Hurray! My site has reached the young age of 1.

And look at all the possibilities that exist with number 1.

1 quote: ‘It’s better to be 3rd instead of 1st’ Malcolm Gladwell

1 thing I’m thankful for: Ella, born on October 11th

1 book that inspired me: ‘Delivering Happiness’ by Tony Hsieh

2011: 1 leap of faith

2011 was a year of big changes. As I relocated to the Netherlands in April, I started over my business in a new environment. Moving from a continent where hope and optimism abound, I arrived in grim Europe.

Economic outlooks (that never really looked overly optimistic the past years) were bad, governments were slashing expenditures, the Euro went into crisis, etc, etc… Not really an ideal moment to start a business. And various people warned me upon my arrival.

But I’m an optimist and love to be challenged: if I can be successful in the middle of a crisis, then I can be successful no matter what. And just how big is the challenge really? I had shown my ability to set-up a business in a totally new environment when I arrived in Thailand. So despite the crisis, why wouldn’t I be able to do it in this relatively well-known environment?

So I took the leap and just started. And now after 8 months I can say that a couple of seeds start to grow. Some nice projects are paying off and I got a bunch of interesting new clients, especially from the corporate world (since government agencies are way too busy slashing ruthlessly).

In a saturated market the real challenge proved (and still proves) to be defining my specific value proposition. My approach is unique and personal but how do I stand out in a market that counts so many ‘change facilitators’, ‘management consultants’, ‘strategic advisors’, etc… Answers slowly have begun to emerge. As you might have noticed on my website.

1 year at a glance:

• 1 169 visitors
• over 5000 page views
• from over 45 countries
• Top countries: Netherlands, Thailand, Singapore, Belgium and the US
• 42 blogposts published

2012: Not 1 way, but many

With so many personal changes in 2011, there’s the risk that next year will lack of excitement. But I’ve pledged myself to get the business growing in several directions.

Why several directions? Because I love to get involved in different exciting ventures. And it makes sense from a business point of view: the days a business could rely on just one product or service are behind us. And as start-up I want to serve you with the best I have. So I need to use all the possibilities to make
a) meetings creative and engaging and,
b) change and innovation easy.

Here’s an overview of what you can expect for the 2nd year:

• Interviews with thought leaders about meetings, improvisation, change and innovation. For now I have Alex Osterwalder and Al Pittampalli confirmed. More will follow soon.
• Regular workshops on meetings and change. For the first half year you’ll be able to sign up in the cities of Cape Town, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam
• My first book covering ‘creative meetings’. This is mainly of interest for my Dutch audience as the book will be in Dutch and is expected around summer time. An English book is definitely on the wish list, but not yet planned
• Expanding my client base in the Netherlands and abroad. Having made a first dent into big corporations, I’ll target to help more of them. While at the same time keeping the focus on helping people do this on an individual level with workshops and coaching
• Last but not least, my Corporate Responsibility will get a boost through my website somewhere in 2012. I hope to involve you all much more than I did till now.

I’m ready for 2012!