuing their studies.

Getting Started 💡

The idea came during the summer holidays, right after I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Software Engineering from Howest. I didn't feel like doing another generic summer job in a factory or restaurant, and figured it was time to finally do something with all the programming skills I'd built up over the past three years.

Since I was planning to pursue a master's degree afterward, I was eligible to become a student self-employed.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. Fortunately, I could turn to a KBC bank office that explained step by step how to get started: applying for a VAT and business number, opening a professional account, and joining a social security fund. I chose Acerta, which I was very satisfied with throughout my entire career as a self-employed person.

Additionally, I also visited an insurance office to discuss possible risks. For accounting software, I chose Accountable, an excellent and affordable system for small self-employed individuals. The entire startup cost me about 110 euros.

What exactly was IzyBit?

IzyBit was my business name as a student self-employed. You could hire me as a freelancer to work on software projects or offer a new project yourself, for example a website that I would completely design and develop from scratch based on the client's needs.

The name IzyBit is a fusion of Izy (derived from Izegem, my hometown) and bit (from computer bits).

Finding Clients 📣

Most of my clients came through word-of-mouth or social media. I regularly posted updates on LinkedIn about projects I was working on, and that turned out to be surprisingly effective. A post about a new project often led to questions from acquaintances or people who had seen my profile through connections.

I also tried Fiverr, but that was a mixed success. Apart from the RESIN project, I mainly received spam or strange messages there. Still, I thought it was worth trying because it required little setup and I did learn how to present my work to strangers.

The most important thing I learned is that as a self-employed person, you need to tell as many people as possible what you do. Even people you barely know, because you never know if they happen to know someone who needs a website.

Combining Studies and Entrepreneurship 🎓

Combining studies and entrepreneurship was honestly the hardest part of the adventure. Especially during exam periods, when clients were impatiently waiting, it became tough.

I tried not to take on new projects in January and May, so I could fully concentrate on exams. Sometimes I still had to make clients wait a bit, but as long as you clearly communicate that you're not doing this full-time, most people understand.

There were moments when I literally held meetings in an empty classroom that a teacher specially opened for me. It sometimes felt a bit strange to video call with a client during the lunch break of another class, but that's just how it goes as a student self-employed.

The combination of deadlines, classes, and client expectations taught me a lot about planning, priorities, and communication.

What I Learned as an Entrepreneur 💡

Besides the technical side, I mainly learned what it's like to work as an entrepreneur. Preparing quotes, defending choices, communicating with clients, and occasionally setting boundaries when something isn't feasible.

One of the most important lessons was that it pays to think ahead. I knew that at some point I would have to stop my self-employed activities, so I built all my projects in a way that was maintenance-friendly. Small adjustments can therefore happen quickly, without me having to invest much time.

That approach still pays off today. For events like Izegem Klinkt, SZG, and Thunderball that return annually, I still maintain the websites, but without commercial intentions, usually in exchange for a drink voucher during the event 😉.

What Became of IzyBit? 🧭

Over time, it became more difficult to combine IzyBit with my master's program. During the preparation for my retake exams, I decided to stop taking on new assignments and quietly finish the existing projects.

As I mentioned, I still maintain a few of those projects, but without commercial intentions. IzyBit itself no longer officially exists. I took down my social media profiles to avoid confusion.

By the way, terminating your status as a student self-employed is almost as expensive and time-consuming as the startup. Count on another 110 euros minimum and a lot of patience. So if you're planning to stop, start that process in time.

Reflection and Conclusion 🧠

Looking back, the adventure as a student self-employed was one of the most valuable experiences as a programmer and student. I not only learned to program better, but also how to think as an entrepreneur. Convincing clients, defending your choices, and dealing with responsibilities are all things you don't learn at school, but that you naturally encounter as a self-employed person.

To anyone who's hesitating to follow the same path, I can only recommend giving it a try. As a student, you still have little to lose and everything to gain. The risk is limited, but the experience is worth gold.

Projects 💻

Disclaimer: for some projects, it was necessary to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Therefore, I can't share everything, but I do give an overview of the main projects I worked on.

Izegem Klinkt 🎵

It didn't take long before I had my first project. Izegem Klinkt is an annual event in Izegem where all the cafés are filled with bands, each with their own genre, atmosphere, and energy.

Until then, they used program booklets with information about who was playing where and when, but they wanted an online alternative. This led to izegemklinkt.be, their own website with all information about the event, who they are, and especially an online version of the program.

Each band also got its own subpage so visitors could make an informed choice about who they wanted to see. It was a great project to start with.

Tech stack: Nuxt 3

Website: izegemklinkt.be

Spel Zonder Grenzen 🧩

The Izegem Klinkt website was apparently a success, because not much later I was contacted by the organization of Spel Zonder Grenzen (A teambuilding event) in Izegem. They already had a website, but it was years outdated in terms of design and the info hadn't been updated since their IT volunteer stopped a few years ago.

I was given the responsibility to do a complete redesign. This time with an online version of the scores, which previously could only be seen on a PowerPoint at the bar. Registration now also takes place through the website.

The annual winners are moreover truly immortalized in digital glory with their own spot on the website.

A fun anecdote from this project: the event scores have been kept in an Excel file for years, with formulas that perform all calculations. Instead of programming a completely new scoring system, I chose to use the Google Sheets API. This way, volunteers could continue working as they were used to, and I didn't have to spend extra time on a back office.

A win-win, and a good example of how as a developer you sometimes better take a step back and think about the smartest solution.

Tech stack: Nuxt 3 + Google Sheets API

Website: szg.be

RESIN 🏠

Meanwhile, my services were also online on Fiverr. I must honestly admit that I mainly received spam and scams in my inbox there, but I was extremely lucky with one project.

It was about a startup from the Netherlands with a wild idea. They wanted to develop an app where people in Suriname could buy houses with Bitcoin, because the banks there were supposedly corrupt? Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with the actual bitcoin transactions. My task was to convert a huge Figma design file into working code.

I worked on this for several months and, despite the strange concept, it was an educational collaboration. It was a race against the clock to finish the last screens, because my first exams of my master's program were coming up. After long days and short nights, I finally managed.

Tech stack: Nuxt 3

Project Nekton 💡

A good friend of mine, let's call him Bob, had meanwhile also started as a student self-employed. He was approached by a company that installs smart lighting for businesses, with the goal of reducing their electricity costs and offering extra features like turning lights on and off via a tablet.

They had a new idea for a web app, but a limited budget. Perfect for a collaboration between student self-employed individuals since we charge lower rates than professional agencies. However, Bob had a busy schedule, so he asked if I wanted to work on the project. Of course I said yes.

The project was a mobile web app that allowed sports clubs to control their field lighting. Coaches could indicate in the app when trainings or matches were scheduled, so that the lighting would automatically turn on or off at the right times and with the right brightness. For example, 100 percent for matches and 60 percent for trainings.

Whether the app is widely used now, I don't know, but it remains one of the coolest projects I've been able to work on.

Tech stack: Nuxt 3, AWS Auth, Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL

KSA Izegem & Thunderball ⚽

This project is actually a bit of cheating, because I gave myself the assignment 😅. As an active member of KSA Izegem (a youth movement), I designed the website ksaizegem.be, where all info about the youth movement and contact details per age group can be found.

Additionally, I also made a separate website for Thunderball, the annual football event that KSA organizes. Just like with Spel Zonder Grenzen, visitors could follow the scores live, which was extremely popular during the tournament.

Because the setup was very similar to that of SZG, I could reuse a lot of code, which made the project extra efficient.

Tech stack: Svelte + Google Sheets API

Websites: ksaizegem.be & thunderball.ksaizegem.be