Hey Antwerpreneurs!

Welcome to the 4 new subscribers who’ve joined since our last issue!

Once a month, we bring you inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and business owners in Antwerp.

Subscribe below to join other readers 👇️ 

Average reading time: 5 minutes

What’s on the Menu?

• 🍦 Scoop: Discover street art in your city.

• 💬 Words of Wisdom: From the mind of Steve Jobs.

• ✋ Antwerpreneur: Get to know Robin Waroquier.

• 💎 Quiz Question: Can you guess the brand slogan?

🍦 Scoop  

If you're into street art, you might want to check Street Art Cities where you can explore street art murals from all over the world, added by local hunters and artists.

Check out Antwerp’s street art map. For our readers in other cities, don't worry—you can just search your city!

💬 Words of Wisdom 

And now, let's move on to our Antwerpreneur!

✋ Antwerpreneur: Robin Waroquier

Meet Robin!

The 26-year-old founder of ++addmore, a product marketing studio for SaaS startups and scale-ups.

From a young age, Robin was passionate about design and marketing. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family.

Robin developed a strong work ethic and a business mindset early on. Eager to explore the digital world, he started experimenting with a cracked version of Photoshop on his laptop at just 12 years old.

By the time he was in secondary school, he had already launched a small clothing brand with a friend.

Challenges and Personal Growth

The journey to entrepreneurship wasn't always smooth for Robin. In the early days, he experienced panic attacks and felt insecure about his credibility as a young entrepreneur.

Meeting with more experienced and older people, who often shared judgmental opinions, added to the pressure, especially since Robin didn’t yet have a strong track record to back him up.

But through internal work and therapy, he persevered. As a self-identified people pleaser, Robin admits that setting boundaries is still a challenge, and now and then he ‘receives a slap in the face,’ as he jokingly puts it.

Founding and Early Days of ++addmore

While studying marketing at Karel de Grote University College, Robin wanted to combine his passion with making money, so he decided to dive into the emerging “young entrepreneurship” movement.

After his first year of marketing studies, he decided to start his company, even though he didn’t have any clients, and during one ordinary night, ++addmore was born. He stumbled upon the name, liking how it sounded—adding more value. While there wasn’t a deep meaning behind it, the name sounded right to him as a marketer.

At the beginning, Robin took on any work he could find—such as making flyers for local stores—often underpaid but valuable for learning and building his reputation.

He also worked as a videographer, doing promotional shoots and exploring all things digital. ++addmore’s first client was a cookie startup, and Robin had to learn on the fly to build their brand, website, e-commerce, and go-to-market approach.

This naturally led him to build his own website, which opened the door to more web design. Starting with WordPress, he quickly found it restrictive, but it worked for small, local projects.

Daily Routine and Company Vision

Robin's typical day starts early. He wakes up, walks his dog, Oscar, reads the De Tijd newspaper, listens to De 7 podcast, and arrives at work at 8am to plan his day and check emails. This routine helps him stay on top of everything.

From the start, Robin envisioned ++addmore as more than just another traditional marketing agency. He positioned the company as a product marketing studio for SaaS startups and scale-ups, focusing on connecting products and people.

Shift to SaaS Marketing and Expansion

As ++addmore grew, Robin changed his focus from small branding projects for local businesses to tech startups.

Many of these startups, which are run by engineers, struggle with their products in a way that resonates with potential customers. This is where ++addmore helps, making sure these companies connect their products with the right users to drive the growth they need.

This insight helped Robin find his niche in the market. As ++addmore began working more with tech startups, the need for flexibility increased. To keep up, they’ve been adopting tools like Notion, WebFlow, Figma, and HubSpot for their work.

Currently, ++addmore has over 35 clients, most of whom are based in Ghent and often come through word of mouth or from bad experiences with traditional agencies.

Their ideal clients are tech startups or scale-ups with funding, a product, and a need to go-to-market fast.

Over time, most of their clients transitioned to SaaS companies, leading ++addmore to adopt a pricing model similar to their SaaS clients.

They now offer a tiered structure: Launch Lab for specific requests; Growth Lab for ongoing marketing services; and an Unlimited option for continuous collaboration on various projects.

Agile Approach, Challenges, and Future Plans

One of the key strategies that set ++addmore apart is its sprint-based work approach. This allows the team to remain agile and adapt to the fast-moving needs of startups. 

Each project begins with a full-day workshop to fully understand the client’s vision and product. Robin's team even interviews key accounts of the customer to gain insights into how the product is perceived by end-users.

Despite their success, 2023 was a challenging year for ++addmore. The company generated €600K in revenue—the same as the previous year—but it wasn’t their best year. With a bigger team and fewer clients willing to spend on marketing, they focused on reshaping the business for 2024 rather than pushing for growth.

Now, the team consists of 7 talented members who are accountable for their work, and they remain selective with potential new clients.

Looking ahead two years, Robin’s biggest challenge is scaling projects with his current team. As ++addmore grows, they’ll need additional resources to keep up with demand.

He envisions the team remaining small but highly skilled, working on high-impact projects. They also plan to launch a podcast aimed at inspiring young entrepreneurs to get into SaaS product marketing.

Rewards and Hiring Philosophy

The most rewarding moments for Robin come when his clients succeed. Whether it’s a startup securing funding or getting media coverage, knowing that ++addmore’s work contributed to their success and exposure is incredibly fulfilling.

When hiring new team members, Robin looks for people with a growth mindset, curiosity, and a willingness to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies—essential traits in ++addmore’s fast-paced, tech-driven environment.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Robin offers a piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: start as soon as possible, especially in building a personal brand. 

He believes it’s essential to market yourself without fear of how others might think of you. Just getting your brand out there is the first and most important step.

Robin’s story shows how following your passion and continuous learning can make your work more impactful.

His admiration for Steve Jobs highlights his dedication to mastering the art of marketing and storytelling. We’re excited to see how Robin and ++addmore will continue to support SaaS startups and drive success in the tech ecosystem!

Robin’s Recommendations

• Podcasts: The Diary of a CEO, Product Marketing Life, Better Product, We’re Not Marketers

• Books: The Great CEO Within and Never Split the Difference

• Currently listening: brain.fm which helps him work in focused blocks despite having ADHD.

• Activity: Running.

• Favorite spots in Antwerp: He enjoys visiting classic brasseries like Den Artist or Ciro’s and spending time in the vibrant Antwerpen Zuid neighborhood.

Antwerpreneur-to-Antwerpreneur

Question for Robin: What’s the biggest challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it?

Partnerships involving three people can present unique challenges. While it’s common for two individuals to develop a closer connection, it’s important to ensure that everyone feels included and valued, especially when all parties share a common goal. Thoughtfully selecting individuals for managerial roles can help create a balanced dynamic, fostering collaboration and support among all team members.

Robin’s Question:

Imagine your grandma is sitting in front of you, asking about the most emotionally satisfying moment that makes you feel proud. What would you tell her?

Connect with Robin

Want to connect with Robin? Check him out on LinkedIn and Instagram.

💎 Quiz Question

Which brand’s slogan is "Forever Faster"?

A) Ferrari

B) Monster Energy

C) Puma

D) DHL

_{You can find the answer at the end}

Pura Vida! 🦥 

Jose

P.S. Do you have an Antwerpreneur you'd like to see featured in a future issue? Reply to this email and let us know!

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Answer: Puma