madewithlove

Are you feeling like progress is stalling as your software team grows? Do you feel product delivery is slow? Is there a communication breakdown or too much technical debt? Finding the right balance is hard. Sometimes, slowing down is the smartest way to speed up 🚀 . Andreas Creten talks about the tradeoffs software leaders need to make when building a growing product. The goal is not just to move fast—it's to move smart.

When Andreas Creten talks about sending voice notes... 🔊

Who leads the technical direction of your startup? Is it the product team or the engineering team? For many founders, balancing the needs of the product roadmap with the technical realities faced by engineering can feel like a tug-of-war. At madewithlove, we believe that true collaboration starts by giving engineering teams a real seat at the table, as explained by Peter Eysermans and Charlotte Emma G. After all, they understand the underlying systems and how best to future-proof them for sustainable growth. Remember, long-term product success doesn’t come from shipping every feature as quickly as possible—it comes from balancing quality, scalability, and meeting your users' needs effectively. Instead of relegating engineering to just deciding the "how," treat technical direction as an integral part of product evolution. Making technical improvements an explicit part of your roadmap and work on transparent communication between product and engineering teams. If you’re struggling with this balance, consider using our CTO Soundboard service for behind-the-scenes support.

Curious to learn how we stay truly 🔗 connected ❤️ with each other in a 'remote first' company?

Calling all CTOs and Product Leaders in SaaS! Next week, on November 6th in Amsterdam, we have a dedicated track for Product & Engineering, with several sessions dedicated to all things product & tech. This track — supported by 25Friday / Maarten Moen — offers hands-on insights. Here’s what’s on the agenda: Leading and coaching Dev Teams: Andreas Creten (madewithlove) on building trust and balancing autonomy with guidance. Keeping it simple: Casper Bakker (Picqer) shares how to keep product development lean, simple and fun as you scale. Security essentials: Roeland Delrue (Aikido Security) covers what really matters in SaaS security and compliance. AI in coding: explore how AI is set to reshape product development workflows and collaboration. Scaling infrastructure: practical strategies for designing scalable, cost-effective architecture. Product roadmaps: Wouter Neyndorff & Wilco van Duinkerken (ProductHub) discuss roadmaps that actually drive ROI. So, if you haven't secured your ticket yet, don't forget to register now. Some sessions are already nearly fully booked. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3d4VMPn

A technical moat is often seen as a product's defensive edge, but does every product really need one? For AI products, the choice between building proprietary tech or leveraging existing solutions like OpenAI is complex. True value lies in solving customer problems—not just in owning the technology.

Being an expert isn't about always having answers. It's about balancing confidence and humility, knowing when to admit you don't know, and valuing collaboration. True expertise grows through listening, learning, and contributing meaningfully, not just knowing everything. https://lnkd.in/eH--D9bb

Our book, Free Range Management, celebrates two years this month! Want to win a free copy, fill out the form. Good luck, and enjoy ❤️ #giveaway #freerangemanagement #book

At madewithlove, we like to think of audits as more than just checking boxes. We go beyond the codebase and dive into the entire engineering ecosystem: team vibes, leadership styles, processes, documentation, and all the intricate details that make your tech tick. Our interview-based approach means we get a real feel for what's happening under the hood without taking up too much of your time—just 10-12 hours, and you're done. In just two weeks—which is much faster than the typical timeline for a thorough audit—you'll get you'll get a no-fluff, practical assessment from auditors who live and breathe SaaS every day. We don't just spot issues; we understand what it's like to run and scale software products because we do it ourselves. If you're looking for due diligence that doesn't just scratch the surface, we are ready to dig in and give you the real story. #duediligence #saas #audit #madewithlove

What do the first weeks of our 'CTO as a service' engagement look like when one of our fractional CTO's starts helping out a new client? Our resident CTO's Peter Eysermans and Christophe Thelen explain what to expect. And what not.