In the Cockpit

As a former operations manager at Alcatel and advisor to countless SMEs, he kept seeing the same pattern: strategies that never get executed, meetings without outcomes, and action points that disappear into thin air.

At forty, he shifted to interim management; at fifty-two, he made the leap to full-time entrepreneurship. His motivation: to bundle proven methodologies into one practical tool that turns meetings into a strategic engine.

The DNA of Too Doo: Focus on Meetings

Too Doo is not your typical project management platform. It deliberately starts from meetings to connect all facets of business operations. By preparing each meeting structurally, facilitating it tightly, and following up consistently, teams gain the tools to translate expectations into concrete actions and measurable results.

What does that mean in practice?

  • Clear agendas and defined roles.
  • Recording of decisions, action owners, and deadlines.
  • Linking back to goals, KPIs, and strategic themes.
  • One single source of truth instead of scattered notes, spreadsheets, and Teams channels.

From Chaos to Control

“Our ideal customer lives in chaos,” says Gert. Think of growing SMEs drowning in tools and scattered agreements. Too Doo centralizes that chaos, so the management team no longer needs to dig through eight different apps to keep the strategic line in sight. The result: less friction, more focus — and above all, visible progress.

AI as the Silent Co-Pilot

AI in Too Doo is deliberately positioned as an intelligent assistant, not a flashy gimmick. Think of:

  • Automatic summaries of meeting transcripts.
  • Monitoring of actions and early detection of deviations.
  • Insight into where time actually goes (strategy vs. operations) — without losing human interpretation.

This allows a CEO to see, at a glance, where the team’s attention is going and make targeted adjustments.

From Freemium to Commitment

After dozens of demos each year with a conversion rate of around 10%, Gert realized: a demo alone doesn’t create lasting adoption. That’s why Too Doo now offers a freemium model with a diagnostic conclusion: after the trial period, users receive an in-depth analysis of their meeting behavior. Those “aha moments” form the foundation for a well-grounded collaboration — driven by data and behavior, not gut feeling.

Scaling Without the Consultancy Culture

The ambition: to scale sustainably without drifting into an expensive consultancy model. The strategy follows three tracks:

  1. Licenses as the backbone: software-first, supported by clear implementation standards.
  2. Implementation partners: an ecosystem of specialists helping organizations adopt the tool effectively.
  3. Methodical AI tools: built-in support for frameworks such as OGSM, RACI, or ISO — ensuring teams remain consistent as they grow.

In this way, Too Doo stays true to its core: using technology to strengthen collaboration, not replace people.

Lessons from the Cockpit

Meeting discipline is not an annoying obligation, but a lever for progress. Gert combines personal experience with academic insight to build a platform that seamlessly connects strategy and execution.

The First Customers: Effectuation in Action

The very first customers came through effectuation. Gert started with what he already had — his network, knowledge, and interim projects — and experimented with small-scale pilots among trusted contacts. By quickly delivering minimum viable implementations and keeping feedback cycles short, he built a foundation of enthusiastic references.

Growing Beyond Chance: Three Strategies

  1. Network expansion through referrals
    Each pilot is turned into a case study and shared within industry groups to build credibility.
  2. Differentiated product-service mix
    After the freemium phase come modular add-ons such as advanced AI analyses and targeted workshops — creating clear upsell and cross-sell paths.
  3. Partner ecosystem
    By collaborating with specialized consultants and software vendors, Too Doo gains co-marketing opportunities and access to new segments.

With this approach, Too Doo moves beyond the randomness of early wins and builds a deliberate growth engine.

Conclusion

What if meetings were no longer seen as “lost time,” but as the cockpit for direction, focus, and execution? That’s the promise of Too Doo — one place where decisions, actions, and strategy converge, allowing teams to make progress that can be seen, measured, and celebrated.

Want to learn more or start a pilot?
Visit addbusiness.be or schedule an introductory call with Gert van De Vijver.

References (Selection)

  • Davenport, T. H., & Harris, J. G. (2007). Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning. Harvard Business School Press.
  • Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2008). The Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business Press.
  • Leonardi, P. M. (2014). Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation: Towards a Theory of Communication Visibility. Information Systems Research, 25(4), 796–816.
  • Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. Prentice-Hall.
  • Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 243–263.
  • Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17.

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