Early 1994, when my wife and I decided to set up Jonckers as a company, we had to face a simple challenge: to sleep or to work! This was not just because we knew it would take long hours to make our company successful, but simply because we had to decide whether we could afford to keep the bedroom of our rented flat for its primary usage or transform it into the only office place available. It took us 5 minutes to move the bed in the hallway.

Anne and I had been used to working long hours, indeed we had both decided in the mid-80's to complete master degrees in evening courses whilst maintaining our full time jobs and as anyone who has achieved this knows it is far from easy! However in the early days of Jonckers this concept was pushed even further I will always remember seeing Anne nurturing our first child, born in 1995 at the same time as working on a project status report!

It takes a lot of faith and efforts to develop a company, as all entrepreneurs know. But I think the most important factor in creating a success story lies in the ability to build a team of people who share that same faith. Faith and hard work have been cornerstones of Jonckers ever since.

Ten years back, we were still a very small company with a big, ambitious plan. Some of the employees who took a leap of faith with us then are still with us today and that means a lot to Anne and I. In 2000 when the market was extremely troublesome we attracted investors that also shared the faith on the power of a handshake invested in Jonckers at the lowest point of some very dark days in the tech market. These same investors still believe in us today and have supported our success every step of the way.

Today, the company has developed into a true global player, with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S. In 2006, the major Belgian business directory (www.trendstop.be) has ranked Jonckers the number one business in the domestic translation business sector. To be number one in a nationally recognized listing is simply amazing and a gratifying reflect of that faith and hard work the whole team has put in.