3Motion business owner Femke Helon won the 2020 Womed Award, making her Entrepreneur of the Year! "It's a real boost for myself and definitely a crowning achievement for our whole team" she says. With the award ceremony, Markant vzw, UNIZO and the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship put strapping female entrepreneurs where they belong: in the spotlight.


Voted entrepreneur of the year

Femke does not come from a nest of entrepreneurs but still rolled into it 10 years ago. Together with her husband Wouter and brother-in-law Gerd, she is at the helm of the - now 50-strong - creative print company. ""You can be somewhere in 10 years if you work hard and put your heart into it. You don't have to be born the child of entrepreneurs to do that."" The jury particularly fell for Femke's strong growth story and because she is committed to innovation, creativity, sustainability and keeping the human aspect in mind at 3Motion.


Inspire women

She considers the Womed Award an important award ceremony. ""It is good that there are already a lot of women entrepreneurs. But I feel there is still a way to go in sectors with still predominantly men in leadership roles. The print world is one of them. As Entrepreneur of the Year, I hope to inspire other women. Because if I can do it, why can't you?"", Femke smiles.


The Womed rollercoaster

As a result of the award, she won a Vlerick course, among other things, and is getting to know many new people. ""Who in turn have already come a long way and guide you. I found the whole Womed Award experience overwhelming at times, but also a lot of fun,"" says our leading lady. ""During the public voting round, the uncertainty surfaced for a while because you are up against other strong candidates. It felt really nice to get so much response and appreciation from different quarters.""


Juggling family life

As a mum of 2 young children, how Femke combines everything? ""Entrepreneurship is top sport and that is why I bet on healthy living, with a whole organisation to keep everything running smoothly. I gradually sought and found tools that work for me, which I am now happy to share further. Having a young family ourselves, we know how important it is to be able to arrange certain things - like meals - already during the day. Therefore, employees can order meals and have them delivered by a local organisation.""


Healthy in your business

But it goes beyond that. ""We want to continue to trigger and support our employees in a good work-life balance,"" explains the entrepreneur of the year. ""When you think with them, sometimes you make a difference with small things. Working in an environment that energises stimulates."" Femke compiled her tips on health and business in a book, which she delivered to clients and partners as a year-end gift at the end of 2020.


2021, the year to make a difference!

Besides the Womed Award, 3Motion has some fun news this year. At the end of this year, we will move to a brand new building, double the size of our current location. Plenty of room, therefore, to continue our ambitious growth plans and focus even more on automation and even robotisation. A new step in the innovative story, unique in the BENELUX. Also, the new building will be a place where we can give free rein to our creativity and we will be even more committed to sustainability in all its facets. Not only renewable energy is on the agenda, but also sustainable decoration of the building and a sustainable production flow are among the focal points. Curious to see the result!