In 2018, together with Geert van Oosterhout, I started Advanced Forces Group, a training and education institute for NATO soldiers. This adventure gave me the opportunity to develop my entrepreneurial skills and grow a company to a turnover of more than 1 million euros within two years again.
Entrepreneurship involves much trial and error. We experienced that firsthand during the Corona pandemic, which had a major impact on Advanced Forces Group. We were on the verge of bankruptcy, but thanks to our can-do mindset, inspired by the Marine Corps, we shifted our focus to what was possible and persevered.
Since 2022, the company has been growing healthily – almost too fast. We are currently (2025) employing 50+ people and have a turnover of 5 million euro's. I am still active in the board of the company and contribute to Sales, HR and Finance activities.
I bring this experience and our mindset to European Scale Up Leaders, where we help you grow successfully from start-up to scale-up.
Recommendation
Niels excels at overseeing complex projects. He has a sharp focus on the client’s needs and takes the time to thoroughly understand the underlying culture, rules, and regulations.
By doing so, he consistently delivers the best possible outcomes. His strategic insight and ability to navigate organizational dynamics have been instrumental in accelerating our company’s growth."
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Recommendation
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From the ages of 18 to 31, I served as a Marine officer. After my 5-year training at the Dutch Defence Academy, I spent 7.5 years leading various operational units, with teams ranging from 30 to 60 people.
I successfully completed the prestigious Royal Marine Mountain Leader training in the UK and various modules of the NLMARSOF training, earning my place in the Dutch Special Forces.
My specialisations are fighting in extremely cold weather conditions and mountainous terrain, counter-terrorism and reconnaissance operations.
For the last three years of my military career, I was a multi-time Squad commander in the Maritime Special Operations Forces.
I consider the deployments to various international missions such as Afghanistan and Mali the highlights of my military career.
Personal mottos like ‘Hard, high and far’ and ’If it doesn't kill you, it’ll make you stronger’, were inscribed on my mind for years; the latter occasionally in the literal sense. They’re still statements that I identify with. But as the years go by, I have come to the realisation that going to extremes is not helpful in all cases. At some point, it's about working smarter.
This insight did not only apply to my military experience, it especially fuels my experience as an entrepreneur. I have undergone a mindset change in this regard.
I do still believe that persevering is an important condition for getting where you want to. As a 24-year-old Marine officer, I wanted to be an English Mountain Leader, but I wasn't exceptionally good at skiing, climbing, running, navigating, or speaking English. I was always willing to work hard, though, and I would never give up. By always giving my all, I became good enough at everything to eventually realise my goal.
Working together with and leading like-minded people was easier for me. I can always motivate a team of people, work with them on their goals using a smart approach.
There is a clear parallel between my military career and my work experience: when I started as an entrepreneur in 2017, I was also not exceptionally good at either marketing, sales, finance, technology, human resources or operations. But by always giving my best and persevering, I still get better every day. This fuels my experience and vision as a scale-up expert every day.
In 2025, I published a book entitled ‘The Scale-Up Mindset’ in Dutch. In it, I set forth the basic principles of the Scale-up Mindset, as practised by ESUL.
The book aims to provide fundamental advice, both to first-time entrepreneurs and to start-up leaders in the midst of their chaotic growth processes. A quote:
I consider it a crucial skill for a scale-up leader to keep the focus on both the human and the structural side of the growing company. I call that ‘connective leadership.'
A connective leader leads his or her people in such a way that everyone in the company remains optimally connected with the company’s mission and with each other as team members.
A connective leader designs new processes with the team, and eliminates unnecessary ones. He or she unites and motivates old and new employees through shared values and a shared focus on results and how to achieve them.
An English translation of the full introductory chapter is available on the Book page.