Duncan de Wit

Last year I completed my Master’s degree in Business Information Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam. I am currently studying Finance for six months at EDHEC Business School in Nice as part of my master’s exchange. I signed up for blackbear because I find blackbear challenging, flexible and instructive.
At first I found it challenging to find out whether I can help companies with the knowledge I gained within my studies, internships and side activities. Previously, I assisted startups and non-profit organisations in a team context. I have learned a lot about how to structure a problem, investigate different solution directions and determine the storyline of a report. I was curious to know whether these skills are sufficient to be able to help companies on their own.
I appreciate the flexibility as a freelancer at blackbear. I’m too busy for a regular job while studying for my master’s degree. Challenges at blackbear, can be planned whenever and wherever I have the time. This gives me an income even when I am studying on exchange in France!
Lastly, after my studies, I would like to start as a consultant. Therefore it seemed very instructive to me to further develop myself in this field as consultant at blackbear.
The challenges I prefer are mainly related to innovation. In my spare time and while studying Business Information Management, I read a lot about digital innovation. This enables me to add the most value for the Companies in that area. In addition, I really enjoy tracking digital innovations as a hobby and get a lot of pleasure out of these challenges!
As a result of what I said before I chose these five words to describe blackbear:
In other words, you could say that blackbear is an extremely interesting, educational and challenging way for students to gain work experience and earn pocket money!
I use a specific order to solve a challenge. I start with an overview of the situation, a clear vision of the company’s activities, why they came to blackbear and which (main) problem needs to be solved. Then I send a list of questions I have to the contact person to see if I understand the problem, if there are any other problems and to receive additional information about their requirements. I then explain the problem with a decision tree. After that, I start an extensive investigation using the internet and sometimes by calling people. This takes by far the most time and is often not as effortless as you would like. Finally, I draw the storyline of my report and convert it into a PowerPoint presentation with a final recommendation!