From auction to customer: Mark on flowers, learning German and never standing still

While most people are still asleep, Mark Leeuwenburg has already been at it for hours. As a buyer and salesperson at Tuning, his day revolves around finding the most beautiful flowers and making sure they end up in exactly the right place. He does this with a sharp eye for quality, a nose for good stock and enough determination to optimally serve his customers, even in German.

 

Meet Mark: the man who's ready at 5 AM for the finest flowers

Mark Leeuwenburg (35) has been part of the Tuning team since 2017 and that is no coincidence. He found his way into the flower industry through his father Pim, and has been an indispensable part of the team ever since. As a buyer and salesperson, he is responsible for sourcing the right stock every day and maintaining customer relationships, including across borders.

A day that starts before breakfast

Anyone who thinks Mark's working day begins at 5 AM doesn't have the full picture, because the preparation actually starts the evening before. That's when he enters the orders customers have passed on and checks the pre-sales for interesting items. At five in the morning he's on the floor at Tuning, running through final details with his fellow buyers and answering customers who call him, even before six, with last-minute questions. Then the auction begins, running until around nine. The rest of the morning he helps customers in the box, gets orders ready for departure and makes sure everything leaves the building just right. And in the afternoon? The orders for the next day are already coming in.

It sounds intense, and it is. But what gives him energy? "That everything works out in the end and goes out neatly, and that the next morning you get a call with compliments from the customers."

Thrown in at the deep end and swimming out

His colleagues describe Mark in one word: precise. The quality that helps him most in his work? Perfection. That perfectionism has also served him well in one of his proudest achievements: building up the German customer relationships.

When a fellow salesperson suddenly left, Mark became responsible for Germany overnight. His German was, to put it mildly, still limited, and his experience too. His manager Joost simply said: just give it a go and we'll see. Mark did, learned the language and has now been successfully handling the German market for two years. In fact, the finest compliment he ever received from a customer came from a German client who said he was doing a "great job."

But Mark doesn't stop at one challenge. He also spent three years learning Spanish and eventually found customers in Spain, leading to a number of successful shipments. That market is currently on hold, but as he puts it himself: "This will definitely be continued."

Flowers for every season

A favourite flower? Mark doesn't really have one. He loves all flowers, but at the right time of year. Tulips in spring, peonies in May and June, sunflowers in summer and amaryllis at Christmas. There's something he finds beautiful in the rhythm of the seasons, and that feeling carries through into his work.

After hours: flowers, but his own

For Mark, free time and flowers go hand in hand. On Saturdays he runs his own flower stall in Harderwijk, something he genuinely loves. During the week he goes for a run once or twice after work, and at the weekend he enjoys catching up with friends over a beer. An early bird? Absolutely. But one who, after a long working week, also knows exactly how to unwind.

 

Small team, big commitment

What sets Tuning apart from other suppliers, according to Mark? "We're a small team and we give every customer our full attention." That personal approach, combined with the freedom to take ownership of your own responsibilities, is what makes the job special to him. On his desk you won't find anything complicated: just pen and paper. And with those simple tools, he keeps his head clear every day in an industry he sums up as: "Every day is different."