It all began in 2019 with three founders in a 20-square-metre room at Hamburg University of Technology. Recently, plancraft moved into two floors in a large office block near the Reeperbahn, which can accommodate up to 180 employees. The startup owes its success to software that digitises bureaucratic processes in the skilled trades sector. In this interview, CEO Julian Wiedenhaus talks about the key lessons learnt whilst scaling the company and the future plans.
From three founders to right now over 150 employees – what was the biggest challenge in scaling plancraft?
Building a pan-European team that embodies our values whilst enriching different countries and cultures rather than diluting them. Although we’ve initially grown within the German market, we’ve thought of ourselves as an international company from the very start. That was part of our DNA from the outset. Just as important: translating our own high standards for our work into the entire organisation from day one, without them being watered down.
Editor’s note: In addition to its headquarters in Hamburg, plancraft is located in Amsterdam, Madrid, Milan and Vienna.
Co-founder and CEO Julian Wiedenhaus © plancraft
What has been your biggest mistake and your best decision in the last seven years?
Biggest mistake: thinking too small. In the early days, we didn’t believe we could turn a software tool for tradespeople into an international hyper-growth startup. We should have had far more confidence in ourselves from the outset. Best decision: laying our foundations with extreme care from day one. A clear mission, a clear vision, clear values. And then hiring strictly on the basis of those values, always, without exception.
How has the situation for the trade skill sector in Germany developed in recent years?
Overall, positively. It’s become much more digital, even if we’re still a long way from reaching the end of that journey. The trades sector keeps weathering crises, from Covid to raw material prices, but it’s coming through strong. What really excites us is that a younger generation is entering the trades, many businesses are embracing social media and digitising their operations, marketing and customer communication. That’s exactly where we come in. And yes, the trades sector is really keen on AI.
The founders Richard Keil (CTO), Julian Wiedenhaus (CEO) and Alexander Noll (CPO) © plancraft
What are plancraft’s growth plans?
Two key areas: expanding our presence in the European market and opening up new markets to give tradespeople across Europe greater freedom. The way to achieve this is through software that puts business operations on autopilot. AI makes it incredibly easy to use, whilst underneath it all runs a complex system that coordinates and continuously improves all relevant business processes.
