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The beginning

The Maffia was established in 2003 by copywriter and entrepreneur Philip Maes. In 2017 the company became a part of the Cronos Group. During this period The Maffia has expanded itself to a trusted company. Because of this the company was able to build a loyal and high-quality portfolio.

In 2019, freelancer and entrepreneur Simon Coppens became head of the company. Based off his own experiences as a freelancer he devised a transparant and cheaper businessmodel, which benefits both the freelancer and the company.

To support all this, The Maffia enlisted the help of Cronos and the Koo network. Companies like Lunar, SuperMachine, Sprints & Sneakers support The Maffia. Together they build this transparant and correct model.

Simon Coppens

Freelancer and entrepreneur

It is in the spring of 2019 that I was approached by Cronos with the question if I would like to reposition The Maffia. Of course, with my experience as a freelancer I eagerly agreed.

In my last endeavor I would constantly look for assignments through an agency because they now the market and they know my competences. Despite the fact that the collaboration would go smoothly, I would always run into the same problem: the price per day.

As a freelancer I would often get asked if I could lower my day rate because the assignment was long term, with a big brand or a great opportunity.

And when I would get employed, they would take a margin of about 30% on my day rate. But when the assignment would get extended, the margin of 30% that the client would pay per day, would just go on.

When I found out that I wasn’t the only freelancer with this problem, I decided to take matters in to my own hands and I devised a new business model for The Maffia. That’s why The Maffia doesn’t take margins on the day rates, but uses the one-off Finder’s Fee.

“It’s not the freelancer that’s too expensive, it’s the margin that gets taken on him that’s too expensive.”

This way freelancers don’t get pushed off the market and using them stays affordable for the client. At The Maffia we want to offer transparant added value for the freelancer and the client.

Lucas Appelmans, Intern

In the third year of secondary school, I made my first choice towards economics. The economy is the engine of a country and has become indispensable for its growth. As the years progressed in secondary school I became more and more interested in the domain of marketing, which later became my passion. I discovered that marketing is an overarching term for multiple concepts, but the words that repeatedly came back were communication and connection.

Companies need to communicate intensively with their community. Not only about what they offer, but also what they do, feel and what values they offer in ever-changing society.  That is the element that intrigued me the most: communication is always different. As well as the way in which there is no limitation and where you can let your creativity go.

Before I spoke to Simon, I was not really interested in the world of freelancers. But during the conversation, he succeeded in waking up something. The way Simon told  me about this was so passionate that it started to interest me sincerely, so I saw that this world has a lot to offer. But what makes The Maffia so special is the unique approach. The business model is a real win-win situation for companies and freelancers!

I look forward to the world of freelancers and what it has to offer with great excitement and curiosity. I’m also convinced that I will learn a lot during this fascinating period.

Manon Vanhoyland, intern

When I was little, my teachers, my family, my friends … said I was very good at communicating. A little too good and too much sometimes. That is why it seemed a logical choice to study communication. I am a very smooth talker, so why not study about it to get to know the professional side of it. No sooner said than done. In 2018 I started the communication management course at Artevelde University College. After 2.5 years of learning everything about communication, it was time to take matters into my own hands: an internship.

The search for a good internship had started. After a few conversations with various companies, The Maffia seemed the most suitable place for me. I was immediately welcomed here by Simon, the company’s managing partner. It became clear to me exactly what The Maffia did after an informal job interview and I was immediately intrigued, because I was not really familiar with this kind of method yet. As a starting communication professional, The Maffia seemed like the right place to learn.

For me, the most convincing factors to get started here were the passion and enthusiasm that Simon has for his job and the nice atmosphere that prevailed in the workplace. I am very happy and grateful that I can start here at The Maffia and I am curious about what I will learn and accomplish in the upcoming months.

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