Kilian De Geyter has been on the road with his consultancy company FreshCon for more than a year and a half. The experienced retail professional decided in early 2024, after 12 years at Aldi, to say goodbye and embark on a new adventure of his own. He does not regret it for a moment. “The first year as a self-employed person actually went really well for me. Beforehand, I didn’t know exactly what to expect or what to do, as I had no point of comparison. Nevertheless, I was soon able to work with several partners, which gave me a strong start right away.”

“I didn’t fall into a black hole. On the contrary, thanks to my existing network, especially from my time at Aldi, I was able to get started immediately,” Kilian explains. His services mainly focus on helping SMEs that are growing but do not yet have the resources to hire skilled salespeople full-time. In addition, he offers strategic guidance to companies seeking to enter retail in the right way. “Thanks to my experience at Aldi, I can quickly assess what does or doesn’t work within retail. And that seems valuable, because within a year, I was able to fill my schedule almost completely. I’m very satisfied with that, although I still have some learning to do when it comes to better assessing and planning my workload as a self-employed person,” Kilian laughs.

Contributing to quality food
The dual focus of his work suits him well. “Consultancy on the one hand and sales on the other. I now notice that both pillars receive equal attention. Consultancy assignments are often project-based and shorter in duration, which creates a different dynamic compared to sales, where you usually build long-term partnerships. For example, in retail, it can take months for something to take off. Sometimes I also encounter projects I hadn’t anticipated, such as in the frozen food sector. That wasn’t a deliberate choice, but it’s nice to broaden my horizons. Still, I notice that I want to stay true to my focus on food. Projects outside of that, I prefer to pass up.”

“I haven’t regretted my decision to become self-employed for a moment,” Kilian says firmly. “Of course, I look back on my time as an employee with good memories, but the choice to become an entrepreneur still feels like the right one. What I enjoy about consultancy is the direct contact with companies, solving concrete problems, and delivering tangible results. You’re constantly learning about products, processes, and people, which makes it fascinating. I want to contribute to quality food. So much effort is already being made by farmers and producers, and I want to add to that so we truly get quality food on the shop shelves.”

Learning
There’s been plenty of interest, although it has remained mostly local for now. “At first, it seemed as though I’d be getting projects from all over the world. I received inquiries from countries like Spain, Italy, and India. Nothing concrete came of that in the end, which is understandable, but it was still instructive. It allowed me to practise presenting myself as a consultant. It was an interesting experience. In the end, my working area narrowed to Belgium and the Netherlands. And that’s fine by me. It’s practical and manageable. Physical meetings can alternate with digital ones, which creates a nice balance.”

© Fresh Publishers
Kilian as a speaker at the past AGF-Kennis(sen)dag

Of course, there are always challenges when making such a transition. “Administratively and financially, being self-employed involves a lot more than being an employee. You have to manage your own accounts, find your own clients, and think ahead. If you’re working on one project, you should already be preparing for the next. I really had to learn that kind of proactivity. Yet I experience it positively. You control how you organise your time, and that gives you freedom. You may be busy, but it’s a different kind of busy than when you’re an employee.”

Sellyd
Looking to the future, Kilian wants to focus primarily on structured growth. “What I’ve noticed is that there’s definitely a need for the combination of sales and consultancy that I offer. I often work for smaller companies that can’t yet hire a permanent employee. But some companies consciously choose external expertise, for example, because they know sales isn’t their strong point. For such companies, I act as an extension of their team, not just an intermediary. To serve these clients effectively, I now collaborate with Sellyd, a company active in sales consultancy. Together, we focus on strengthening the commercial power of companies through strategic advice, commercial support, and enhanced digital visibility. For instance, we’re currently working on a digital platform that connects retail and our clients.”

“My experience in retail and strategic advice, combined with Sellyd’s digital solutions, data-driven approach, and sales expertise, gives clients an integrated approach focused on sustainable results and measurable growth,” he explains. “This allows us to better structure their entire growth process. It’s a collaboration that fits perfectly with my vision of sustainable growth and quality partnerships.”

Sustainable partnerships
For the future, he also wants to continue expanding the consultancy side of his work. “The alternation between short-term consultancy projects and long-term sales advisory assignments works well for me. It also helps maintain a good work-life balance, which I find very important. I prefer a smaller number of long-term collaborations to a multitude of loose ends. That way, I expect to achieve sustainable growth without getting ahead of myself.”

For more information:
Kilian De Geyter
FreshCon
+32 4999 80373
[email protected]
www.sellyd.be