- Product Market Fit Analysis
- Startup & Scaleup Management & Leadership
- Product Strategy and Product Management
- Due Diligence, Fundraising, and M&A
Welcome to my services page. I just finished a three-year tenure at Extra Horizon, from external PMF analyst to Business Unit Director, to eventually its CEO. So you’ll already notice that I am available for short-term assignments like a one-day brainstorm up to ‘as long as it takes‘. Feel free to check out what I think I’m good at and get in touch soon. SCHEDULING LINK
don’t skip the recommendations though 😉
Product Market Fit Analysis
- What is the problem we are solving and what are our client’s alternatives?
- What is the current/future value of our products and services? How do we communicate this?
- Who are my early adopters and how de we differentiate them from future customers?
- What is my market size (potential)? Do we need to pivot our strategy?
- How do we organize our go-to-market strategy? Is this a direct sales or distribution business?
Finding (the way to) your true product-market-fit is one of the hardest challenges we are facing in the startup and scaleup phases. Throughout your journey you will hear investors and consultants tell you how others have done it, but most of these people have no idea what your specific challenges are and do not even know the challenges of actually running a business.
What can you expect: using a set of existing frameworks, such as Business Model Canvas and Wardley Mapping, combined with hands-on research and interviewing market players, I will help you get the most clarified picture of your current status and future potential. You will know and be able to articulate to your stakeholders what you should be focussing on NOW and NEXT.
* Jordy Kollenburg – Founder RAIO
Hans helped me discover the perfect market fit for my product with his clear and pragmatic vision. After three enlightening conversations, we were able to reach the final goal together.
Thanks to his guidance, I successfully put these insights into practice and have achieved great results so far. Hans is a true expert in his field!
* Tom Grave – President WinFirst Marketing
“Hans is the ideal technical marketing consultant. He combines his deep technical acumen with an intimate understanding of customer environments and challenges. He also has deep expertise on the markets for virtualization and storage. On a very tight timeframe, Hans went above and beyond to produce an outstanding technical whitepaper which quickly became a key tool for our Field team and our various marketing efforts.”
* Craig Theriac – VP Product Management – Scale Computing
“Hans joined Scale for a 2 month customer case study project showcasing a handful of customers and their decision to purchase Scale’s HC3 product. Hans worked remotely for the majority of the project, which required very effective communication to keep things moving forward smoothly (something that Hans handled with ease). If you want a “Yes Man”, Hans is NOT your guy, but if you want the unfiltered opinion of a true market expert, you’ll find it in Hans. He is a self-starter with a passion for technology, which was evident in the energy he brought to our successful project.”
Startup & Scaleup Management and Leadership
Running a company is hard. Really hard. And whatever stage you are in, you have to wear multiple hats at the same time. But sometimes it also takes different people at different times. Whenever you face that challenge, it may be a good time to give me a call.
- Our company is facing a major crisis. We need someone with the strength of an ox, the wisdom of an owl, and the leadership of a lion if we even want to have a chance at getting out of this burning forest alive.
- Our company is not doing as great as we had expected it to do. We need a fresh pair of eyes to look at the map and pivot us on the right path.
- I’m no longer the leader my company needs. I can be of better service at what I loved doing most (or retirement?). But who can I really trust to take care of everything else?
What can you expect: a true leader who creates a company culture where everyone feels safe and can become the best version they will ever be. A leader who will make you take initiative and responsibility but will have your back if something doesn’t work out. A leader who will go further than anyone before to take everyone’s needs into account; employees, clients, and shareholders alike. Who will not be afraid to stand up to do what is right and defend those decisions. But most of all; a leader who pulls the company to true long-term success.
* Marketing Manager at Extra Horizon
“I really enjoyed working with Hans as a marketing manager at Extra Horizon. Hans has always been able to teach me a lot through his extensive experience in various positions within companies, ranging from technical to creative to strategic. Hans is a true decision-maker, a quality that I certainly appreciated and that also inspired me to not always beat around the bush but to move forward.
Despite knowing a lot about many things, Hans was always open to learning new insights and trusted in my own knowledge and abilities. In this way, I was always able to give my best. Even when I indicated that I saw a possible switch to a full-time design role, he supported this from the beginning and helped push me further in that direction. A brilliant person to work with!”
* Office Manager at Extra Horizon
“During my time at Extra Horizon, I had the opportunity to work closely with Hans and experience his leadership, vision, and dedication to our company firsthand.
Hans is an excellent leader and mentor. He fosters a culture of open communication that enhances collaboration, always taking the time to give and receive feedback. His empathy and understanding of the needs and concerns of his employees have contributed to a positive and productive work environment. Personally, I have learned a great deal from his leadership style and am grateful for the opportunities he has provided for me to grow and develop within the company.
Hans is not only a visionary leader but also a person of integrity and reliability. He has always acted in the best interest of the company and its employees, and his ethical approach to business has inspired all of us to perform our work with the same dedication and integrity.”
* Senior Software Engineer at Extra Horizon
“Working with Hans was a true pleasure.
I will always remember the quotes “You already have permission” and “The time for change is always” because of him. Hans inspired us to take action and responsibility while always being ready to share in the ‘blame.’ This created a very productive and positive work environment. His broad (technical) knowledge ensured that we never had to explain anything twice, and he could correct us if a proposal didn’t make sense.
It was also clear that Hans cared about both our professional and personal growth. He gave us space, but if desired, he was happy to engage in conversation and was always ready with good advice.
His positive influence will stay with me for a long time.”
* Software Engineer at Extra Horizon
“Working with Hans has been an enriching experience, and I certainly hope our professional paths cross again in the near future. As a CEO, he fosters an unparalleled working environment, breeding trust, personal growth, attentiveness, and enthusiasm. He is incredibly driven for himself and everyone around him to succeed, bringing the strength and confidence required to do so.
Not only is Hans a successful leader, but he also listens and engages with those under his employ, reflecting on all ideas, thoughts, and feelings, using extrospection as a pivot to promote growth. His directness, certainty, honesty, and raw presence leave little room for doubt or confusion. Combined with his fun, playful, and caring character, there is nobody else I would place more confidence in to lead a company to success.”
Product Strategy & Product Management
- How do you set-up a Product Management organization?
- How do we make product management and product development work together fluently?
- Which tools can we work with?
- Vision/Mision/Strategy/ … Roadmap? What, when, why, how, …
A lot of our product management is just a front for the development team or even worse; a part of their job. Especially in younger and smaller organizations, the value of proper value > delivery mapping isn’t getting the right attention.
What can you expect? There will be no Agile/SCRUM/SAFe … framework training. Instead, we will focus on your product, your team, and your needs! In the end, you will have a team and an organization setup that: delivers actual value, consistently, with confidence
* Evert Bulcke – CEO Rombit Product
“Hans is a seasoned product strategist with hands-on expertise covering customer profiling, requirement analysis and product management roadmaps. At Rombit, he introduced a new process toolbox for solution ideation and execution, and he launched and managed new incubation projects for the R&D and Products team. Hans is very good in guiding your scale-up company towards a mature solution portfolio during and after product-market fit.”
Due Diligence, Fundraising, M&A
- Is this idea actually worth investing in? How do we articulate that?
- Is the long-term business plan solid? Where are the risks?
- (how) Should we buy/sell this business?
Within the start-up world, we have a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver. That’s fine when we are talking about being ambitious. In the end, we all want to change the world. But we are still mostly working with other people’s money (even VC’s rarely work with their own!). Making sure we uncover some of the potential future skeletons in the closet, will maybe even help you avoid them!
What can you expect? There is no one better suited than myself to tell you to your face what is wrong with your ideas and setup. But once we get through that phase, you’ll be the most confident player in the field with a very strong proposition and you’ll have won a very strong supporter that will fight alongside you till the very end.
