Meet Laura van der Kolk, Head of Operations and HR at Firmhouse. As a true Jane of All Trades, Laura’s role is constantly evolving. She does everything from streamlining, scaling, and managing processes at the intersection of operations, finance, and HR to planning company retreats, invoicing customers, helping colleagues with HR-related questions, and cultivating a remote working culture.
Laura has spent over a decade working with organizational change, people, and technology. Recently, she considered making a career change. “It's the 30-something dilemma that a lot of us face,” Laura shares. “I was looking into doing some serious study again or something in the realm of psychology, bodywork, or osteopathy.”
Describing herself as “opportunistically ambitious,” Laura has never had a specific, linear career trajectory in mind. Instead, she has always been open to learning and growing organically, no matter what form it takes. Happiest in environments where she can contribute in diverse ways, Laura was exploring new options outside of the business world.
However, she decided to give things one last chance. A friend suggested she speak with Firmhouse. While she had never worked in a startup environment before, after a half-hour chat with our CEO, there was an immediate click. “The energy was so nice, and there were so many opportunities,” Laura shares. “We both felt, hey, this is a good thing to explore.” Even though there wasn’t a specific role carved out yet, Firmhouse built one around her versatile expertise and skill set.
While Laura has worked in several roles over the years, most recently, she was a people manager for a team of consultants. She has helped companies shift toward digital technologies and improve teamwork. Laura has largely worked with bigger companies, observing their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, she is both process-oriented and flexible, allowing her to improvise quickly.
“I have this long-term perspective on how things will go if we make certain decisions right now,” explains Laura. “I try to help make the right decisions on internally focused things with culture, HR processes, and on the operations side.”
When she officially joined the team, Laura found that everyone was open and willing to share, including the positive and challenging aspects of their work. This was evident through one-on-one conversations and during her first retreat. “We’re a very kind bunch of people,” Laura shares. “While everyone is remote, everyone still feels close. We are all committed to getting stuff done.”
The remote-first culture of Firmhouse has resonated deeply with Laura, offering her a mixture of structure and freedom. “What really makes this successful, especially remote, is that we all value communication,” says Laura. In her first nine months with us, Laura traveled for seven, balancing her passion for exploration with her professional life. “We have a lot of freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility. You have to make it work for you.”
One of her most memorable moments thus far was the May 2024 retreat. In the lead-up to the getaway, her organizational and cultural strategy aligned perfectly. It was thrilling to watch everything come together and see people get to know each other better, knowing she played a central role in making the magic happen.
Laura took care of all the logistics, helping people from several countries make their way to rural France. Not only this, but she led a 16personalities workshop, which enabled our team to learn more about our similarities and differences. This provided us with insight into how these dynamics affect our morale, problem-solving skills, decision-making, creative thinking, and group collaboration.
For the first time in her career, Laura is at a place where she doesn’t want to leave. Often, after six months with a company, her enthusiasm wanes. But this hasn’t been the case at Firmhouse. “I'm here, and I want to be here,” explains Laura. "We're at a stepping point—moving from startup to scale-up. That brings opportunities and challenges, but we can grow in a way that works for both our team and our customers."
Outside of work, Laura is passionate about Brazilian Zouk, a partner dance that blends movement with social time. She loves to spend her spare hours in motion and in nature. You can find her dancing, hiking, doing yoga, reading, or listening to podcasts.
Want to know more about the Firmhouse team? Click here to learn all about the people shifting commerce for good.
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