Somo Agency X Finqle

Thanks to our personal approach, we've earned a significant advantage.

Everyone knows the feeling: you walk into an event, and there’s a radiant host or hostess who kicks off your evening perfectly with a delightful glass of champagne. After years of experience in the industry, Jeffrey Haverlag and his partner Karlijn Groenedijk decided to start their own high-end hosting and hospitality agency for the premium segment.

Today, SOMO Agency employs over 450 people and serves numerous events and hospitality venues, including the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam.

The timing was perfect

Jeffrey explains, “Thanks to our personal approach, we can now see that we’ve earned a solid lead.” He elaborates on how he took time with SOMO Agency to truly get to know the people working for them.

“We showed genuine interest and really connected with our people, which they’ve greatly appreciated, as we hear every day.”

During the pandemic, events and hospitality were largely shut down. Still, during that period, the company quickly secured 100 top-tier hosts and hostesses. “That number has since grown to over 450, as our people are eager to share their positive experiences with friends, making them true ambassadors for us.”

Focus on Generation Z

“Our hosts and hostesses are mostly Generation Z. Many describe this generation as difficult, claiming they don’t want to work and seek to earn the most with the least effort,” Jeffrey continues. He views this very differently: “That’s simply not true. We’re seeing something quite the opposite. Our people work very hard.”However, he understands where the negative feedback comes from. He explains: “This generation wants to work hard but differently. Many lost their freedom during the pandemic, and now they want it back, for example, through work flexibility. They also value working for companies that show personality, care, and offer varied work.”

Jeffrey observes that offering this generation flexibility and freedom, along with responsibility for their work, is effective.

“Our people tell us they enjoy the work, find new challenges, and appreciate our attention. This makes them a generation that’s eager to work, just under different terms than some might be used to.”

Finqle fits our profile

Jeffrey found that same attention to people and personal preferences in Fleks, the planning tool they use for freelancers. Now that Fleks is partnered with Finqle, SOMO Agency saw a new opportunity.

Jeffrey says, “Finqle shares our personality and shows care for what freelancers value. They are open to feedback and keen to understand what people appreciate. That’s why partnering with them was a no-brainer.

Thanks to Finqle, freelancers can choose to be paid immediately after their work, and invoicing has become much simpler.

“That’s important to our people. They love flexibility and freedom, so when they work, they might want to go away for the weekend or have a night out. They must get paid quickly."

SOMO Agency always aimed to pay as swiftly as possible, but now they can truly offer what their people value. “We’ve always paid as quickly as we could, but we often received requests to expedite payments for specific instances. Now, we can offer that to everyone, all the time. That’s why Finqle is such a valuable addition to what we provide. Gen Z asks, we deliver.

"Thankfully, this works both ways. Fast payments lead to motivated and efficient people."

SOMO Agency provides hosts and hostesses for events and hospitality in the premium segment. The agency can supply 100 people per day from a network of 450 motivated and ambitious freelancers.

“We see new talented individuals joining us every day. Thanks to the partnership with Finqle, we expect to keep growing rapidly,” Jeffrey concludes.