Tim Kieft MSc

From Excel to Odoo: why even companies with tens of millions in revenue still run on spreadsheets

An established trading company, tens of millions in revenue, a site in China and one in the Netherlands, supplying large retailers - and still everything runs in Excel and Google Sheets. It is not a size problem. This is when spreadsheets start to slow you down, what they silently cost, and what the move to Odoo looks like.

Odoo for leasing and rental companies: contracts, assets and a portal where customers manage their own fleet

Leasing and rental are not ordinary sales: they are about contracts, assets, depreciation, maintenance and damage across years. Loose packages each cover a piece. This is how Odoo brings leasing and rental companies onto one platform, plus an Updoo customer portal where lessees manage their own fleet.

Odoo for procurement, sourcing and import companies: from 173 Excel columns to one product model

Sourcing and import companies work between two worlds: factories in Asia and demanding retailers in Europe. We recently made a solution assessment for such a company where a single article row held 173 Excel columns. This is how Odoo brings the chain from RFQ to retailer onto one platform - and why PIM is the heart, built as an Updoo shell.

International accounting with Odoo: one group, multiple countries (and sometimes a Chinese ledger alongside)

Growing companies with a foreign entity hit the same question: does that country's accounting also run in Odoo, or do you keep it local and connect it to the group? This is the honest trade-off - multi-company, fiscal localisation, bank connections and consolidation - with the Chinese ledger as a sharp example.

Odoo hosting and data residency for international companies: where does your data live (Singapore, Europe or China)?

For an international company, hosting is not only "which form", but above all: where does your data live, and who can reach it quickly and legally? If much of your team sits in China, the choice between a Singapore node, Europe or self-hosting suddenly becomes urgent. This is the trade-off, as a deep-dive on our hosting guide.

PIM, EDI and customer portal in Odoo: the three building blocks of B2B wholesale and import

B2B wholesale and import run on three things that must be right: clean product data (PIM), electronic orders (EDI) and self-service for your customers (portal). Separately they work halfway; together on one data model they form the backbone. This is what each does, how they come together in Odoo, and where it goes wrong.

Connect Shopify to Odoo: the complete guide

Shopify sells, Odoo runs your business. But the moment stock, orders, returns and accounting have to add up across channels, the integration becomes decisive. A deep guide to the trade-offs, the choices and the why: from data strategy and stock patterns to connector choice and go-live.

Choosing the best Odoo-Shopify connector: what the comparisons leave out

There is no universally best Odoo-Shopify connector, and Odoo does not build one itself. An honest, in-depth decision guide based on the real apps, their prices and reviews, plus the architecture questions most comparisons skip: who owns the sync logic, REST or GraphQL, and what happens at the next upgrade.

Odoo reviews: what do users really say?

We analysed over 2,500 verified Odoo reviews plus hundreds of forum questions and discussions. This is what users truly value, where it hurts, and the common thread almost no one names.

The most-asked Odoo questions (with honest answers)

We gathered the questions that come up most on the Odoo forum, Stack Overflow and in our own projects - from "what does it really cost?" to "why does my customisation break on upgrade?". Here are the honest answers.

Odoo Community vs Enterprise: when does free cost more than paid?

Community or Enterprise is not a pricing question but an ownership question: do you make yourself dependent on licences, or on technology? An honest decision guide based on user discussions, Odoo documentation and our analysis of 2,500+ Odoo reviews.

Odoo hosting: Online, Odoo.sh or self-hosting?

Beyond the choice between Community and Enterprise, you also choose where Odoo runs: Odoo Online, Odoo.sh or your own server. That choice decides whether you can run customisation, who does the upgrades and what support you get. An honest overview with diagram and table.

All 749 Odoo partners of Europe analysed: 96% work only in their home country

We mapped the complete European Odoo partner landscape: 749 firms across 21 countries. Only 28 are present in more than one country, and just 8 in three or more. What that means when your company has entities across borders.

The most forward-thinking Odoo partners in Europe: 52 scored on 7 measures

We scored 52 European Odoo partners on own products, method, knowledge-sharing, pricing transparency, AI, onboarding tools and awards. No partner is best at everything - the leader changes per measure. Explore the interactive ranking.

Why companies really switch ERP: we analysed 300+ switchers

We analysed over 300 Dutch companies looking for a new ERP. These are the five most common reasons to switch - and the one thread almost nobody names out loud.

Implementing Odoo directly or through a partner? An honest assessment

Odoo is growing fast, but the numbers show where it gets tricky: huge lead volume, mostly micro-businesses, and not a single public figure on retention. What does that mean for your choice between Odoo direct or a partner?

Odoo Studio: rarely the solution, often the start of the problem

Odoo Studio promises quick changes without code. But on upgrades it often breaks - fields disappear from views, inherited views get reset - and combined with custom code it gets dangerous. Why we prefer customisation you can isolate.

Switching Odoo partner? How to move safely to a new Odoo partner

Not happy with your Odoo partner? Learn how to switch safely to a new Odoo partner without losing your database, licences, customisation or progress.

Compare ERP systems: put them side by side yourself

Which ERP fits your company? There is no universal winner. We built an interactive comparator that puts AFAS, Exact, Dynamics, SAP, NetSuite and Odoo head to head - and this guide shows what actually matters.

From SAP to Odoo: what a migration actually looks like

Not a list of alternatives, but the move itself. How we run a SAP-to-Odoo migration, what comes across and what does not, what goes wrong - and an honest TCO comparison of staying versus switching.

Best ERP for metal companies: Odoo, Ridder iQ, MKG, ISAH and Business Central compared

There is no single best ERP for metal companies. An honest comparison of Odoo, Ridder iQ, MKG, ISAH, Bemet and Business Central - with a choice table per type of business, when Odoo is and is not the smart pick, and how to decide with a fit-gap.

Exact Globe Next is end-of-life: what now?

The last full service pack for Exact Globe Next shipped in March 2026. After that: no updates, bugfixes or security patches. You are migrating either way - the question is whether you move to Globe+ or use this moment to choose once, properly.

What does an Odoo implementation cost in 2026?

An Odoo implementation costs roughly €1,000 to €3,000 per user as a one-off. A manufacturer with 15 users and full scope usually lands between €25,000 and €30,000. This guide explains what drives the price and why it drops per user as you grow.

In three months, AI changed our company

Last night at my entrepreneurs' club, within ten minutes the talk was about AI. At our company that wave is no longer a forecast - it is here. What shifted, how we do it, and why we pass the gains to the client.

AI in manufacturing: from hours of work to minutes

At Agrowteam, AI turns a complex bill of materials from Inventor into an Odoo BOM - work that used to take hours, now done in minutes. How it works, where else it pays off on the shop floor, and when to wait.

Custom software just got affordable for mid-sized companies

For years, the software a mid-sized company wanted and the software it could afford were two different lists. AI is bringing them together, and that changes what you can do with Odoo.

Odoo for NGOs: why grant management is the key

NGOs run on idealism and accountability in equal measure. Odoo can be that foundation - but only with a grant management layer that thinks the way an NGO thinks.

AI for cultural organisations: less reporting, more doing

A grant application of forty pages. Half of it sits in last year's applications. At NIMD, AI puts that ready. How this and other patterns work for cultural organisations and non-profits, with togrant.com and concrete examples from our work.

When your checkout needs more than standard Odoo POS

Standard Odoo POS covers most retail: scan, pay, print, stock updated live. This guide covers when you need age checks, deposits or cross-channel loyalty, and when a dedicated till is the simpler choice.

AI in hospitality: time back for your guests

An inbox with reservations, supplier receipts, guest questions and reviews - all mixed up. AI sorts it for you. A demand forecast on your own sales. Patterns that small hospitality businesses can now use, thanks to cheaper custom work.

A self-service portal for your B2B customers, on Odoo?

Odoo has a B2B portal built in: per-customer pricing, payment terms, ordering against quotes. This guide covers what you get for free, what customers actually ask for, and where custom work pays off.

AI in retail: only useful when your stock adds up

Three tills, a webshop, and on Saturday night three different stock figures. That is not an AI problem - that is an 'one-stock-figure' problem. Once you have that, AI can do a lot. Three patterns that work, and a few that do not yet.

Custom prices and configurable products in Odoo: how far can you go?

Made-to-order products with dozens of options and prices in three spreadsheets? Odoo can turn that into a configurator that quotes itself in minutes. This guide covers what's standard, what's custom, and when each fits.

Can Odoo really run your production floor?

Odoo plans production well out of the box. The floor itself needs a screen built for gloves and three-second glances. This guide covers what's standard, where the gap is, and how advanced planning fits.

AI in professional services: one sentence to your planning

'Dominique is leaving, move all his ecommerce tasks to Mitchel.' That is not an email to a colleague - it is a command to Hypergantt. AI in services is concrete, not abstract. With Hypergantt, Jobse groep and NIMD as examples.

What does Odoo customisation cost in 2026?

A focused custom Odoo module typically runs €4,000 to €15,000 and goes live in one to three weeks. This guide breaks down the price ranges, what drives them, and where AI has changed the maths.

Is Odoo's webshop good enough, or do you need something custom?

For most mid-sized webshops, standard Odoo eCommerce is enough, and that's the point. This guide helps you tell when it fits, when targeted custom work pays off, and when to go fully headless.

AI in wholesale: where it really earns its keep

A PDF order that books itself in Odoo. A price list built in four hours instead of four days. A B2B portal that proposes the right reorder. Four patterns we already have running for wholesalers.

AI for your webshop: four things that already work

A product configurator on your Odoo webshop for less than a tenth of a comparable off-the-shelf platform. Product copy in three languages that does not get stuck. Four things AI does today, with examples from our own practice.

From website visitor to concrete ERP lead

An ordinary contact form qualifies nothing. What if the website itself ran the first step of the sales conversation? A look at interactive lead capture with Updoo - and the ERP Reality Scanner as a concrete example.

We are now an Odoo Gold Partner

As of July 2025, Radical Fanatics is officially an Odoo Gold Partner - a title that puts us among the top Odoo partners in the Netherlands. But while others grow in headcount, we deliberately choose to grow in quality.

The best Odoo partner in the Netherlands? Top 10 honestly compared (2025)

Who is the best Odoo partner in the Netherlands? Compare the top 10 interactively on references, status, price level and SME focus - every sort crowns a different winner. With cost, segment, sectors and references per partner, 2025 edition.

Subcontracting in Odoo ERP with traceability based on lots and serial numbers

Video walkthrough on outsourcing production while maintaining full traceability through lots and serial numbers - all in standard Odoo, no custom development.

Why I left AFAS for Odoo - and never looked back

A few years ago I sold my cloud-software company and got my first taste of AFAS. Solid for finance, but something was missing. A year later I found that 'something' in Odoo.

Is your ERP ready for retirement? Time to switch - without the headaches.

Your ERP has served you for years, but it no longer works. Or you run a patchwork of separate tools. Five signs it is time for something new - and how to do it without the nightmare.

Why civil-engineering firms finally need to get their software sorted

In the world of cables, pipes and excavators, it's all about speed and just-doing-it. Without a good system, those metres get lost in stray work orders, double-booked schedules and hours that never get logged.

Why switching to S/4HANA isn't always the right call - and the best alternatives

SAP users being 'nudged' toward S/4HANA face a real decision: go with SAP's new platform, or look elsewhere. The main alternatives - NetSuite, Dynamics, Acumatica, Odoo - compared.

G.O.D. (Getting Odoo Done) - a success formula for Odoo implementations, with a smile

For many entrepreneurs, implementing software is like assembling a motor with only an IKEA manual. Three principles to make it faster and more enjoyable: Getting Odoo Done.

Why people with an ownership mindset are indispensable in SMB

Every company has a few. People who take responsibility without being told what to do. What makes them indispensable - and how they make the difference.

I hate project management

Timeboxing. Agile. Leverage. Touchbase. Bullshit bingo. And yet we run thirty IT projects a year and they mostly go well. How that's possible - and the six points that make the difference.

Keeping projects on track: how to avoid surprises

In every project there comes a point when you wonder: are we still on track? Without clear visibility on progress, even the best-planned project can run into trouble. Oversight is the backbone of success.

Want fast progress? Here's how expert meetings solve the biggest project problems

You're deep in a project. Things look fine, until you hit a wall where you simply lack the knowledge. That's the moment for an expert meeting - not a broad discussion, but a focused session.