Team Cake: This is Fabrice

Name: Fabrice Weyen		
Role: Business Development Manager	
Making Cake since: September 2022
Location: Hasselt, Belgium

What does your workplace look like?

I have been living in a small apartment in the center of the city of Hasselt for 4 years now. My desk used to be our dining table, but now this table is filled with screens, a laptop, a Playstation and other devices. Soon, my wife and I will temporarily move in with my parents while we have our new house being built. It’s difficult to pay rent as well as a mortgage at the same time these days. This means I have to modify my old bedroom from my DJ studio into my new office.

Did you say DJ Studio?

Yes, in that room you can find my DJ equipment like a drum machine, mixers, effects panel, laptop and other devices to make music. I started making music when I was sixteen. Initially, I was more into hip-hop and then switched over to electronic music. With the money I earned working some side gigs as a student, I started buying my own equipment. In 2012 I began playing records at parties together with a friend. Our DJ name is SHDDR. 

A few years ago we got into the finals of a DJ contest and that is when we started to make our own songs. We made about 40 songs which can find on Spotify and YouTube. You can also find some of our DJ sets on YouTube as well. 

What is the coolest performance thing you did as a DJ? 

We played on Tomorrowland and Pukkelpop, which are some of Belgium’s largest summer festivals. 

No way!

Yeah, we did! Not on the main stage, but still, we played our DJ set for almost 1500 people. 

Which do you consider to be your best song? 

A few years ago, we made a wonderful remix. This remix was picked up by a famous DJ at a festival in Italy. He made a video of himself playing our song. Suddenly we were followed by a whole bunch of people. That makes me proud. 

Maybe one day you will score a worldwide hit? 

That would be nice, but it’s not the main goal of my life right now. The chances are very low. 

OK, enough about music. How did you end up at Cake?

I was contacted by a headhunter on LinkedIn. The job offer from Cake was one of the jobs he showed me. I started reading about Cake and I liked everything about it. So I applied for the job and two interviews later I signed my contract. 

And no regrets that you signed? 

Absolutely not. I really like working at Cake. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the openness and communication within the company and my colleagues. I also already had some experience with working remotely and I like it. We have daily internal meetings, so I see my colleagues regularly. Although I only see them on my screen the majority of the time, it doesn’t feel like remote work. 

What do you do at Cake?

I am mainly looking for prospects. The ultimate goal for me is to grow Cake as much as possible by attracting new customers. The more customers we get, the more we can make bank accounts profitable again for people just like you and me.

What does your standard week look like? 

I start every day around 8:30 with a cup of coffee. Then I read my e-mails and connect with my colleagues. Every Monday we have a meeting to define our targets for the week and every Friday we evaluate these targets. I am most productive by dividing my working day into blocks of 2 hours. So every 2 hours I do something different. Searching for new prospects, answering e-mails, calling, and administrative matters.

What type of company is at the top of your wishlist? 

A large electronics store would be nice as I have a personal fondness for electronical equipment. It would be nice to sign one like that. 

Now the most important question: What is your favorite meal?

I really love preparing food. Especially Asian cuisine. My favorite meal is ramen, which is a spicy soup with noodles and a boiled egg in it. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a place serving ramen in Hasselt yet, so I have to go to Leuven or Maatstricht to eat ramen in a restaurant. 

So your favorite restaurant is an Asian one? 

Hm, I also like Rauw in Hasselt. I ate the best ribeye ever in this restaurant. This is unusual for me, as I’m not really super fond of steak, but in Rauw they truly know how to cook an excellent ribeye. 

What’s at the top of your bucket list? 

Playing at the Boiler Room at Pukkelpop. I have been going to this festival since I was 14 years old. I did a set there once, but on one of the smaller stages, which was for approximately 1500 people. The Boiler Room is actually the main stage for electronic music at Pukkelpop, where DJs perform for over 10.000 people!  

Sounds perfect! When you spin at the Boiler Room, we will be there.