Scaling With Purpose

In this episode of Scaling with Purpose, host Mohamed Alkaduhimi sits down with Michael Hillhorst, founder of trein-vertraging.nl, to unpack how a frustrating daily commute turned into a fast-growing startup that helps train passengers claim the compensation they are owed.Michael shares his journey from selling designs at age 13, to building a gaming trade platform at 16, to launching a train delay compensation service with co-founder Daan while studying computer science in Utrecht. What started as a tech side project became a real business when their first publicity push landed them 10,000 paying customers in just four weeks.We dive into:00:00 Intro and Michael's early entrepreneurial start02:17 How trein-vertraging.nl began as a student problem04:25 Why the Netherlands has 95% train punctuality vs Germany's 66%05:35 The EU passenger rights framework explained07:33 Shifting from tech-driven to business-driven thinking09:33 Getting the first 10,000 customers through newspaper PR13:12 Why traditional media is not scalable for growth14:18 Building a real marketing machine with SEO, LinkedIn and paid ads15:32 A churn rate under 1% and the no cure no pay model16:09 Staying lean and the decision to finally build a team17:43 Going international and delegating the known to explore the unknown21:14 Expanding into Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK22:18 The biggest technical challenges in scaling across countries24:32 Choosing impact over short-term profit26:51 Where to follow Michael's journeyWhether you are a founder, a product builder, or curious about how lean startups grow across borders, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on marketing, scaling, team building, and balancing commercial success with meaningful impact.Follow Michael Hillhorst and co-founder Daan Ekman on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes updates on their journey.#ScalingWithPurpose #Startup #Entrepreneurship #TrainDelay #PassengerRights #LeanStartup #StartupGrowth #TechStartup #Netherlands #EUTravel #FounderStory #ProductDevelopment #BusinessPodcast #Scaling #TrainTravel

In this episode of Scaling with Purpose, host Mohamed Alkaduhimi sits down with Victor Daniyan, founder of NearPays, a fintech company building accessible digital payment infrastructure across Africa and beyond. Victor shares how a payment problem at a logistics company sparked the idea for a soft POS solution that works with or without internet connectivity, and how organic demand from other businesses pushed him to productize it.The conversation covers Victor's journey from working at Nokia under Microsoft to becoming a full-time entrepreneur, his three-point checklist for validating a startup idea (problem-solving, scalability, and marketability), and his unique hiring philosophy that puts attitude above qualifications. Victor also opens up about navigating fintech compliance across multiple African countries, the power of strategic partnerships for early-stage startups, and why building a strong company culture from day one is essential for scaling across borders.Whether you are a founder looking for practical growth advice, curious about Africa's booming tech talent ecosystem, or interested in how fintech startups tackle financial inclusion, this episode is packed with actionable insights.Topics discussed: fintech in Africa, financial inclusion, digital payments, soft POS technology, startup validation, hiring for attitude, scaling across countries, fintech compliance and regulation, company culture, leadership development, cross-border payments.

In this episode of Scaling with Purpose, host Mohamed Alkaduhimi speaks with Kevin van der Wind, founder of Based on Skills and the Improving Life Group. Kevin shares how he built a platform that is reshaping how Gen Z enters the Dutch labor market by shifting the focus from traditional CVs and work experience to soft skills and potential.Kevin opens up about the classic chicken-and-egg challenge of building a two-sided marketplace, the costly mistake of prioritizing marketing visibility over targeted sales, and the hard lesson of watching a 2.2 million euro turnover get nearly swallowed by 2.1 million in costs. He reflects on how the lack of a mentor early on led to avoidable spending decisions, and why he now views those painful lessons as the foundation for a smarter second chapter.The conversation also explores Kevin's unique origin story in skills-based hiring, from helping friends rewrite their resumes at age 16 to hiring over 30 people based purely on who they were rather than what their diplomas said. His personal track record is the proof of concept behind the very product he sells.Whether you are a founder navigating the balance between impact and revenue, a recruiter rethinking how you evaluate candidates, or part of Gen Z looking for your first opportunity, this episode offers honest, practical takeaways.Topics discussed: skills-based hiring, Gen Z and the labor market, two-sided marketplaces, startup mistakes, founder lessons, mentorship for entrepreneurs, soft skills vs. hard skills, recruitment innovation, social impact startups, scaling a purpose-driven business.

Abraham tells us how he sees entrepreneurship and talks about how he started his business directly in 21 countries.