Blog — practical insights for SMEs

Powerhouse

your Twinfield: what changes for you?

Intro: Recent research forecasts that Twinfield may announce an open API for mobile payment solutions (expected Q1 2027). This is still a prediction, not a confirmation, but the signal is relevant: many...

Read the article →07-11-2026 · new Powerhouse

How to connect: what changes for you?

Why this matters: Many entrepreneurs lose time to manual bank and payment transactions or only discover errors at month-end closing. The result: unclear cash position, delays in accounts receivable management and etc…

Read the article →06-11-2026 · new Circular economy

Circular Plastics NL 2026 Closed: what can you do now?

The CPNL window closed on 6 October. See which schemes are still open and how to properly prepare your next investment decision.

Read the article →25-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Cyber threats: what changes for you?

Cyber threats are not an IT-only problem; they affect strategy, cash flows, processes, people and risk insurance. This guide helps you as an entrepreneur step-by-step with external signals (news, national exercise outcomes, …

Read the article →24-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Cyber threats for: what changes for you?

Why this should be a priority now The Voortgangsrapportage of the Nationaal Cyber Security Centrum (NCSA) (Open Overheid) reports that the Netherlands is participating in large-scale, government-wide cyber exercises such as Cyber Europ…

Read the article →23-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Dutch cyber exercises: what changes for you?

Hook: The government is running large-scale cyber incident exercises — that is a signal, not a scare story. For entrepreneurs it means: translate the external signal into concrete decisions about strategy, money, process…

Read the article →22-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Knowledge loss due to: what changes for you?

Why this is urgent now According to CBS approximately two-thirds of entrepreneurs experience staff shortages; in small enterprises that is around 61% and in medium-sized companies just over 67% (CBS, 30 May 2025). That external signal…

Read the article →20-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

AI data harness: from dispersed data to decisions

An entrepreneur doesn't need to look at more dashboards every day. The real question is: which change affects my business, what is the expected impact and who needs to act now? That becomes difficult when customer information, process data, …

Read the article →19-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Do it yourself

Type over this order number. Once is doable. Forty times a day, every day, is a job.

NL-2026-8841-KX

The clock starts as soon as you begin.

SME digitalization: what will change for you?

Why this matters now The world around your company is changing rapidly: subsidies shift incentives, market demand mutates, and laws and regulations change. A concrete, recent signal: Bouwend Nederland reports that TKI B…

Read the article →15-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Wet DBA: what changes for you?

## Wet DBA and self-employed: what does this mean for you? The Wet Deregulering Beoordeling Arbeidsrelaties (Wet DBA) determines how the Tax Authority assesses whether you as a self-employed person truly work independently, or whether there is actually a…

Read the article →10-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

SOPV 2026: what does it mean for you?

A grant application only makes sense when you know which production test, investment and supporting documents you can actually deliver. For plastics processors, that is now relevant: the revised Subsidie Omschakeling Pla…

Read the article →09-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Circular Plastics: what changes for you?

The Circular Plastics NL (CPNL) grant from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) was intended for the plastics and recycling value chain. Its total budget was €40 million. The application round closed on 6 October 2026; check RVO for future opportunities.

Read the article →8 October 2026 · new Powerhouse

Circular Plastics NL: what changes for you?

The Circular Plastics NL (CPNL) grant is available to organisations active in the plastics and recycling value chain. The total available budget is €40 million. Up to €1.5 million…

Read the article →06-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Circular Plastics: what changes for you?

The plastics and recycling chain is under pressure from growing waste streams and the need to use materials circularly. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has responded with the Circular Plast…

Read the article →05-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

Circular Plastics subsidy: what changes for you?

## What is the Circular Plastics NL subsidy? The Circular Plastics NL (CPNL) subsidy scheme is a funding instrument of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) aimed at accelerating the transition to…

Read the article →04-10-2026 · new Powerhouse

DBA Act and self-employed professionals: what is changing and what does it mean for you?

# DBA Act and self-employed professionals: what is changing and what does it mean for you? ## Enforcement has already started Since 1 January 2025, the Dutch Tax Administration has resumed active enforcement of the DBA Act (Deregulation of Assessment of Employment Relationships Act)…

Read the article →03-10-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Family business transfer: how to get it right

A family business transfer involves more than signing documents at the notary. The value of the business, financing, the departing owner's role, the position of…

Read the article →02-10-2026 · new Problem Radar · Logistics

AanZET 2026: a subsidy requires more than an application

The autumn round opens on 29 September. Turn vehicle choice, financing, charging capacity, grid connection and execution into one decision instead of five separate tracks.

Read the article →28-09-2026 · new Digitalization

Version control for SMEs: stop searching for the right version

Three systems, three versions, and nobody sure which one is current. Four agreements to bring version chaos back to one source, owner, and context.

Read the article →21-09-2026 · new Problem radar

Prevent duplicate data entry: employees are not an integration layer

The same customer in CRMThe system in which customer contact, quotes and appointments are recorded., accounting and planning is not a minor administrative inconvenience. It is a chain-wide problem. This is how to determine which integration should come first.

Read the article →24-09-2026 · new Problem radar

Cash flow overview for SMEs: what’s truly available to spend?

Your books can be accurate and still not answer the question of how much money you can safely spend today. Here’s how to make cash, taxes, and receivables manageable.

Read the article →24-09-2026 · new Problem radar

Growing pains in SMEs: when everything still goes through the owner

Your revenue is growing, but planning, customer agreements and exceptions still run through you. Here’s how to recognise the tipping point and take the owner out of the operational bottleneck.

Read the article →24-09-2026 · new Powerhouse

Why your business memory costs more than you think

Many organizations only realize they have a problem when knowledge leaves with an employee, or when the same question has to be researched all over again for the third time. That’s not an isolated incident; it’s a pattern: information that …

Read the article →22-09-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Knowledge retention for SMEs: prevent dependency on a single employee

Knowledge retention for SMEs prevents crucial process knowledge from disappearing when someone is off sick, leaves or retires. Here’s how to make knowledge part of everyday work.

Read the article →19-09-2026 · new AI marketing

The way it works now

• The appointment is in one colleague's mailbox
• Data is manually retyped from one system to another
• The person who knows is on vacation
• No one can see afterwards why this decision was made

As it is

• The agreement is stored with the client, findable for everyone
• Once entered, information flows through to the rest
• Work continues, even if someone is absent
• Every decision has a source, an owner, and a date

drag with your finger

Instagram Growth Calendar v2: how Mira scores daily until 31-12-2026

From now on, Bedrijfsgeheugen runs Instagram with an ongoing growth calendar that is reprioritized every day based on current external, search, social and commercial opportunities. This calendar runs throu…

Read the article →18-09-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Bedrijfsgeheugen and knowledge loss: prevent surprises

Bedrijfsgeheugen often only becomes visible once knowledge is already being lost. An employee leaves, a team grows or a process needs to be handed over. Then it becomes clear that important…

Read the article →17-09-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Unpriced business operations problem: make it visible

An unpriced operational problem often goes unnoticed. Many companies manage the figures they know: revenue, margin, lead time. But there’s a category of problems…

Read the article →15-09-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Qualifying organic search traffic: from traffic to revenue

Qualifying organic search traffic doesn’t start with more visitors, but with whether the right visitor recognizes their problem and sees a logical next step. A Search…

Read the article →14-09-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Automate customer inquiries without losing control

Customer inquiries often seem unique. In reality, many come up again and again: when will my order be delivered, who needs to approve it, which price applies, what happens…

Read the article →30-08-2026 · new Knowledge retention

Retaining knowledge in your business: how to prevent disruption

Many SMEs run just fine as long as the right people are there. An order comes in, someone knows which exception applies, and a colleague knows the workaround in the system. The…

Read the article →28-08-2026 · new Integrations

Exact Online API: what it can do and what an integration costs

REST, OAuth 2.0, and genuine webhooks for a limited number of topics. What it can do, where the limits are, and what an integration costs.

Read the article → 21 August 2026 · ± 7 min Figures

AI use in SMEs: the figures

13.8% of microbusinesses, 29.8% of SMEs and 66.2% of large businesses. Where you are on the adoption curve, and where it’s heading.

Read the article → 20 August 2026 · ± 8 min Figures

Why AI projects fail

95% fail or 74% achieve the ROI? The four best-known figures side by side, with the methodology included. Plus BCG's 10-20-70 rule.

Read the article → 20 August 2026 · ± 6 min Knowledge retention

Retaining knowledge when employees retire

Nine out of ten vacancies through 2028 are replacements, not growth. What that means for knowledge that hasn't been recorded anywhere.

Read the article → 20 August 2026 · ± 6 min Figures

Business transfers in family businesses: the figures at a glance

All the figures on business transfers and family businesses, with sources, years and an assessment of their reliability. From the succession wave to knowledge retiring.

Read the article → 20 August 2026 · ± 7 min Knowledge retention

Excel as a CRM in a family business: where the limits are

Where it works, where it breaks down, what research says about errors, and what AI does and doesn’t change.

Read the article → 20 August 2026 · ± 7 min Integrations

AFAS API: what it can and can't do

GetConnectors and UpdateConnectors, no real-time webhooks, and what that means for ownership of your integration.

Read the article → 19 August 2026 · ± 7 min Knowledge retention

Work instruction example: how to create one people will use

The eight parts it should include, the three reasons instructions break down, and the test that shows what’s missing in under twenty minutes.

Read the article → 15 August 2026 · ± 7 min Digitalization

Automation without a six-month engagement

Why an ERPThe system where your accounting, inventory, purchasing and sales come together.-implementation in the SMB so often fails, what that overrun costs and the four agreements with which you automate without a large project.

Read the article → 14 August 2026 · ± 7 min Knowledge retention

Business succession: start with the company's memory, not its shares

The deed is finalized in three months; the knowledge takes twelve to eighteen months. What to document, in what order, and the calculation behind an outgoing owner who stays on.

Read the article → 10 August 2026 · ± 7 min Digitalization

What does digitalization cost for SMEs?

€ 3.500 to € 15.000 in the first year, plus from € 29 per month. The amounts per component, what doing nothing costs you, and when it doesn’t pay off.

Read the article → August 7, 2026 · ± 7 min Integrations

Connecting systems in SMEs: the complete guide

Which integration to build first, the three routes from standard connector to custom build and their costs, and six steps to an integration that still works a year from now.

Read the article → August 5, 2026 · ± 8 min AI for SMEs

Microsoft Copilot for SMEs: 7 tasks you can automate tomorrow

From meeting notes and email to quote copy and Excel analyses. Seven tasks, with the time saved on each, the calculation at € 26 per user, and why Copilot so often goes quiet.

Read the article → August 5, 2026 · ± 6 min Integrations

How much does an AFAS partner cost per month?

You pay the license to AFASDutch ERP package for administration, HR and payroll. Many SMBs have their single source of truth in it., the partner to the partner. What amounts you encounter in the SMB, and which costs are missing from virtually every quote.

Read the article → 11 August 2026 · ± 6 min Integrations

What does an AFAS connection cost?

Budget € 3.500 to € 12.000 as a one-off cost. The six factors that determine the price, the costs that shouldn’t appear in a quote, and the calculation you can use to decide whether it’s worthwhile.

Read the article → August 3, 2026 · ± 8 min AI & legislation

EU AI Act for SMEs: what applies now and what has been postponed

The transparency obligations have applied since 2 August 2026; the high-risk rules have been pushed back to December 2027. What to put in place this month and what you’re really risking.

Read the article → August 3, 2026 · ± 7 min Commercial

Follow up on proposals without a CRM

One list, a follow-up date and one owner. Here's how to set up quote follow-up within a week — plus the calculation of what letting opportunities slip costs you.

Read the article → August 3, 2026 · ± 7 min Planning

Replace planning in Excel: with what and when?

Four signs your Excel schedule can no longer keep up, three options from least expensive to most expensive, and the five questions to answer before every demo.

Read the article → August 3, 2026 · ± 7 min Integrations

Connecting AFAS and Exact: how to eliminate duplicate work in your administration

Entering the same customer in two systems costs more than time — it costs reliability. What integration really means, the three routes available, and how to get started in five steps.

Read the article → July 27, 2026 · ± 7 min Knowledge retention

What is a business memory? Why SMEs lose knowledge without realizing it

Customer agreements in one inbox, the schedule in one person’s head, quotes in an Excel list. What a business memory is, why it quietly leaks away — and how to get a grip on it in five steps.

Read the article → 21 July 2026 · ± 6 min