ONLINE LIGHT SPECIALIST

VerlichtingNL is the online lighting specialist. They were already experiencing significant growth and felt the need to strategically organize that growth. Although they were growing, they encountered clear limitations when scaling up – both in terms of capacity and internal structure.

VerlichtingNL is the largest online lighting wholesaler in the Benelux and supplies various brands to diverse customer groups in this region. From small to large customers, from A- to C-brands, VerlichtingNL provides tailored advice and supplies lighting and related products. Together with their partners and a network of innovative and highly developed suppliers and manufacturers, they have over 20 years of experience in the lighting industry.

Founder Daniel Kauwen: “Our specific growth challenges spanned five different areas. The first was growth direction and market selection. We wanted to clearly define which markets we were and weren't serving, and underpin that with a clear strategy. This required focus and the courage to make choices. The second was product-market fit and product-market combination. We investigated which Product-Market Combinations (PMCs) actually offer growth potential. We asked ourselves: do we have a proven PMF for each PMC? And is there sufficient scalability and potential within our model to ultimately grow towards €100 million in revenue?”

From bottlenecks to clarity

Thirdly, they examined the organizational structure and roles. Daniel: “Our internal processes and role division needed more structure. We wanted clarity about responsibilities and to be sure we had the right people in the right place to facilitate growth. We were also looking for a concrete financial strategy with clear KPIs, so we could focus on margin and revenue improvements instead of working reactively. Finally, the challenge lay in fulfillment and operational control. We were running into operational bottlenecks in our fulfillment. We wanted clarity about where things were going wrong and how we could quickly regain control, so that growth wouldn't lead to a reduction in quality or customer satisfaction.”

Structure for growth

That's what the team worked on during the GROW program. Daniel: “The GROW program helped us give direction and structure to our growth. We made sharp choices in market focus and propositions, and gained clarity on which PMCs are scalable and what we should focus on. Internally, we clarified the division of roles, tightened processes, and gained more control over fulfillment and financial management. Thanks to the program, we now actively manage the right KPIs and are consciously building a scalable organization. In short: from reactive growth to a well-thought-out growth strategy with more peace of mind, control, and focus.”

New perspective

A great result, which makes the team look back positively on their participation. “The journey is better than the destination, as they say,” says Daniel. And that's how we look back on this program. GROW has not only given us insights but also a new perspective on entrepreneurship. We met like-minded entrepreneurs who, though diverse in different industries, sizes, and stages of life, all face similar challenges. Some entrepreneurs achieve their goals in five years, others in 10 or 40 years, and many will never fully reach them. That realization is both confronting and connecting. The program has shown us that we're only just beginning, and that realization has had a profound impact. We feel sharper, strengthened, and ready to consciously build further."

MORE ABOUT THE GROW PROGRAM