Have you met Roy & Lisa? They are the cheerful and modelesque couple who has been busy sharing the best our island has to offer through their new company: We Are! SXM. Just a quick visit to their website: www.wearesxm.com shows you that they are serious about their business. The website is full of information, is fun to navigate and shows how visually stunning St. Maarten is!
What is “We Are! SXM” all about? How did they come up with the idea? Why should you go and check it out? Let’s ask them!
How did the idea for ‘We Are! SXM’ come about?
Lisa: Roy has always been good at coming up with new ideas for the island, which we would brainstorm together after work. During his work at Holland House as a beach captain, managing the beach area and bar, he helped a lot of tourists with information about the island.
Roy: The top questions that people would ask were: Where are you from? What should I do and see on the island? What do you like about the island? How is it to live here?
Lisa: After we both noticed that there is a demand for information, several ideas came to mind. During that same period, I was writing my thesis and did research about tourists that visited Sint Maarten. My research included a survey about which channels tourists prefer to use to get their information about Sint Maarten. Quite obviously, that was the Internet.
Roy: Added to this, we noticed there was a lack of proper and easily accessible information online. So one day I came home after answering another throng of questions at work and said, “Let’s just try and build a website ourselves!” This way, we can bring guidance online so everyone has one reliable source of information about everything that is Sint Maarten!
Lisa: I said, “Okay, I’m in!” and we directly started looking for a third partner that could help us with building and designing a website. Roy’s cousin had experience building websites and was willing to be part of the business and that’s how we started creating We Are! SXM.
Roy: We launched the website about a month ago and are overwhelmed with the positive response! Developing “We Are! SXM” is keeping us very busy but has also been rewarding and a lot of fun!
How can people use ‘We Are! SXM’?
Lisa: We offer high quality services in the following categories: Wellness, daytrips, water sports, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, lodging, events and transport. People can find us on www.wearesxm.com and book activities and deals online in a few very easy steps. If they need any help, they can send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. open the ‘live chat’ and send us a message directly.
Roy: Our website also offers free information for tourists and residents alike. There are amazing deals and discounts to be found that everyone can make use of. Although we initially thought that tourists would make more use of our website, we actually also have has a lot of people who live on Sint Maarten say, “Huh, we have this on SXM?!” So check it out and see how well you know the island!
What sets your company apart from others on the island?
Roy: I don’t like to compare our company to others, as each company has its own positives and points of improvement. But what I do think is special about our company is that we are young, fresh and innovative.
Lisa: We work together with companies that offer high quality services. Next to that, we have a collection of original deals which are fun, well-priced and only found on our site. Our website offers clear information in a simple and organized navigating system. Also to note; we only make money if we do our job right and sell something for a partner so it’s as transparent and straightforward as it can be. This guarantees good service and experiences to our customers!
Roy: We will always try to be ahead of the market, come up with something new and also help our partners to be unique. For example, I drive around in a “blue, short sleeve business suit” on a scooter to bring attention to our new website. It has caught a lot of attention, and as an added bonus, it gets people smiling.
What future plans do you have for We Are! SXM? Anything we need to look out for?
Lisa: Our first goal is to get known on Sint Maarten and become the number one local travel website.
Roy: We want to be the website that people know they can rely on for information and a source to book deals that create amazing memories while on Sint Maarten.
Lisa: In the future, after the concept is fully running, we like to expand our services to other islands and build up the same concept there. But Sint Maarten will always be our home base as we are in love with this island!
What advice would you give to others who are thinking about starting their own business on Sint Maarten?
Lisa: First of all, you need patience during the process of registering your company. It took us five and a half months before we got our business license! Also remember to save some money because the first year you will always have to invest money in your company before you actually can make any profit. Starting your own company also means that you start at zero, so this might mean that you are giving up your previous lifestyle and starting one in which you’re always working and need to make compromises for a while.
Roy: It is important to appreciate feedback from others when doing anything in life. Especially if you’re doing something new, you should never see advice as an insult. If someone spends time and energy on showing or explaining something to you, that is not out of their own interest, but to improve your skills. So we have learnt and would advise people to be open, listen and be inspired!
Lisa: Networking is very important so go to places and meet people that can help you or bring you in contact with other business owners. But remember that all of this work also pays off, and one day you will be doing what you love, with a business that you created yourself!
Roy: I like to end with a quote I wrote: “Starting an own business is not always easy and not always without frustration... but with all the fun and freedom in between more than worth it and unbeatable in its way.
I can advise everyone to invest time and energy in exploring, trying to do what you like and create a job structure around it combining all. No matter what happens: practice, trial and failure will get you closer to what you love each time you try, by just doing everything you like! Enjoy what you love!”
So what do Lisa and Roy love? They love to entertain and see people smile! Do you like to be entertained and smile? Check them out at www.wearesxm.com!
If you are interested in becoming a partner or need some “island advice”, just contact Roy van Zutphen & Lisa van Veghel at www.wearesxm.com, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1 (721) 522-7948.
