Wim GE De Vos

Small businesses with a BIG impact

Are you ready? We were born ready 😎

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me and “crazy” Tony ready for the kick off in front of his award-winning 🏆 acoustical 🔈light 💡 modules.

“Are you ready?”

A question that creates sleepless nights for some, injects a dose of self-doubt for others and triggers a firm YES for a few.

When discussing this with my friend, “crazy” Tony Decavele from award-winning 🏆 company Zumi* last week we listed the possible answers for you.

  • Ready? For those who wait, everything is always too late.
  • Ready? We were born ready.
  • Ready? I am ready when you are.
  • Ready? If we wait until we are ready we will wait for the rest of our lives.
  • Ready? Are you not ready or are you scared? There is a difference.
  • Ready? Don´t wait until you are ready to take action. Rather take action to be ready.
  • Ready? If you are not ready today, you will be less so tomorrow.

Pick an answer, you are bound to be right…

✌🏼 Be well, be you.

And if Belgium 🇧🇪 does not win the World Cup 🏆 it will be because the world was not ready…😂

*Zumi.be is a fast growing start-up offering the world beautiful and innovative lighting & acoustical solutions. You should check it out.

 

wealth 💰 = financial freedom

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wealth = financial freedom

Yesterday I was discussing what wealth 💰 meant to me personally. Wealth is an important and interesting concept. Even useful day to day. It gives guidance 🔜 and offers me a sense of freedom.

Wealth to me is my level of financial freedom 🆓. I can actually calculate it and reduce it to a simple number 🔢.

my wealth formula:  liquid financial reserves / cost of lifestyle that makes me happy = financial wealth in months or years

Eg: 100.000 € savings/5000€ monthly cost = 20 months. Wealth of 20 months.

It shows that both parts of the equation are variables. Happiness 🐬 is a given.

Be happy with less or more, earn or save less or more. All have an immediate impact on my amount of wealth, i.e. financial freedom.

The same is true for small businesses. And financial freedom can be a basis for more innovation, risk taking, embracing change, creativity,…

Do you know your wealth? Personally and as a business?

Design thinking: solution vs problem

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Laura presenting what she has learned, developped and is suggesting for ICE cinema. Design thinking in practice yesterday at Genesis Technologies.

Design thinking is a solution-oriented way of thinking. (as opposed to problem-oriented thinking).

It is often used in architecture and product design. But ever more it is finding its way into business thinking.

It makes us question ❓everything, even the assumptions and not take anything for granted. Design thinking also teaches us to “prototype” and not fall in love with our first idea. But above all it makes us search 👀 for “what could be”. Instead of building on past or existing structures.

In my view this is key 🗝 to become and remain relevant in 21st century business.

In case you are interested in how Design Thinking can apply to your business take a few minutes and read through this blog post (see blog from lightsaber Strategyzer).

 

What I learned @ Barco Digital Cinema 📽️

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Back in the early 2000’s I was working for Barco Cinema division in China. A unique experience and years later I value greatly what I learned.

  • The power 👊🏽 of intercultural teams.
  • The importance of co-creation 🤝 when making a strategic plan.*
  • Ways of creating internal buy-in with management🤵.
  • The value of brand positioning when entering a new market💹.

In 12 months we landed a multi-million dollar💰 contract that laid the foundation for dominant market share for Barco in ditigal cinema in China.

Working in a start-up venture inside a big company was both challenging and very rewarding. I highly recommend everyone to grab such opportunities when offered the chance. #offthebeatentrack #buildingabusiness.

Following this adventure I moved to Barco’s home cinema division which was the start of my journey in the smarthome and private cinema market…

Do you look back and value past experiences? And how do you connect the dots into the future?

*More on co-creation in a future post.

Growthhack: make your customers rich

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Genesis Technologies freemium model
at your service

Today I received an interesting message from my friend and innovation visionary Sunam Sat. He told me that the following statement describes Genesis Technologies business model well.

Whereas the conventional business models focusses on taking as much money as possible from clients, I see Genesis Technologies differs radically as you want to make your customers rich. 

True statement. It describes Genesis Technologies freemium model.

Genesis technologies is continuously learning and giving back. We collect, process and repackage insights and knowledge we get from the market. To then offer these back to our partner free but with added value. We operate as a knowledge sharing platform. This is and will always be free. We intend to give back what we receive. The gift and the counter-gift. Classic Marcel Mauss.

Our revenue model is completely based on the products and services we sell. This while knowledge and experience sharing will remain free. This is how we are wired. This is who we are.

We offer installation partners, architects, builders, interior designers and end-clients:

  • free access to a WOW-experience in our VIPlounges
  • free training (product, system, business)
  • free advice on best practices in creating smarthomes, private cinemas, …

And as we make our clients richer 💵 and stronger 💪🏻 we ourselves will also prosper.*

As a small business making a BIG impact it is how we have built our tribe.

How do you approach your customers?
Let me know as continuous learning is the key to growth.

*Richer does not necessarily imply monetary terms. Often by sharing insights or an experience we offer value to our partners for free.

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