Raoul van Heerden | Founder, eCom Ads | Haarlem, Netherlands
I dropped out of school at 17. Worked my way up from supermarket butcher to digital marketing strategist. Started eCom Ads in 2017 because I wanted to be the partner I wished I'd had when I was in the trenches: confused, scaling hard, needing clarity instead of empty promises.
Today, I help 7- and 8-figure e-commerce brands scale sustainably by fixing what most agencies ignore: profit leaks, operational chaos, and the gap between strategy and execution.
At 19, I was already outpacing colleagues twice my age in a supermarket, pushing every department to grow year-over-year. The pay didn't match my ambition, so I moved on. Flower shop. Carglass. Each job taught me something about systems, people, and the gap between working hard and working smart.
A friend at Hurra Communications (a German agency) needed Dutch speakers to manage accounts for Bonprix, Yves Rocher, Viking Direct. I got hired after an interview conducted entirely in German (a language I barely spoke). Trained in Stuttgart for a month. Came back and spent five years learning traffic acquisition, Google Ads, and what it really takes to scale brands across borders.
At Springest in 2014, I finally got diagnosed with ADHD. With the right support (medication, GTD methodology, Holacracy) I learned how to turn scattered ideas into structured action. That shift changed everything.
Started as a side hustle with a former colleague. We became Fiverr Top Sellers with 1,000+ positive reviews. It taught me client management, scaling operations, and what it means to run a real business (not just take freelance gigs).
What began as Google Ads management evolved into something bigger. I realized ads are just one piece. Scaling requires aligning creative, data, operations, and financial health into a system. That's what we do now—holistic growth, not just campaign management.
I built eCom Ads around the CARE Framework:
We don't chase vanity metrics. We focus on what grows your bottom line: profit, customer lifetime value, operational clarity.
No fluff. No junior media buyers. You work directly with experienced strategists who treat your wins like their own.
We audit financials, operations, and marketing to find the gaps most agencies miss—then we fix them.
From creative strategy to CLV optimization, paid media to operational audits, we connect every element of your business.
We're not here for quick wins. We're here to build something sustainable together.
I live in Haarlem with my wife Anne and our four kids (three boys, one girl). Family keeps me grounded. Business keeps me sharp. I've learned that legacy isn't just about what you build—it's about how you build it and who you bring along for the journey.
I also mentor founders through business strategy and personal productivity frameworks (GTD, Profit Acceleration Method). I believe clarity precedes scale, and that most problems in business come from trying to grow without first fixing the foundation.
If you're a 7- or 8-figure e-commerce brand looking for a partner (not just another agency), let's have a conversation.