Jimmy Pauwaert

📈 Starting from scratch in a new market isn’t easy—but it’s where growth happens. 💼 ✈️ Just one week ago, I moved to Dubai with Denis Šubic & Tilen Božič. 🇦🇪 Through cold outreach and door-to-door efforts—walking 10+ kilometers daily under 37°C heat for a couple of days paid off— we secured our first client for a photoshoot and content creation. 📸 How do you approach expanding into new markets? 🤔 #BusinessExpansion #Entrepreneurship #NewMarkets #DubaiBusiness #ContentCreation #MarketingAgency #GrowthMindset"

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Are Dutch and European founders not ambitious enough? 🤔 I just read Techleap's latest report: "AI Scaling Challenges for Dutch Founders." (Okay, I got AI to read it and share the highlights with me. 😜) This quote caught my (& Claude's) eye: "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 4% 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘈𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 10𝘔. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯..." Almost every day, I see posts and jokes about European founders thinking too small. As someone who works with Euro-founders everyday, I have a different view. I see: - Massive visions - Global mindsets from day one - Founders ready to take on the world It's not the founders who lack ambition. They're just working within the realms of what's possible in Europe. That's why many of them get funded from and/or move to the US. 💰 The real lack of ambition? That's from investors and governments in Europe. 🇪🇺 I'm still working on an article, "The Case for European Optimism." And I think it will show that European founders are just as ambitious as their US counterparts. The real question we should be asking is: - How can we create an environment that allows founders to dream bigger and reach higher? 🚀 And yes, I know this quotes mentions deep ecosystem issues... --- ↳ What's your take? Are European founders thinking too small, or is it the ecosystem that's holding them back? 👇

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🌍 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: 𝗢𝘂𝗿 €𝟮𝟱𝗸 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 🌟 At Webador/JouwWeb, our success is built on the trust of countless small entrepreneurs who have chosen our platform to create their websites and webshops. Every day, we’re inspired by their ambition and creativity, and it motivates us to give back in meaningful ways. That’s why we proudly donated €25k to Village Enterprise last year, a foundation dedicated to helping individuals living in extreme poverty become entrepreneurs. Through grants, loans, and coaching, Village Enterprise enables people to start businesses, earn their own income, and transform their communities. Our contribution last year has already created incredible impact: ✅ 75 entrepreneurs trained  ✅ 25 businesses launched 🏢 ✅ 487 lives improved 🙌 What’s even more inspiring? For every €1 invested, these businesses generate €5,34 in income on average 💡💰. This is a testament to the power of entrepreneurship to drive change—not just here at home but globally. We’re grateful for the opportunities we’ve had as a company and proud to support initiatives that make opportunities possible for others. We’ll continue to support this mission (or similar) in the future to create even more lasting change 💚. ➡️ Explore their stories: https://lnkd.in/gyHxhw8M

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🌍 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: 𝗢𝘂𝗿 €𝟮𝟱𝗸 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 🌟 At Webador/JouwWeb, our success is built on the trust of countless small entrepreneurs who have chosen our platform to create their websites and webshops. Every day, we’re inspired by their ambition and creativity, and it motivates us to give back in meaningful ways. That’s why we proudly donated €25k to Village Enterprise last year, a foundation dedicated to helping individuals living in extreme poverty become entrepreneurs. Through grants, loans, and coaching, Village Enterprise enables people to start businesses, earn their own income, and transform their communities. Our contribution last year has already created incredible impact: ✅ 75 entrepreneurs trained  ✅ 25 businesses launched 🏢 ✅ 487 lives improved 🙌 What’s even more inspiring? For every €1 invested, these businesses generate €5,34 in income on average 💡💰. This is a testament to the power of entrepreneurship to drive change—not just here at home but globally. We’re grateful for the opportunities we’ve had as a company and proud to support initiatives that make opportunities possible for others. We’ll continue to support this mission (or similar) in the future to create even more lasting change 💚. ➡️ Explore their stories: https://lnkd.in/gyHxhw8M

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HOW WE CLOSED DEALS WITH 3 BIG BELGIAN COMPANIES IN WEEKS. 🔥 (Names will be disclosed next week in our monthly update mail, send me your email adres if you want to be in that list) Tips to the founders out there thinking things aren't working. It can take some time to build trust, relations and business. (I've been there) 1. Sales cycles can be long in B2B SaaS. (with us, it's between 2-6 months) So really start selling before the product is finished. 2. All our sales came via small referrals or had seen us around with people they trust. You have to build that trust ASAP. 3. *Godfather voice* We made an offer they can't refuse. (Jolt effect) If there isn't an offer.. What can they agree to? 4. Our pricing isn't perfect, but just start selling and improve it along the way. 5. Be genuinely interested in your champion within the company and in helping him/her. 6. Be open and transparent. If you want to get a honest reaction, say something honest. "Look I am going to be totally transparent, *insert our intention* and then ask for their intentions. Being honest builds trust. Linking this experience to my vacation to Iceland, The trips are long and cold in Iceland, but they get you to the nicest places in the world. 🇮🇸 Keep on moving and enjoy the struggle. Book tips: Fast forward B2B sales (process) & Jolt effect Podcast tip for sales conversation: April Dunford content #sales #founder #startup

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How to Avoid the Startup Growth Stall Ever experienced this rollercoaster? You launch with a killer product/service, your warm network loves it, sales soar... then BAM! Growth stalls. Here's why: Businesses need 2 engines to thrive: *Lead Generation Engine* The health of your business, after exhausting your warm network, is primarily determined by the *Lead Inflow Rate*. This engine attracts new, enthusiastic customers. *Delivery Engine:* Fulfills promises and keeps the customers happy. While attracting new customers is crucial, a strong Delivery Engine ensures they come back for more. You must be a master at this, after all, it's likely the reason you started this business. Warm networks are great, but finite. Don't wait for a sales slump to build your Lead Generation Engine! Generating quality leads takes time and effort: - Crafting compelling marketing materials - Implementing effective promotion strategies After all, you need to let the world know that you are here and you can solve their problems! Invest in marketing EARLY to keep your lead engine humming and avoid the growth stall. When should you start? The answer: *Before* your warm network runs dry! What are your experiences with scaling beyond your warm network? When did you realize you had to setup a Lead Generation Engine? #startup #growth #marketing #leadgeneration #business

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Looking forward to our annual Summit! 🚀 This year, we're bringing an amazing lineup of speakers: 1. Dimitri O of Loop Earplugs 2. Tech panel with Jons Janssens of Conway & Co and Jellert Dekeyser of TVH 3. Founders panel with Tibbe Verschaffel of WONDR care, Julie Vets of GOFLUO, Brent Luyckx of 4GOLD and last but not least Toine Habets of BubblyDoo Want to attend but haven’t snagged a ticket yet? Enter our giveaway by answering a quick question: What was the original name of Odoo? 😎 Let’s dive deep into the latest in commerce together. See you there! #commerce #summit

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Have you heard of Conway’s Law? In my talk at Devoxx Belgium, I explain how an observation made almost 60 years ago still heavily influences the way we communicate within the organizations we work for today. Moreover, I discuss how tools like the AsyncAPI Initiative and #Springwolf can help us mitigate this very problem. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/eTnHPuU7

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AI took my job! So soon... But honestly, it was a tiresome job, so I’m glad we can share it. We have a booth at Odoo Experience on Friday (in Brussels). So why not a brick-and-mortar type of marketing automation? While I am away who will be in charge of our booth? ...collecting business cards and making connections? My new networking AI buddy :) It's a marketing gimmick to - get more business cards - connect with more people - bring more traffic to our booth Well... watch the video and you’ll see! #OdooExperience #AIautomation #AImarketing #marketingautomatiom #eventautomation Isabella Bedoya Heather Murray Alex Panican Kamel Amroune Fateh Amroune Antony Martini Jason Gulya Hailey Wilson Lessa Raebiger

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[ROAST MY DESIGN] As a startup, it's important to not forget your landing page. Things rapidly change on a week-to-week or even day-to-day basis in a startup. It's key that you communicate the latest changes and direction of your product as you refine it. In the case of EarthCare.ai, I was not happy with the messaging on our landing page (https://earthcare.ai), and wanted to keep it short and to the point, while having an powerful visual to give it more connection. So this is what I ended up with for our hero section. Roast request: I'd love to hear what you think about the messaging! Is it clear? Do you already have an idea what EarthCare.ai is about just by reading it? I may be biased as a founder, but would love to hear an outside perspective, so feel free to roast it ❤️

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Let's talk Pricing & Packaging 💪 This Wednesday Laurent-David Hostyn from Givemefive and I will animate a highly engaging discussion on Value-based Pricing & Packaging during the Pavilion event! 30+ SaaS leaders, the lovely Wintercircus Ghent area and the Pavilion community... Fun for sure! Talking points: 1. The right packaging and add-on models for landing & expanding 2. Huge client diversity (with different willingness-to-pay): how to deal with it? 3. Pricing of Professional Services in SaaS: good and bad practices 4. Usage (and user)-based: when is it really relevant? 5. AI in SaaS: impact on pricing 6. Credits: good and bad practices 7. Discounts and surcharges: good and bad practices (including Reverse trial) Thanks to Jona Koekelcoren & Karien Pype for organising this!

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𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 🚀 To mark 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 of Start it Accelerate | @KBC 🍾🎊🎉, Belgium’s biggest startup accelerator, what better way than to share one of our most valuable lessons from the program: 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆. Flashback to 6 months into the program — we confidently pitched our startup cohort on a flashy new business model targeting a completely different market. Based on a few interviews, mostly bold assumptions, and why not, one example from the aerospace industry 💸💸💸 Hearing all the redflags, our business coach Sabine Claeys hit pause on our pitch mid-sentence and sent us straight to the Customer Discovery bootcamp. The message was clear: 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲. Customer Discovery is a crucial process of connecting with your potential target customers early on to identify their problems and needs and validating (or trashing) your assumptions. Iterate based on their feedback, rinse and repeat. 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴… I've seen both start-ups and established companies launching stuff that nobody asked for. Solely based on their own ideas, not customers’ desires. How about a € 60k investment in a patient app, with zero features patients were actually interested in due to internal compliance issues 🪦☠️ For anyone considering a leap into something new—or even corporate friends with extra budget for innovative projects — 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. Because the saddest thing is when a start-up disappears, and no one even notices. Steve Blank, Lode Uytterschaut, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the importance of Customer Discovery vs. the “if we build it, they will come” mindset. P.S. If you need a crash course on those early customer conversations, I highly recommend "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick.

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💥 Big news for the belgian startup ecosystem! 💥 🚀 Two massive milestones putting 🇧🇪 on the global tech map: 1️⃣ Odoo, the Walloon-based open-source ERP powerhouse, has hit a €5 billion valuation in a secondary round led by CapitalG and Sequoia. - Cash profitable and growing revenue at 50% YoY - On track to cross €1 billion in billings by 2027. Huge congratulations to Fabien Pinckaers and the entire Odoo team for this incredible milestone. 🌟 2️⃣ Lighthouse, the Ghent-based AI logistics leader, has just raised a whopping €370M Series C led by KKR, officially earning unicorn status! 🦄 Massive congrats to founders Matthias Geeroms, Gino Engels and Adriaan Coppens for scaling Lighthouse to new heights. 🌍 🇧🇪 These successes show how Belgium’s ecosystem is thriving, with tech companies driving global innovation. Having leaders like Odoo and Lighthouse sets the stage for the next wave of Belgian startups to dream bigger and aim higher. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🚀 #BelgianTech #Odoo #Lighthouse #Entrepreneurship #Unicorns #Scaleups

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🚀 2024 in review, 2025 in focus 🚀 This past year brought massive shifts in technology: ❇️ #AI pushed the boundaries of what’s possible (and affordable). ❇️ We witnessed the great tech reset, redefining the industry’s priorities. ❇️ Belgian tech champions like Odoo made history with a €5 billion valuation. Looking ahead to 2025, the future is exciting: 🧭 AI agents will transform how we work. 🧭 APIs will become tools for everyone, not just developers. 🧭 A new era of energy efficiency and #cybersecurity innovation is on the horizon. I’ve put my reflections into a slide deck, capturing 2024’s key moments and sharing where I see tech heading in 2025. Curious? Let’s discuss! 👇 📩 Drop a comment or DM me to receive the full deck

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Is THIS the biggest FLAW in the current Web3 Sport model ?! 😲 👇 In 1997 Clayton Christensen penned The Innovators Dilemma. The key thesis was something like this: 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Fast forward to 2024. And we could yet see this play out in Web3 Sport. __ Perceived wisdom dictates that the ultimate end goal is to reach a point where all fandom is registered and rewarded on a blockchain. 💳 I buy a piece of merch I get a token represented as loyalty points  📺 If I watch a piece of content I get rewarded. ➡ Recognise digital and analog fandom with tokens. ➡ Allows for new forms of (anonymized) 1st part data collection ➡ Opens up open and interoperable Loyalty eg if I am a Man United fan (unfortunately true) any brand or person can come along and airdrop rewards, content, or exclusive drops into my digital wallet. But that's the issue. ANYONE can. The very nature of blockchains as being open is at the heart of the dilemma. If any brand could come along and see I am a United fan and freely engage with me what would happen to the current Sponsorship model? __ The Sports sponsorship market is worth over $97 billion in 2022 and is expected to continue growing substantially. It is projected to reach $109.1 billion by 2030. The value lies in rights holders having the keys to a gated rich centralized fan database. Does the Web3 Sport utopia of Fandom on-chain kill the golden goose of Sports Sponsorship? Or will newer models emerge? Let me know what you think in the comments 👇 -- For more on Web3 Sport & Entertainment follow me Joe Farren 🔜 LONDON 🇬🇧 & Web3 Media Labs

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5 great books that help you to build your (SaaS) startup! At least they helped me ;-) 📖👷‍♂️🚀 - MAKE: The Indie Maker Handbook by Pieter Levels Great story on how to bootstrap products and build a SaaS company without the bullshit. You can buy and read it directly via: https://readmake.com/ - Van 3 naar 10 miljoen vrienden by Raymond Spanjar Every Dutch person experienced how Hyves built the greatest social platform so far. This story of friends takes you along the founder journey! - Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail, Yuri van Geest and Michael S. Malone. Great insights on how to build a company that can turn ideas into scaleable products. - Catch me if you can by Frank Abagnale You might have seen the movie, but the book gives you even more insights. A con man with(out) a plan. You can also read Billion Dollar Whale about another con artist if you've seen the movie and know the story. - When the Heavens Went on Sale by Ashlee Vance If you are into space travelling, scaleups and the investment game, this is your book to read. It shows the current landscape of startups in the race for space. Bonus: Flippo en het spel om de knikkers by Leendert Jan van Doorn A book about the rise and fall of Hans Zandvliet, the inventor of the Flippo!

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Would you build your own version of Trello & Zoho ? 🤔 I met Tom Green , founder of MVP building agency Verticode, while co-working at OPUS, and naturally 👀, I asked about his tech stack and approach to building MVPs for his clients like Boomerang®. Surprisingly, instead of relying on off-the-shelf CRMs and project management tools, Tom and his team built a custom CRM & PM tool tailored specifically to their needs. It helped them manage client relationships and the entire project lifecycle seamlessly. I have personally thought about this so many times, especially when it comes to CRMs, and as a developer... it's tempting—there's nothing I love more than a mini hackathon weekend! But is it worth it? 🤔 Building has never been faster, @Cursor 😉 ( Thank you Michael T., Sualeh A., Arvid L, and Aman Sanger for making our lives easier) But just because you can build quickly, doesn’t mean you should. So, how do you know when to use what's out there and when to build it yourself? 💡 Adopt when the tool meets 80-90% of your needs and gets you up and running quickly. If it solves your immediate problems and lets you focus on your core product, it's a no-brainer. 🛠️ Build when you hit a limit with existing tools—like when your needs become more specific, or you need deeper integrations to enhance your customer experience. It makes sense if it gives you a clear, competitive & strategic advantage that helps you scale faster or deliver unique value that tools out there just can’t match. Check out Tom's daily tools 👉 https://lnkd.in/eseBpnKa Tom's advice for building an MVP? 👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/eatrFxbA

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Now is the best time EVER to start up. BUT that's exactly why some founders fail. Let me explain: Have you heard of the paradox of choice? More access to options = higher chances of a bad decision. Because it's so frictionless to build a product, some founders tend to go about it in suboptimal ways. and use their resources inefficiently. 3 ways to keep your product development lean and effective early on: 1. Validate, validate, validate! Don't build something before showing the idea to enough potential users and getting a thumbs-up from them. This is where paper prototypes, sketches, surveys and interviews can help. They are inexpensive and help you validate something before you pour resources into it. 2. Keep things minimal Your early product needs to be very deliberate and specific. If there is something you can cut out of the product while still solving the core problem, you probably should. The nice-to-haves are usually a distraction. 3. Work with experts Critical parts of your startup like the product, is best built by or with the help of experts. This will save you a ton of time and hidden costs that you'd end up paying if you tried to go about it yourself. Experts (here Freelancers or Agencies) have done this a thousand times and can build things fast while still making it look slick. They know what to avoid, what to expect and how to navigate tricky situations when it comes to the product. It's crazy how lean things can be if you keep these in mind! #nocode #webdevelopment #saas #founder #startup #venturestudio #vc #productteam #tech

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