In 2010, Steve Jobs announced the first iPad, but it was only in 2011 that the camera was added to the iPad.  

This camera triggered my entrepreneurial journey. 

Before that, communication on construction projects would happen via phone, email, and face-to-face meetings.

The iPad created a significant opportunity to disrupt the construction sector. Through an app, a foreman could quickly drop a pin on a drawing, take a picture showing the issue, and send a pdf report that needed no explanation. 

In 2012, I founded co-founded Aproplan. We built an app to help contractors, sub-contractors, and architects communicate better in the field.

We got early traction, quickly reaching €1m in ARR, raising funds from angel investors and reputable VC firms. We grew the business from a handful of people to 80 before merging with a Danish player to form LetsBuild, a 150 people-strong company in 5 different countries. 

I could stop the story here and say that everything was fantastic.

But that would only be one side of the story…

Like every entrepreneurial journey, it was a bumpy ride.

It was very stressful and frustrating at times. 

Early on, we had to do a management buy-out to solve a significant founders’ issue that almost killed the company.

We raised money from a reputable VC firm to grow the business.

This brought significant stress to grow faster, especially when you discover that international expansion is super challenging and so dependent on hiring the right people.

We merged with a company in the Nordics and almost doubled in size over night. And while the merger made a lot of sense on paper, merging two very different cultures made me realise it was all about people. 

Along the way, we raised and burned way too much money, hoping that money would solve all our growth problems.

Then COVID hit, and I burned out.

I had spent 8 years building a company. I was traveling 4 days a week, working weekends, and ignoring my family.

In 2021, I met Reggy and Pascal, founders of Q7Leader and discovered the People Model Canvas to me. I saw how powerful it was and all the challenges it would have helped me solve during my journey at Aproplan and LetsBuild.  

Today, I’m the CEO of Q7Leader and help B2B SaaS executives grow their business from 1m€ to 10m€ in a cash-efficient way so they don’t get diluted and keep control of their company. 

I write daily posts on LinkedIn where I share my learnings and the playbooks we use to grow Q7Leader in a cash-efficient way.

Thomas Goubau

This will be my new business OS for 2026.

It’s my biggest breakthrough of last year, and it will definitely change how we do business for the next few years.

I’m very curious…

Have you heard about using Claude Code for business (AKA not for coding software)?

I’m thinking about sharing my learnings here on LinkedIn.
But I’ll only do it if there is interest 👀

Would you like to learn more about this?

P.S. I'm totally obsessed 😬

Growing a B2B SaaS in a cash-efficient way by setting the operational foundations and make sure you have the right people in the right seat • CEO at Q7Leader • Operating Partner at welovefounders •

A 450-person company cut review time by 61%.

Now managers ask me to do MORE reviews, not less.

Two years ago, their annual cycle felt like torture.

HR chased forms.
Managers copied old comments.
Employees left reviews angry, not engaged.

They called us for a new tool.
They received a new ritual.

We killed long forms.
And we introduced:

• One shared General Expectation Profile for every role
• One simple D.O.T. structure for every 1‑1
• One 7‑minute prep ritual for every manager

Before a 1‑1, a manager now spends only 7 minutes of preparation per team member.

No more page-long notes, no more vague feedback.

During the 1‑1, both manager and employee see the same picture:

• Clear role expectations
• Concrete definitions, not gut feelings

Result after one cycle:

• 61% less time for reviews across the company
• Perceived fairness score up by 27 points
• Quote from one manager: “I love annual reviews.”

Performance management stopped being “evaluation”.
Performance management became “enabling performance”.

When managers ask for MORE reviews, I guess we created a system that works.

You told yourself you'd deal with pay transparency "in 2026" ... Well, it's 2026!

The EU Pay Transparency Directive is no longer a future problem. Deadlines are approaching, and most companies still don't have a plan.

550+ HR leaders have already joined our live sessions to get clarity on what's actually required.

Here's what we cover in 45 minutes:

→ What the directive actually requires (beyond the headlines)
→ A simple 5-step method to reach compliance
→ Where to start this quarter without getting overwhelmed

This Friday, you could finally have a clear roadmap instead of a vague sense of dread.

👉 Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/er2CFqnz

P.S. We keep sessions small so you can ask questions - don't wait to book your spot 😉

Most founders have it backwards.

Last month, a former founder told me about a CEO in his portfolio who was perpetually overwhelmed. The diagnosis was simple: he was a 20/80 leader when he needed to be 80/20.

This CEO was dedicating only 20% of his time to high-leverage strategic decisions that only he could make, while burning 80% on tactical work others could handle.

Successful founders flip this ratio.

There's a classic example about a world-class surgeon who's also an excellent typist. Should she spend afternoons typing medical records? Obviously not. Her unique value is performing life-saving surgeries.

The same applies to startup founders.

The best founders focus on their "Zone of Genius" - where three things intersect:

1. Work that only you can do.
2. Work with the most organizational impact.
3. Work that genuinely energizes you.

That third element is critical. You might excel at financial modeling, but if it drains you, it's not your Zone of Genius.

Maybe yours is product vision, team building, or storytelling.

That's where your 80% should go.

IPEE nv

CFO & Co-Founder

TarTarT vzw (Theater Aan Zee)

TarTarT organiseert jaarlijkse het toonaangevende tiendaags theater- en muziekfestival in Oostende. Het geeft jonge theater- en muziekmakers de kans om zich te tonen aan een groot publiek. Daarnaast is er ook een bredere programmatie van gevestigde waarden. Het festival ontving de Prijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap voor Podiumkunsten in 2014.

Board Member

King Baudouin Foundation

Head of Investments and Treasurer

Head Of Finance

Philanthropy Advisor

Kampani

Kampani is a new social impact investment fund to unlock the potential of entrepreneurial farming in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Kampani is a pioneering way to fight poverty and promote development. It provides growth capital investments to the world’s poor, but entrepreneurial, farming families organised in producer organisations. www.kampani.org

Dexia Bank Belgium

Project Consultant

- April 2008 - December 2008: Philanthropy Services

- September 2007 - March 2008: PFS Marketing

- May 2007 - August 2007: Structured Products

- November 2006 - April 2007: Securitization 

- November 2005 - October 2006: Credit Risk Analist
  Analyzing the creditworthiness of international banking counterparts as part of the bank's TFM activities.

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Thomas Goubau

Jan Vander Elst

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The Battle

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Jan Vander Elst

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Thomas Goubau's LinkedIn Performance

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