Danish entrepreneur Martin Dufresne is a man with a mission: to persuade homeowners in his country to invest in high-quality wooden patio decks made in Germany. After teaming up with a supplier found through the Enterprise Europe Network, he is building his business.

When Dufresne decided to go into business for himself, the Enterprise Europe Network name kept popping up during his initial web research.

“I was happily surprised to discover there was a branch 15 minutes away so I paid them a visit,” says Dufresne, who had run a handful of ventures with partners but never before on his own.

That visit, to the Network branch in the central Danish town of Søndersø, ended up being a giant leap towards getting the business off the ground. With almost 600 partner organisations in 50 countries, a Network expert is never far away to help budding entrepreneurs pursue their dreams.

“We help them make their dreams a reality, through powerful tools like the Network’s business matchmaking database,” says Anders Skeem, Network project consultant at Agro Business Park.

A response to the partner request came from the Network branch at the Industrie- und Handelskammer Erfurt in Germany, through Network expert Ewa-Maria Nowak. She put Dufresne in touch with Reinü-Fefa, a medium-sized maker of patio floorboards and related products. The German firm was looking to develop internationally and find European wholesalers for its REINÜ-Wood Decking.

“We immediately hit it off,” says Dufresne, “since they were not just seeking a distributor, but a real collaborator with technical know-how. Now I represent them in Denmark. It’s a match made in heaven.”