From Student to CEO: Jeroen De Wit's Teamleader Journey

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-04-02

When Jeroen De Wit was a student, he noticed something frustrating. Entrepreneurs around him were drowning in paperwork and clunky tools. They were spending more time on admin than on their actual businesses. So he decided to do something about it. He teamed up with two co-founders and started building software. But here's the interesting part—they didn't build in isolation. They literally created their product alongside their first customers. It was messy, it was chaotic, but it was real. ### The Reality of Rapid Growth That early growth phase? It wasn't about champagne celebrations. It was about cashflow problems. Jeroen shares how even $75,000 from their parents (converted from the original 70,000 euros) disappeared in just three months. Money was going out faster than it was coming in. That first investment round wasn't some luxury move to scale faster. It was pure survival. They needed that cash to keep the lights on while they figured out how to actually run a business that was growing faster than their financial runway. Jeroen puts it bluntly: "You evolve from product builder to CEO while your company is growing faster than your financial breathing room."  ### The Night-and-Day Grind Imagine this daily reality: - Selling features to customers during the day - Actually building those features overnight - Waking up and doing it all over again That's what those early days looked like for Jeroen and his team. Three young guys selling what still needed to be built. The pressure was constant, but so was the learning. Today, Teamleader serves over 35,000 customers across Europe and is part of the Visma family. But that success story started with those sleepless nights and constant problem-solving. ### Key Takeaways for Entrepreneurs If you're building something yourself, here's what you might learn from Jeroen's journey: - **Cashflow is king**: Rapid growth can mask serious financial problems until it's almost too late - **Build with customers**: Don't guess what people need—build it with them - **Know when to seek help**: That first investment round wasn't optional—it was essential - **Embrace the evolution**: You'll need to grow into roles you never planned to fill ### Looking Forward Jeroen is giving away a duoticket to the Work Smarter Event on June 4, 2026. The winner will be selected on April 9, 2026. He's also available for one-on-one conversations through booking platforms. The story reminds us that behind every successful company are real people solving real problems. Sometimes with borrowed money, often with too little sleep, but always with determination to make things better for other entrepreneurs. What's your biggest challenge right now? Is it cashflow? Scaling too fast? Finding the right tools? Every entrepreneur faces these moments where the path forward isn't clear. The key is keeping moving, learning as you go, and remembering why you started in the first place.