Blog:
Curiosity as a compass

Curiosity as a compass

My journey as an enterpreneur

By Gusta Timmermans, founder Voice Your Future

Not every journey begins with a plan. Sometimes it begins with an unexpected invitation. For me, that invitation was the question: Could voice analysis be a key to the sustainable development of people and organizations?

That question never left me. I became curious, not only about what it could mean for others, but also for myself. What would my own voice reveal if I looked at it honestly? What remains unsaid, and where lies potential that is not yet being used?

Entrepreneurship without a mapped-out route

My career began in the world of labor market mediation, recruitment, and leadership. As Head of Recruitment at ING and later as Chair of Recruiters United, my work was always about making the right match: finding new talent, guiding internal mobility, and carefully shaping exits during reorganizations. What struck me time and again was that there was always something invisible left behind. No matter how good résumés, profiles, and selection tools were, they never told the whole story. And it is often precisely that invisible part that determines whether someone can flourish in a new role or direction.

In 2018, I founded Talent Builders to support organizations with employer branding and recruitment challenges. More than seven years later, we are still pursuing this mission successfully and with pride. Yet one question kept occupying my mind: how do you make visible what usually remains hidden? Perhaps that is why the invitation to explore voice analysis struck such a deep chord. It perfectly aligned with both my curiosity and the search I had already been on for years.

The first time I saw the results of my own voice analysis, I was deeply moved. Not just by the outcomes – depth, accuracy, strength, but also things that very few people know about me. Mostly, it was the mirror it held up to me. I realized: if the results of a voice analysis can cut this close, how much untapped potential might there still be in myself and in others?

A new beginning

That moment felt like a new starting point, not only for my personal growth but also for a new entrepreneurial journey. This is how Voice Your Future was born in 2021. Without a roadmap, but with the confidence that curiosity, courage, and perseverance would take me where I needed to be.

Falling, rising, and moving forward

Entrepreneurship is building while the foundation is still shifting. New technology, finding the right team, convincing clients, failing at times and starting over again. There are days when I think: Why did I start this? And then there are moments when I feel: This is exactly why. Because it is precisely in uncertainty that I discover my greatest growth.

Voice Your Future has since earned a solid place in the practices of many HR professionals, managers, and individuals. With pride, we are now taking the step into Sweden, Belgium, and the United States. This marks the beginning of yet another phase of learning, growing, and embracing challenges. Because every new step opens up unknown territory: new markets, new partners, new questions.

What I learned along the way

What I’ve especially learned in this entrepreneurship is that real change begins with self-awareness. Those who know themselves make better choices – for themselves, for their team, for their organization. That, for me, is the red thread of this journey. Not the destination, but the exploration.

“He who knows himself conquers all.” – Confucius

Looking ahead

This is my entrepreneurial journey so far: full of curiosity, uncertainty, but also ever new opportunities and encounters. And in truth, I am only just getting started. What inspires me most is that, building on the algorithm behind voice analysis, we are now developing powerful AI environments. These open new pathways for people and organizations, not only to gain insights but also to receive concrete tools for growth, collaboration, and development.