Insights
Building an operating system for your scale-up
Straight-talking pieces on strategy, execution and people, for founders who want to grow beyond 30 staff without the chaos that usually comes with it.
Build or buy: how to make the software decision
When is custom software the right call and when is it an expensive detour? The three routes side by side, the four questions that decide it, and where the money on a custom build actually goes.
EOS vs Scaling Up vs an operating system: what does a scale-up choose?
An honest comparison of EOS, Scaling Up and a modern operating system for scale-ups of 10 to 50 employees. Including a comparison table, a decision guide and an FAQ.
You're hitting your targets. But are you executing a strategy?
Most companies set goals and either hit them or don't. That's not the same as executing a strategy. On the difference between KPIs and Rocks, and the game you choose to play.
Before you call someone a C-player
The A-player matrix plots performance against cultural fit and gives you four types: A, B, C, and D. What to expect per player, what to do, and why you look at your own leadership first before you label anyone.
The problem with Scaling Up
Our platform is largely built on Scaling Up. Yet it has one problem: the meeting rhythm. Why daily standups, weeklies, one-on-ones, and even performance reviews can become optional, while you get more alignment than ever.
Why we do not use American AI
Everyone builds their AI layer into American tools without thinking twice about it. What that means for your data, why it only hurts once you can no longer reverse it, and how we solved it at Boldcaster.
The hidden costs of business software: migration, onboarding, and adoption compared
The price on the pricing page is rarely the real price. An honest comparison of the five hidden costs of business software (migration, onboarding, learning curve, adoption, and partner dependency) across Exact Online, HubSpot, Salesforce, OKR tools, and Boldcaster.
AI does the execution. Your job becomes steering on outcomes.
AI is taking over execution. For scale-ups, value shifts from process to outcome. What that means for your team, your KPIs, and how you steer.
Implementing Scaling Up: powerful, but slow and coach-dependent. It can be faster.
Scaling Up works, but implementation often takes months to years, leans on manual KPI dashboards and an expensive coach. Why that is, and how an operating system delivers the same outcomes faster and cheaper.
What is your company worth? And why most estimates are off by a factor
Most entrepreneurs value their company as revenue times a multiple from the internet. Why that goes wrong, how a valuation really works, and what Boldcaster calculates for you exactly.
Why Asana, Monday, and ClickUp break down for scale-ups
Generic project tools can do anything, and that is exactly why they do not solve your growing pains. Why scale-ups get stuck on a blank canvas, and what you need instead.
Fewer meetings, better steering: the meeting culture that slows your scale-up down
Daily standups, weekly meetings, endless alignment. Why most meetings are a symptom of a lack of visibility, and what takes their place.
From founder-led to management-led: the transition most scale-ups get wrong
The step from a company that runs on the founder to a company that runs on structure. Why the common approach fails and how to do it right.
From 10 to 50 employees: structure without management layers
Growing from 10 to 50 employees without stacking management layers on top. Why the old reflex slows you down and how to stay flat while you scale up.
Software does not solve your operating model
Buying a tool is not the same as getting structure. Why scale-ups get stuck on their operating model, not on their software, and what you should do about it instead.
Product-market fit is not a checkbox: think in levels
Product-market fit is not binary. It comes in levels, and it declines on its own unless you keep innovating. What that means for scaling, innovating and your direction.
The KPI hierarchy: why result KPIs and driver KPIs make the difference
Everyone talks about KPIs, almost no one really has them. The hierarchy from business process to result KPI to driver KPI, and how you actually steer with it.
The phase model: know which phase your scale-up is in
The leadership, the systems and the people you need depend on your phase. Why knowing where you stand is the first step before you set anything up.
Comparing EOS software: the options for Dutch scale-ups
An overview of EOS software such as Ninety.io, Bloom Growth and Strety, plus the question that really matters: does a Dutch scale-up actually need EOS software, or something broader?
The founder's trap: from bottleneck to builder
Your company is growing, but everything still runs through you. How founders become the bottleneck of their own success, and how to get out of it again.
Boldcaster vs Asana, Monday and ClickUp: which do you choose?
An honest comparison between Boldcaster and project tools like Asana, Monday and ClickUp. What each does well, where they differ, and when to choose which.
An alternative to Ninety.io for scale-ups
Looking for an alternative to Ninety.io? Why teams switch, what to look out for, and when an operating system is a better fit than strict EOS software.
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