Smooth Sailing

🎙️ Kenneth Van den Bergh, co-founder of Carbon+Alt+Delete, and his insights on focus in the impact sector are spot on! Back in the day, he received the advice that the success of a company could be measured by the number of “no’s” they said to incoming requests. 💡 Focus—it’s essential to become excellent at one thing before expanding. This company offers a carbon accounting software for sustainability consultancies and is in full international expansion. 🔥 So Kenneth knows all too well that in the world of impact (where passion often runs deeper because solving global problems are at the heart of the mission), the temptation to tackle everything can be overwhelming. But his wisdom is clear: focus on solving one piece of the puzzle and avoid distractions. 🧩 This focused approach is what truly drives impact! Their journey with Carbon Alt Delete proves that staying true to this principle is the foundation of sustainable growth and meaningful change. 🙌 #impactfounders #100interviews ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛵100 impactful startup founders share their stories to Smooth Sailing and host Christina Hadinoto, as we want to understand the Impact Founders better, entrepreneurs who believe in a better world and how they’re achieving that in an economic reality. Stay tuned for more lessons and insights, every bi-weekly Friday of the month!

Happy birthday to Smooth Sailing! 🎉 Five years in, and the biggest lesson? Patience and a growth mindset. 🌱 Looking ahead, there’s still so much to fix. Looking back, we’ve already fixed a lot. Building a company is different from freelancing—it’s not just about following one's own path but about bringing the whole team along. About how we make Smooth Sailing a place where skills, purpose, and sustainability come together—our own version of Ikigai. As my partner in crime Andreas Creten says: "We’re all amateurs." You’re never a true master, but you can commit to something that drives you. Thanks to the whole team and madewithlove for being part of this journey. On to the next five years of this & making more pizza together! 🚀 #smoothsailing #5years #growthmindset #buildingwithpurpose

Building an MVP without proper validation can feel like saving time — but it often leads to hard lessons. When you skip the validation steps, here’s what can happen: ❌ You might talk to the wrong customers and end up solving a problem they don’t actually have ❌ Or you ask the wrong questions, leading to biased feedback that points you in the wrong direction ❌ And sometimes, it’s just about not having the right skills to conduct user research effectively The result? An MVP that doesn’t resonate, and users who walk away. Validation isn’t just a step, it’s the foundation of building something valuable. Talk to your users, ask the right questions, and let their feedback guide you. It’s the only way to create a product that truly works. Read more on how how to do that in our blog post 👉 https://lnkd.in/dXvUv6ZS #startuplife #MVP #productvalidation

In our recent interview with Buvana Lefevre, PhD, the inspiring founder of Alari Technologies, we explored how their cutting-edge machine learning software is revolutionizing solar ☀️ efficiency. Designed through extensive research into low-cost solutions, Alari's algorithm maximizes energy yield—even in sub-optimal conditions ⛅—tapping into the under-utilized potential of solar energy. Buvana tells all impact founders to keep on going and to keep looking at the reason you started your company as the most important thing. Even though this entrepreneurial adventure can be tough, If you have the vision and the vigor, just go for it! Because don't forget that at the same time, this journey can be very satisfying. It's that morning-motivation we all need 💚 Her journey is a testament to what happens when passion meets innovation. #impactfounders #100interviews ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛵100 impactful startup founders share their stories to Smooth Sailing and host Christina Hadinoto, as we want to understand the Impact Founders better, entrepreneurs who believe in a better world and how they’re achieving that in an economic reality. Stay tuned for more lessons and insights, every last Friday of the month!

At our Impact Community event last month, one message resonated deeply with the impact founders: the common known concept of a “Minimal Viable Product” isn’t just about viability, it’s about value! A 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 focuses on delivering real value to your users or customers from the start. It’s not enough for a product to simply “work” — it has to address a genuine need or problem, as also stated in “The Lean Start-up” by Eric Ries. To get closer to product market fit, you need to prioritize learning. And if your product is not valuable, you won’t learn. The best way to uncover that value: 💡 Conduct proper user research 💬 Ask a lot of questions 📈 Gather feedback, iterate, and repeat This process helps you strike the delicate balance between the lean efficiency needed in start-ups and the depth required to ensure your product truly makes an impact. At Smooth Sailing, we specialize in helping founders uncover these insights together. It’s an invaluable step in building an MVP, and we love to be part of completing that puzzle. 🧩 What's your opinion on this? Go for a "viable" product, or for a "valuable" product? Looking forward to your comments below 👇 #productmanagement #MVP #userresearch

As we look ahead to 2025, we set sail to go all-in on supporting impact start-ups in their product design and management challenges. Which might mean we’ll have to face some struggles, that many impact founders pointed out to us in our 100 interviews series: 1️⃣ 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡: Start-ups need to move fast, but designing products that truly drive impact requires time for proper research, testing, and iteration 2️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬: Many impact-driven founders face limited resources, making it vital to align their mission with financial sustainability — and we’re right there beside them prioritizing in the trenches 4️⃣ 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: Building not just for profitability but for measurable environmental or social impact demands new metrics and methodologies The mission is clear: we’re here to turn these challenges into “smooth sailing” ⛵ — for our customers and for ourselves. Because when impact start-ups thrive, the world wins & our mission is accomplished! What challenges do you see shaping the future of impact-driven innovation? #impact #product #100interviews

Easing into 2025 with a positive message inspired by one of our customers Izix! We believe in going beyond delivering strategies and plans. For us, true impact comes from rolling up our sleeves and working alongside our clients every step of the way, as acknowledged by Dorian de Broqueville. From tackling deep-rooted product challenges to executing solutions together, we’re proud to be partners in the process. Here’s to another year of creating real results and set sail for meaningful change! ⛵ #customersuccess #smoothsailing #productstrategy

Are you a person that gets energy from helping not one, but multiple start-ups grow? ⚡ We’re looking for a 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 to join the Smooth Sailing team, who thrives on variety and 🌱 impact! You’ll work alongside a team of designers, researcher and product managers focussing on creating the best solutions for those start ups. Helping them turn bold ideas into the right meaningful products. As our Product Manager, you’ll be the glue between ambitious founders and their and our expert team, ensuring valuable things get built—and that they actually work! 💡 Sounds like your kind of tea 🫖? Check out more details on https://lnkd.in/erHi5g4W #hiring #productmanager #saas #impact

🎙️ Enjoy the great advice from founder Wim Audenaert of AM-Team, one of the first chosen Changemakers 2024 by De Tijd & L'Echo. With over 150 sites in 22 countries, they’re setting new standards in sustainable water management through their advanced modeling solutions. AM-Team’s accomplishments are being recognized on a global scale with numerous awards in the Water Innovation space. Wim shares his ultimate lesson to impact entrepreneurs to think about timing and balance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) with the often-overlooked Market Readiness Level (MRL). Ask yourself questions like: Is it now the right timing to start that specific business? Is it now the right timing to go very hard or all in on that solution or feature? When you keep talking to customers, keep iterating towards a solution and gather feedback again, you start seeing patterns that show you the way to product-market fit. We’re inspired by their journey and excited to see what they’ll achieve next! #impactfounders #100interviews #marketreadiness ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⛵100 impactful startup founders share their stories to Smooth Sailing and host Christina Hadinoto, as we want to understand the Impact Founders better, entrepreneurs who believe in a better world and how they’re achieving that in an economic reality. Stay tuned for more lessons and insights, every last Friday of the month!

At Smooth Sailing, we’re joyfully ending the year with a team making magic happen behind the scenes! ✨👇 Wishing you Happy Holidays and a year of Smooth Success!🎄