Embrace Chaos and Kickstart Your Start-up
Business Toolkit (VTE)
LAK 4.560.000
When: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 July 2023
Where: Vientiane, Laos (Venue TBD)
For the Who, What, Why and How, scroll down
"All your dreams can come true,
If you have the courage to pursue them."
Who: Anyone dreaming to start (or already managing) a business.
With the global pandemic just behind us and the current economic insecurities, most people will feel that this isn’t the right time to start or revamp a business. However, as the Chinese sage Sūnzǐ wrote more than 2½ thousand years ago, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” This 2-day, 5-module workshop is ideal for those individuals who wish to learn to identify and grab hold of the business opportunities that will emerge as the current crisis subsides. The skills you’ll learn can be applied to start-ups or used by those looking to revamp their already established businesses in the post-pandemic world.
Take Note: The medium of instruction for this training will be English. You don’t need to be fluent but you definitely need to have proficient basic English communication skills to take part.
What: The Ultimate Business Toolkit
This 2-day workshop covers the basics of entrepreneurship and business management. Throughout 5 interactive and experiential modules, you’ll learn:
✔ How to recognize, understand and deal with chaos/complexity.
✔ How to become a better critical and creative thinker.
✔ How to create your own, unique ‘Purple Cow’ (USP).
✔ How to develop and visualize this idea through a Business Model Canvas.
✔ How to build and train your first team for business growth.
✔ How to keep that team motivated and delegate work responsibly.
Skillswise this training will have a lot to offer you. Throughout the five modules, you’ll learn about and experiment with theories, ‘games’ and tools taken from internationally acclaimed curricula. Most modules also contains a challenging groupwork task, so you’ll be able to put into practice what you have learnt.
Module-by-Module Overview
~ Introduction to the training
~ The Saeculum of Chaos (what it is and why it matters)
~ Introducing the 3-Cs of Thinking (plus some Mad Hatter stuff)
~ Complexity Thinking (what it means and how to deal with it)
~ Critical Thinking (what it means and how to do it)
~ Creative Thinking (what it means and how to do it)
~ How to start from scratch
~ How to hunt for opportunities in the midst of chaos
~ How to create your own ‘Purple Cow‘ (USP)
~ How to bring your ‘Cow’ to the market
~ A case study of the reinvention of Domino’s Pizza
~ Overview and an example of the Business Model Canvas
~ Customer Segments, Value Propositions and Channels
~ Customer Relationships, Revenue Streams and Key Resources
~ Filling in the Key Activities, Key Partners and Cost Structure
~ Some Case Studies
~ Creating the optimal environment for your team to thrive in
~ Team structure and the Team Competence Matrix
~ Team communications
~ Creative tension (roles in a diverse team)
~ Letting your team play (without causing you a panic attack)
~ Extrinsic motivation (salaries & bonusses)
~ Intrinsic motivation (CHAMPFROGS moving motivators)
~ Empowering your team (delegation poker)
~ Aligning constraints
Bitesize Summery
This is a comprehensive, hands on, 2-day experiential workshop which will give you a 360° vision of the tools and concepts required to successfully launch or revamp your business.
Other than the unique opportunity to pursue your dreams, this workshop will include the following:
✓ Digital copies of the materials used
✓ Annotated PDF slidedecks
✓ Additional PDF reading materials
✓ A Certificate of Achievement
✓ Lunches, coffee/tea
Your Return On Investment is really quite straightforward, 83% of start-ups fail within the couple of years and of the ones that make it past that point, less than 50% will still be in business five years later.
In other words, being a business owner isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s hard work and requires long hours, so you’d better get started the right way. And that is why you owe it to yourself to invest in this training!
Throughout the five modules of this training, you will learn about, and experiment with, the following tried-and-tested theories and business tools:
✓ 3-Cs of Thinking
✓ Culture of Innovation Framework
Like with any perfect meal, the elements of this training are carefully balanced. It’s all about the right amount of theory versus practice, general experience versus your personal experience and one-way teaching versus two-way sharing/feedback.
To put learnt theories into practice, most of the five modules are accompanied by a group assignment to challenge your critical and creative thinking skills.
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Any further questions?
Why: Because the dream and reality don’t actually match.
Just imagine this – After a long day of work, you park your shiny new hybrid Porsche Taycan (because it’s a cool car yet environmentally friendly) on the driveway of your suburban home. It’s late — but not that late — so you decide to take a plunge in your private pool. When you come out of the pool, you see that your partner is waiting for you on the terrace with your favourite cocktail. You clink glasses and, as you look at the night sky, you think to yourself: This is the life, FREEDOM!
But then also imagine this – You work long hours, but rather than enjoying your sparse free time, you find yourself stuck at your desk, feverishly trying to balance the numbers. At night you often wake up bathing in sweat, anxiously awaiting the days to come. People just aren’t buying your product or service, there’s no money coming in but so much flying out … “WHY?”
83% of businesses FAIL! And less than 50% of those who do succeed will last for more than 5 years.
The statistics are mind-boggling – 83% of start-ups fail within the couple of years and of the ones that make it past that point, less than 50% will still be in business five years later. The reasons for these dramatic numbers are mostly lack of market research and planning in the early stages and an unhealthy cash flow as time progresses. So there’s your eye-opening “WHY”.
Let’s face it – Being a business owner (i.e. being your own boss) isn’t for the fainthearted. It’s hard work and requires long hours, especially in the early stages of a new-born business. So, you’d better get started the right way. And that is why you owe it to yourself to join this workshop!
Learn actionable take-aways during two action-packed days, complete challenging tasks and find the inspiration to kickstart your business today!
How: Achieving mastery of the topics covered.
Like with any perfect meal, the elements of this course are carefully balanced. It’s all about the right amount of theory versus practice, general experience versus your personal experience and one-way teaching versus two-way sharing/feedback. All this with the intention to help you achieve mastery of the topics covered. Moreover, most of the five modules in this workshop contain a challenging groupwork task to put learnt theories into practice and further enhance your understanding.
Still have some questions racking your brain?
Have a look at these FAQs …
It might, but it’s really all on you. You can’t expect to just sit through some workshop sessions feeling like you know it all. You have to experiment with and implement what you’ve learnt!
No, you don’t need to be fluent but you definitely need to have proficient basic English communication skills to take part.
If you worry that your level of English might not be good enough, keep in mind that you’ll receive annotated PDF copies of the slide decks used in the training. These can help you review the content you might not have completely understood.
Moreover, on the checkout page you can indicate if you would like to see an interpreter present during the training. If enough attendees request this, I will organize an interpreter.
The number of attendees varies greatly depending on location, time of year etc. There are, however, a couple of basic rules. First, I require a minimum of 4 attendees to confirm a workshop as with this number I can pay my basic external costs. (i.e. licence fees, venue rent etc.)
Otherwise, I aim for classes of 6 to 16 attendees and I’ve set the maximum to 20 to make sure the group is manageable and everybody will get the most out of the workshops.
Yes, after the workshop has been completed, you’ll receive soft copies of all the materials used throughout the workshop. In addition to this, we’ll also send you annotated PDF copies of the slide decks used so you know what each slide was about long after you completed the training (my slides don’t contain much text).
Yes, if you attend both days of the workshop, you’ll receive a
Certificate of Achievement
However, keep in mind that a piece of paper isn’t going to manage your business, only you can do that.
Registering for this workshop is quite straight forward. All you need to do is click any of the “Register Now!”, “Book My Spot!”or “Book it Now!” buttons on this page and follow the steps.
First, you’ll be taken to a checkout page where you need to fill in your personal and credit/debit card details and complete a short survey.
Once you submit your order, you are automatically registered for the workshop and you will receive a receipt of payment by email.
You can pay your booking directly on this website via credit/debit card. By doing so, your payment will be processed securely by our top notch secure payment gateway, Stripe, and you’ll receive confirmation instantly.
Alternatively, you can book your place and request to be invoiced. You will then be emailed you an invoice which can be paid by card, direct bank transfer, BCEL OnePay or even in cash at a later time.
However, please note that you need to settle an invoice at least ONE week before the scheduled start of the event and that your booking will not be confirmed until we have been paid in full.
My workshops are held on the basis of sufficient enrolment. If a workshop is cancelled due to insufficient enrolment, you will be given the option of a full refund or transferring your booking to the next available date at no additional charge.
If a workshop is cancelled due to an emergency, illness, accident, death, or any other imaginable crisis, either before or after its scheduled start, you will not incur any expenses and all fees paid will be fully refunded.
You can, of course, cancel your booking of this workshop at any time by sending an email to service@wuweixp.com; however, if you do so, keep in mind the following stipulations:
If you cancel your booking at least 1 month before the scheduled start of a workshop, all your paid fees will be refunded.
If you cancel your booking at least 7 business days before the scheduled start of a workshop, only 50% of your paid fees will be refunded.
If you cancel your booking within the week before the scheduled start of a workshop, any fees paid will not be refunded.
Yes, lunches for both days are included in the workshop fee and coffee, tea and water will also be made available throughout the days.
No, there’s no specific dress code for this workshop. However, a couple of days before the event, I’ll email you a recommended dress code based on the majority preference (it’s a question on the checkout survey) of those who registered. I only do this to make sure nobody will be either over- or underdressed and feel out of place. In the end, what you decide to wear is completely up to you.
Seen Enough? Book Your Seat Now!
Don’t hesitate any longer, make the smart choice to invest in yourself.
And claim your discounted Early Bird fee before the offer expires in:
“Great illustrative stories and experiences. Good pace to the sessions. I Would certainly recommend Marko to others.”
“Marko explains the topics well and is a good communicator. I liked that he has lots of examples that relate to the topic.”
“Marko is philosophical and uses previous experiences to help contextualize and contrast the practices he teaches.”
“Marko is a very good listener and creates a good group connection. As a facilitator he takes the time to cover each topic, and he’s not pushing to go fast.”
“As a trainer, I will use the ‘Personal Maps’, as that opened up the audience to a level I have not seen before. I have seen beyond the job titles and really connected with others.”
“Marko is very approachable and open to challenging questions. Very clear in teaching with good explanations. He provided strong foundation knowledge to us in effective ways.”
“Marko is very engaged and straightforward.”
“Marko is knowledgeable about the topic, very accommodating, approachable and on-time.”
“Marko is a committed facilitator who takes the effort to get to know and help each of the participants personally. He has tried many of the practices and innovated them.”
“Marko is attentive and keeps going around to check if everyone understands and is okay.”
“Marko is charming, ready for any question and happy to answer whatever is asked. “
“I’m inspired! A presentation with a pinch of humour, a drop of personal anecdotes. An eye-opening ride-along with some well transmitted philosophical concepts.”
“Marko provides insight through forward thinking. He captures his audience by encouraging them to make connections across a range of ideas. He has been an inspiration .”
“It felt like a risk booking him, but Marko proved to be an enchanting raconteur, full of entrepreneurial street-smarts. He’s also reliable to work with and punctual.”
“Through his professional and well prepared, presentation style, Marko really manages to connect to large diverse audiences on a deep, intimate and individual level.”
“Marko is very professional. All tech and media savvy and yet there’s a comfortable natural and effortless flow to his presentation.”
“Marko has helped me become a better leader, mentor and entrepreneur. I would certainly count him as one of the most creative professionals in the industry.”
“Marko is an effective communicator, punctual and polite. He is very well prepared, so nothing is left to the last minute. His decisiveness makes him great to work with.”
And yet, I know what you are thinking …
You know that investing in yourself is the smart thing to do… but this training isn’t cheap.
How can you be sure you’ll get your money’s worth?
Well, I’ve thought long and hard about this training. I’ve poured time, money and all my creativity into creating these workshop sessions and, for this reason, I feel confident to offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee!
Just for the sake of full transparency, I am not guarantying that you will succeed in business. You might, of course, but it’s really all on you. You can’t expect to simply sit through some workshop sessions and feel like you know it all. The tools and practices you’ll learn during this workshop are guaranteed to help you launch or revamp your business; but only if you do it!
What does this guarantee entail then? Well, in short, if you (during or after the workshop) feel that this training turned out to be not of an acceptable standard, not fit for purpose, or not living up to its description on this page,
I’ll refund the fees you paid in full.*
All I ask in return for this is that you fill out a short online survey so that I can improve the training. So, don’t be held back by money. Invest in your own professional development and reap the benefits of kickstarting your own business with confidence.
I’ll take the financial risk on your behalf.
* For full details concerning this guarantee and/or other cancelation policies and refunds, please refer to these Terms & Conditions
Well, I’m glad you asked…
My name is Marko van Gaans and, like you, I’ve always been busy with all kinds of ventures. Even as a little kid, back in the Netherlands, I used to run around the neighbourhood with my sisters, offering gardening and car washing services (for a reasonable price, of course). After graduating from high school, I attended a business college, because I wanted to run my own business … but then life got in the way. I was conscripted into the Netherlands Army. This was supposed to be for one year but, to my own surprise, I really liked the army lifestyle and ended up staying for eight years.
After leaving the army in January 2001, I travelled the world for a bit, then worked as an Operations Officer for a small Spanish airline … but then, after just six months at the office, I felt my life had become too mundane. So I packed my belongings, boarded a plane and moved to the small Southeast Asian, landlocked nation of Laos.
One of the first things a friend and I tried to do once I had settled in Laos’ capital, Vientiane, was to start a food delivery service. Alas, this was before Google Maps and smartphones, so our plan didn’t mature. (I’m sure you’ll understand that I’m more annoyed than most by those reckless Food Panda delivery drivers who wreak havoc on the streets of major Asian cities, these days.) But well, I was making a good living as a teacher in Vientiane, so life went on.
Then in 2013, looking once again to expand my horizons, I tried to start an online school together with another friend of mine who had moved to Hong Kong. To cut a long story short, the market wasn’t ready. It seems the world needed a brutal pandemic to finally embrace online learning; too late for us.
But one learns from failure and so, in 2018, I started my own training company. The idea now was to run management training workshops all over Asia. And this time I got it right! Throughout 2018 and 2019, I successfully ran workshops in Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, all with a healthy profit. BUT THEN … COVID-19 stopped it all …
Fortunately, the tides seem to have turned and the world has returned to normal. So I’ve decided to rise from the ashes as well and hit the road again with my workshops.
Just for the sake of full transparency, taking this course does not guarantee that you will succeed in business. You might, of course, but it’s really all on you. You can’t expect to simply sit through some workshop sessions and feel like you know it all. YOU have to implement what you’ve learnt. The tools and practices you’ll learn during this workshop are guaranteed to help you launch or revamp your business; but only if you do it!
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