Every week we publish an interview with one of our female internet heroes. This is an opportunity for you to MEET interesting women, READ about their WORK, THINK about how they PLAY the internet industry and see how you MATCH them. Be inspired! This week: Petra Van Schayik.

"Ever since I was young, I have wanted to be the leader" Petra Van Schayik explains her desire to be an entrepreneur. Van Schayik is co-owner of Compumatica secure networks, a software development company, which secures governmental and corporate networks. They are unique in the Netherlands with their high-level security products for Dutch governmental networks.  She tells thenextwomen.com of her experiences as a leading female entrepreneur in the network security sector.

• How did you start out in the business?

I studied a combination of technical and business administration. After finishing my studies, I worked for Digital Equipment, in the IT business, as account manager. When I got children I was not allowed to work part-time, so I moved to what is now Fortis. That is where I got my background in finance. 
Then I went to Compumatica in 1996.  I started as an employee and after six months we decided that I would buy 50 % of the shares. We were the first security system integrator in the Netherlands, with a focus on the Dutch market. In 2002, we bought our vendor in Germany and became a software developer instead of just a system integrator.

• What experiences did you learn from?

When I was with Fortis, I decided I never wanted to have a bank loan for my company.  Because a bank is like an umbrella when the sun in shining, asking something back when the weather forecast says I might rain. They want to be a partner of you when you are successful, but when you get in bad water they do not like you any more. So one of our strategies with Compumatica is to grow, but to grown at our own strength. When you can decide yourself what direction you want to go, it makes you more flexible.

• Is Dutch start-up culture different from somewhere else?

I can only compare with our German company and see differences. In the Netherlands things are less formal, they are easier to arrange. Maybe it is a cultural difference.  The difference is that when you start in a foreign country you are always seen as a foreigner and a foreign company. We have that issue in Germany . We took over a complete German technology company and work with a full German crew. But the German government sees us as foreigners and we don't get the opportunities as we would have had with a German passport.

• What is the size and turnover of Compumatica?

It started out with 1 person in 1992, now there are 35.  We are a privately owned company. We have turnover of 6 million euro. We have no bank loans or external financial participation.

• Would you ever consider selling it?

No interested at this moment, work gives too much fun and satisfaction to both shareholders and managers. But you never know if an offer comes you can't refuse, I would like to stay in the company and focus more on export opportunities.

• Where do you see your company in 3-5 years?

We see that we are moving into software development: a niche market.

Also, we hope to increase the amount of people that work for us. Demand for network security is increasing as many people see the risk of using computers and realise the use of computer networks is the backbone of their company.

• How do you see the future for the (internet) business you are in?

A lot of software companies are doing their software development in Asia. We will keep our development in Germany and Netherlands. We think you should be close to your customer with your development.

In our field, lots of companies are splitting up, selling of parts of the company and merging. There is a lot of capital from investors at the moment. But there have not really been any big changes in security these last years. You do see that the government is trying to control the sector more and more, to keep in touch with what is going on.

• Who has inspired you?

Neelie Kroes. She is a very powerful woman, I am impressed with how she is acting in Europe. She is a good businesswoman.

• What is a female entrepreneur for you?

In the Netherlands, it is usually the man who has the company and the woman who works three of four days a week, combining family and business in that way. That seems to be the normal pattern. So I think a female entrepreneur should be really independent, even more independent than a man.  Because for a man it is normal and accepted, as a female entrepreneur you have to be more powerful.

• Is the work/private balance an issue for you?

I have three children. I combine work and family. When I started in Compumatica, my son was four. It is not always easy. You need to have flexible children. I think for yourself, it is important to be able to say no to certain things, because you cannot combine everything. What I see in my case, socialising gets less attention. You have to accept you cannot do everything and you cannot do everything perfect.

• What does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur?

You need to want it. You need to give more than 100 per cent.  Because, there are many nice moments, the highs, but you also have the downs. When it is not going well, you need to have the energy and the power to succeed. You need to stay optimistic. Do no change your mind or attitude all the time. Keep your way.

• What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?

That you keep believing in what you are doing. The other thing I would advice is, when you start, stay with both legs on the ground. Use you reason but most of all, use your intuition. If you don't have a gut feeling that something is right, if you meet someone that you do not trust, or if there is something you do not feel right about, do not go ahead with it.

FACTBOX:

What does Web 2.0 mean to you?
Web 2.0 gives a new wider dimension to your life. It is a virtual society that can have connections to the real society or far away from that. It gives me the opportunity to "meet" people to which you would not be contacted before. One of the risks of it is the lack of privacy and security, this bothers me as a professional in network security.

What do you know about web technology?
I am more of a user of technology.

How do people find your company?
Via my companies' website, Linked-in, Plaxo and through Google.  We don't have any information about the quantity of visitors to our website.