The book that will coach you while reading. Guaranteed.

The feedback from our readers has been overwhelming and precisely in line with why we wrote the book 'When the rope snaps: to share what happens if things run out of control in just so little time and to prevent that from happening to you. It's a book that will improve grow your skills and decision making capabilities as a start up and scale-up leader.

What's in the book?

A book that guides you through every phase

Valuable lessons

You will be reading the book through the point of view of the the entrepreneur.

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Crazy personas

You will understand the various personas that will be part of you and your journey

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Key checkpoints

You will identify the crucial checkpoints in your journey and what challenges lay ahead.

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Warning signs

You will be able to be better anticipate on unexpected developments.

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When the rope snaps (English)

When the rope snaps is the shameless story of a tech entrepreneur who, in the prime of his life, loses control over his life, his business, his family and ultimately himself through wrong choices. Raw, moving and personal. The author leaves no stone unturned as he shares his lessons regarding the risks and temptations within the journey. This book is about the vulnerable side of entrepreneurship in tech not taught at business schools.

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When the rope snaps (Dutch)

'Als je touw knapt' is het schaamteloze verhaal van een tech ondernemer die in de bloei van zijn leven, de controle verliest over zijn bedrijf, zijn familie en uiteindelijk zichzelf. In een ‘split second’, door verkeerde afslagen en stress. Het is een rauw verhaal met veel ondernemerslessen die minutieus in gaan op de risico’s en verleidingen die op je pad kunnen komen. Dit boek gaat over de lessen die je geleerd zou willen hebben in de schoolbanken.

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You are in good company

It pays to be a winner

Het openhartige, kwetsbare en toch ook grappige verhaal. Hij surfte als ambitieuze #techondernemer op de toppen van de golven, belandde in de spelonken van de oceaan maar vocht zich krachtiger dan ooit terug aan wal. It pays to be A winner

Kees Amsterdam - Entrepreneur & Journalist

Stay on track

Brutally honest, sometimes felt like reading your diary. The stress of a scale up is recognizable. Deep respect that you shared your story which hopefully helps others to stay on track. I think for everybody doubting to be an entrepreneur (with employees) and all entrepreneurs that are scaling your story is a must read. This is the hard truth, a rollercoaster with high peaks and sometimes bigger lows!

Martin Zwolle - Tech Entrepreneur & CFO

Onvervalste pageturner

In dit boek vertelt de ex-marinier openhartig over de stress die de start-up hem oplevert, en de tropenjaren die hij er beleeft. Nou, het zijn bepaald niet alleen maar zonnige jaren, zo laat Brouwer overtuigend blijken in deze onvervalste pageturner.

Peter Boerman - Werf&

Brutal honest

This is a story about mistakes, weakness and bad choices by very successful entrepreneur but really is learning about strength and courage to be brutal honest about oneself. Its shockingly near to reality of entrepreneurs these times.

You get coached while reading. guaranteed.

I felt like I‘m sitting in a bar and Gerrit sits right in front of me and is telling me everything about the crazy startup world of and its mad characters.

Mathis Christian - Sr. Agile Coach

About us

The Circus Tent is a publishing company producing content about vulnerability in startups and scale ups. The objective of our company is to guide entrepreneurs successfully to the next phases in their business. Building a venture is hard. The Circus Tent is founded by Gerrit Brouwer.

As co-founder and CEO, Gerrit Brouwer made a success of Appical as an employee onboarding platform and founded the industry-leading HR event Onboard Amsterdam. Until a conflict with the investor with Appical cost him his job. Without a severance package or a generous offer for his shares, Gerrit immediately ran into problems and, in addition to his company, he also lost his family. Gerrit himself had to work very hard in the recent years to rebuild his life after Appical. Part of this is the book he has now published about his experiences: 'When the rope snaps'.

With his book, he holds up a mirror for company founders. He wants to share with entrepreneurs exactly those learnings which are not taught in school. How thin the line is between success and failure and how you can lose it all in a 'split second'. In addition to his writing activities, Gerrit is active as an interim manager & strategic advisor for tech startups & scale-ups. He is father of 6 children and lives in Friesland.

It's lonely at the top. Well, not anymore.

Sometimes it's hard to see things clearly as a founder while you are growing your company. It's stressful and it can be lonely at the top at times. The pressure can be too much to handle. It may stretch your personal boundaries and put you at risk without even being aware of it.

We will help you in finding your hidden resilience and stay on top of the game.

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A unique leadership training for startup and scale-up entrepreneurs

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