Cor de Graag

About Cor de Graag

Cor de Graag is a speaker, business mentor, and author of BUSINESS SUCCESS with a smile. He previously wrote Entrepreneurs are just people — a down-to-earth and honest look at the person behind entrepreneurship. And who knows, soon The Great Buzzword Dictionary may be published, his light-hearted ode to the fight against hollow management language.

He is known for his mix of humor, courage, and Rotterdam straightforwardness. No fuss, no management talk — just inspiration that sticks. Cor is a true connector with a healthy dose of self-deprecation and the courage to be vulnerable. He openly shares his own screw-ups, not to score points, but to create space for authenticity. It is precisely because of this that he manages to create an atmosphere in which people feel safe, seen, and respected — and dare to reflect.

His keynotes revolve around growth without hassle: business growth from relaxation, potential over ambition, and independent thinking in leadership. Cor stimulates the audience to think with less structure — fewer rules, more reality — and challenges people to look at their reality from a different angle. He throws out mirrors and lets everyone decide whether they dare to look into the mirror of their own entrepreneurship or leadership.

I throw out mirrors. You decide whether you dare to look.

As a speaker, he is sharp, energetic, and disarming. He makes people laugh, think, and feel. No endless slides or theoretical models, but stories, interaction, and confronting questions that linger. His talks are not an endpoint, but a starting shot — for fresh thinking power, relaxation in growth, and courage in leadership.

Cor regularly speaks at entrepreneurship and leadership events. Additionally, he is an event host and the host of the popular podcast BUSINESS SUCCESS with a smile, in which he interviews entrepreneurs and business leaders about growth, the ten success boosters for growth, and the simplicity and power of independent thinking.

As a moderator, Cor brings flow, energy, and humor to every program. He connects speakers, audience, and content with a flawless sense of pace and timing. “A good host,” he says, “is like a conductor: invisibly present, but indispensable for the music.”

Anyone who books Cor brings in a content-rich, energetic speaker with courage, humor, and unapologetic authenticity. His strength lies in freeing people — not by pushing, but by inviting.