In 2016, Martijn and Paul, the future founders of Ask Phill, set off on a journey to China that would unknowingly inspire the name and spirit of their company. At the time, almost no one they met on their travels spoke English, which turned even the simplest tasks into challenges.

The only person who could truly help? Their hotel manager: Phill.

Phill became Martijn and Paul’s lifeline. If they needed directions? They would: “Ask Phill.” Trouble ordering food? “Ask Phill.” Unsure what to do next? Always: “Ask Phill.”

The phrase stuck. Inspired by Phill’s approachable, helpful nature, Martijn and Paul realized they wanted to do the same for brands back home: make things simple, provide clarity, and guide them forward. Shopify was just beginning to gain traction in Europe, and they saw its potential.

Fast forward early 2017, Ask Phill became the first ecommerce agency in Europe to master headless builds on Shopify Plus. By 2025, they had reached Platinum Partner status and grown into a trusted partner for global brands. Today, Ask Phill works with some of the world’s leading names in ecommerce, but their philosophy hasn’t changed: just like Phill once guided them, they’re here to guide brands to the next level.

A culture built on openness

Ask Phill’s name may have come from a hotel lobby in China, but its true identity comes from its people. With a team of 50  people from 20 different nationalities, AskPhill thrives on diversity and openness.

Anne Vermeer, who leads HR, remembers her very first encounter vividly:

Even during my job interview, everyone was wishing me good luck, smiling, making me feel welcome. That’s really what makes Ask Phill unique - the people here are passionate, helpful, and genuinely excited about what they do.

That energy is contagious. Developers talk about their projects with such enthusiasm that even Anne sometimes feels tempted to become a developer herself. Beyond passion, there’s a culture of helping one another. People are always willing to step in, even outside their own expertise. It’s an environment where collaboration and openness set the tone.

Flexibility plays an equally big role. With a young, international team, Ask Phill encourages people to work remotely when needed, extending holidays abroad, while visiting family. For many employees, that freedom isn’t just a perk, it’s part of what makes Ask Phill a place they want to grow with.

Homerun: a long-time companion

As Ask Phill grew, so did their need to hire the right people. But in the early days, hiring wasn’t easy. Candidate inflow was tracked manually, the process felt unorganized, follow-ups often slipped through the cracks, and the result was sometimes a poor first impression for people eager to join Ask Phill.

That changed in June 2019, when Ask Phill adopted Homerun. Since then, Homerun has been part of that story, helping them find, evaluate, and welcome new team members in a way that reflects their culture.

By the time Anne joined three years ago, Homerun was already in place. But she quickly discovered how much it could support her work:

My first experience with Homerun was really good. The interface is super easy, you just click around and get it. That’s great for me, but also for colleagues I onboard into the hiring process. I don’t have to explain much - the system kind of explains itself.

One of the biggest improvements Anne has introduced is scorecards. They’ve become essential to creating fair, structured interviews.

“We started using them about a year ago, and it really changed things. Scorecards give structure to our interviews: did I ask the right questions? Did I miss something? It makes me think more critically why this person is actually a good candidate? And it keeps bias out, because everyone evaluates on the same criteria.”

Homerun has also streamlined communication. Features like email templates save hours of repetitive work while still allowing the team to keep candidate outreach personal and thoughtful. For Anne, the difference is obvious: when she replies outside of Homerun, the process feels clunky compared to the efficiency of having everything in one place

Building the next

From a hotel lobby in China to Platinum Shopify Partner status, Ask Phill has always been about guidance - helping others find their way, just like Phill once did for Martijn and Paul. That same spirit defines how they build their team: open, passionate, diverse, and collaborative.

Through it all, Homerun has been there since 2019. A quiet, steady companion in the background, making sure that as Ask Phill builds the next for their clients, they can also build the next for their own team.

As Anne puts it: “We always look for people who want to build the next, who want to do something new, something innovative. Homerun helps us find them.”

Your team deserves the same. Want to hire with less bias, more structure, and a whole lot more heart? Homerun is here to help ✨