Martijn van der Hoeden
“Growth proves that many others embrace your ideas. This has always been my motivation.”
When I was eighteen, I’d already been programming for some time. My ambition was to develop software to streamline and automate business processes. Once my first customer started using my software, I wanted more. I wanted my company to grow.
Growing a business is no simple thing. You deal with setbacks and success stories. What matters is that you continue to believe in your idea, your concept and your product.
Business growth is not the ultimate goal. It does prove you’re successful, however
After I’d autonomously grown my company, Assistance Software, into a very successful software company in the Netherlands and the United States (read more about the company’s history), the time had come to achieve my international ambitions. I had two options: raising growth capital through venture capital, or selling everything to a strategic buyer.
In order to create as much value as possible, however, a few things had to happen first. I started by looking at my business from the perspective of the potential buyer. Which ingredients would I look for myself if I wanted to buy a business? I critically assessed our mission, proposition, go-to-market strategy and delivery method in order to create the best version of our company.
Five Year Growth Objective
I created a business plan and established a growth objective for the next five years. By the time I’d implemented my plan, over eighteen months had passed.
I then entered the market to raise growth capital. When a strategic buyer with a sales network in 26 countries approached me, the decision was easy. I sold Assistance Software in March 2017 (watch the interview with ABN AMRO MeesPierson). Clearly, my approach had worked.
Need for Reflection
I had intended to do nothing for a while, but that proved impossible. I love running a business. And so I decided to get back to work. What I really wanted to do was to help other entrepreneurs by sharing my wealth of experience.
While running my own business, I’d sought advice from accountants, and we also consulted a corporate finance firm during the sale. However, I would have loved to be able to discuss the process with a fellow entrepreneur, someone with real-life experience, who knew what I was going through. That’s what I truly missed.
This is why I founded No Monkey Business. No Monkey Business targets entrepreneurs who want to take the next step in their ambition for growth. We support and help them, whether that involves a growth target, raising growth capital, or selling everything.
Before entering the market to achieve your goal, it’s important to create as much value as you can. To this end, we use the 4-Step Exit Program©, a method based on my own experiences and refined by our team.
Additionally, we have an extensive network of ‘black belt specialists’ in various areas, as well as access to potential investors and strategic buyers.
If this story appeals to you, and you want to achieve your own growth target, because you’d like your ideas, products and/or services to reach as many people as possible, don’t hesitate to contact us for an introductory meeting.