YoungOnes x air up®
Cross-border challenges: The air up® and YoungOnes collaboration
Air up®, a German company, faced unique challenges when launching a pop-up store in Amsterdam from December 2023 to March 2024. Their goal was to let people experience their scent-flavoured water bottles directly. However, staffing the store quickly proved complicated as a foreign company.
The Hurdle
Leonarda Komen, Brand Activation Manager, needed flexible staffing for uncertain daily demands. “We needed a flexible solution. Do we need four people or twenty for a day?” she reflected. The situation worsened when their initial freelancer platform only worked with Dutch-registered companies (KvK), excluding air up®.
Breaking Through
YoungOnes provided the breakthrough air up® needed. Unlike competitors, YoungOnes could facilitate invoicing and VAT adjustments for foreign companies through their in-house billing system. This capability, combined with access to qualified freelancers on flexible terms, proved game-changing.
“What I really like is just how quick it was” Leonarda noted. “We set everything up in a few days with the YoungOnes team, and before I knew it, the gigs were out”
Making It Work
The collaboration delivered exceptional results through strategic staffing and operational excellence. Training sessions ensured freelancers met air up®’s high standards for customer experience and product knowledge.
Key benefits included:
Flexibility: The ability to scale the workforce based on daily demand without long-term commitments. “The biggest benefit is flexibility. I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough people for our store, and this was never a problem,” Leonarda shared.
Cost Savings: Bypassing full-time hires saved significantly on staffing costs. “We didn’t have to hire someone full-time. Important for the store to be beneficial.”
Quality Control: Creating a pool of preferred freelancers maintained high service standards and brand consistency. Communication was “spotless,” with Sales Support ensuring everything went perfectly.
Setting the Standard
This partnership demonstrates the power of innovative, flexible staffing solutions for international companies. As Leonarda concluded, “YoungOnes was the most flexible and in terms of logistics, just the easiest.”
