Accelerate Your Entrepreneurship Journey!
Acquire the business skills that will take you to the next level
"Laurent provided our teams with training on sales techniques, strategy, and management. We were always very satisfied with the courses’ quality. Laurent knows how to adapt to different profiles. He is very clear, accurate and dynamic, our local and international colleagues have enjoyed being supported and mentored by Laurent. I strongly recommend him."
- Solène Favre, Global Insurance Director, VisionFund International
A little theory, a lot of practice
My training courses are made for entrepreneurs and their leadership teams who recognize they lack the skills (or need a refresh) to take the business to the next level.
They are based on my 23 years of experience. I don’t share anything that I haven’t tried myself.
They follow one key principle: a little theory, a lot of prqactice.
Theory fundamentals because there’s no need to re-invent the wheel when others before you have laid down foundations that have proven to be successful.
Practice because nothing replaces it. This is how I do it:
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I integrate my own experience applying such theory at work
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I illustrate the courses with multiple practical examples and case studies
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I create exercises and role plays based on real-case scenarios
Studies have shown learning becomes more efficient when you immerse yourself into concrete situations you can refer to, while evolving in the safe environment that the class provides (where making mistakes is not only fine but is also recommended).
My goal is to make your training experience as practical as possible so you can immediately put what you learn to use.
The 5 things you need to know about training with me
1. I deliver my training courses live in person, or via Zoom.
2. They are condensed over a short period of time, which doesn’t overload your and your team’s already busy schedules:
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In-person: from 1 to 3 full days or 2 to 6 half-days. I recommend using a neutral location, outside the office (but not too far for convenience reasons).
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Zoom: maximum 2 hours per session to avoid participants’ fatigue. The total duration of the course and the frequency of the sessions are agreed upon prior to commencement.
3. All my training courses are highly interactive, so you and your people will enjoy a high-energy experience that lasts throughout the duration of the courses. Such interactivity also provides an excellent opportunity for you and your team to bond, and brainstorm together.
4. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 12 if in-person, and 7 if online. A small group of people facilitates learning because everyone has the chance to interact and get some sort of individualized attention.
5. Prior to the course every participant will get a self-assessment questionnaire. I’ll also have a private 1-1 chat with the main decision-maker. I’ll use everything I discover to tailor the content and adapt the roleplays so they’re perfect for your real business needs.
"It was very practical, not too much theory. We were also able to share our experience. All the content was very much in line with what I was looking for, how to improve my leadership skills."
- Training participant who requested anonymity
The 5 business skills every entrepreneur should possess
Now the big question is: What are the fundamental business skills entrepreneurs should be equipped with?
I see 5 of them.
1) Business Strategy
Consider the following: Would you honestly drive your car blindfolded and take the risk to crash and hurt yourself or someone else?
The same applies to your business: When you drive it blindfolded, the risk to crash and damage it is too high.
This training course will enable you and your people to:
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Understand the importance of a real business strategy
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Learn the 5 key elements of any efficient business strategy
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Ask the right strategic questions
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Align your people behind your business strategy
Interested? Click on the button to leave your details. I’ll revert to you by email within the next 24 hours.
2) Sales
You could have the best product or service in the world, if you don’t sell it, you have NO business.
Selling is always about putting your customers at the center of everything that you do, not the other way around.
This training course will enable you and your people to:
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Understand what selling is, once and for all
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Find out how to avoid the Me, Myself and I syndrome
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Implement the sales cycle
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Test and acquire sales techniques
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Increase customer acquisition
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Improve customer retention
This training course is the most demanded. Leave your contact details to order it.
3) Leadership
All businesses are made of and by people.
So, you must master the art of taking care of your main asset, your people.
This requires you to become the leader your employees are expecting you to be.
This training course will provide you and your people with:
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The 5 Unconditional Leadership Rules
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How to avoid the common leadership pitfalls
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How to hire and retain the best people
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How to grow your teams to new heights
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How to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally
Release the leader in you and apply now.
4) Financial Management
As the owner of your business, cash is your #1 priority.
You need cash to grow your company, and the faster the growth, the more cash it will absorb. Cash is your business life’s blood.
That’s why you must understand how to generate and maintain cash (which is different from revenue, i.e. sales), and find out how financial data can help you make better decisions.
This training course will enable you and your people to:
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Be able to use financial results to make informed decisions
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Develop a vocabulary of financial terms
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Understand the basics of financial concepts
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Improve cash-flow management
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Read and analyse key financial files
No financial background is required to undertake this training course. Register now.
5) Time Management
What’s the one resource we all have access to for free?
Time!
But how often do you say I don’t have time? I’m sure you have your fair share.
However, there are many simple time management techniques you can learn to work smarter (not harder), which will enable you to concentrate on the most important things.
This training course will enable you and your people to:
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Understand time in a business context
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Find out the 3 KEY rules of time management
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Discover time management techniques that work
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Learn to become more time-efficient, thus more productive
What are you waiting for? Leave your contact details below to know more about this course.
"These sessions helped me view myself from another perspective. They made me realize how much better I can become."
- Sola Engele, Brand Ambassador, Samai Distillery
"I hired Laurent to train our colleagues. He is brilliant and very straightforward in explaining!"
- Dewi Cempaka Arum, Customer Excellence Manager, Chip Mong Group, Cambodia
"Laurent will be an excellent support for entrepreneurs and business owners, with a very clear sense not only of their perspectives and aspirations but also of what they need to do in order to succeed in the market."
- Christophe Horvath, Founder, InSpirAll Ltd
"I always appreciate people who can motivate and empower others. The ability to share not only the knowledge but the energy is truly remarkable."
- Arina Lykova, Co-founder and Managing Director, EntreCom Enterprise Community
"Laurent is great getting his audience engaged, encouraging people to participate, and making it an interesting and enjoyable experience."
- Tiffany Tsang, Writing & Design Consultant, GIZ
You know as well as I do that running a business is far from simple.
I talk a lot about mindset, but the reality is entrepreneurship also requires fundamental business skills that many entrepreneurs lack.
Let me give you an example:
I needed an official document to be translated from French to Finnish. I contacted the French Embassy and they sent me a list of 7 translators.
I then reached out to each one of them.
2 emails bounced back as the addresses weren’t valid. A lesson in the importance of updating your contact details if ever there was one!
3 didn’t reply to me. Not sure if my message went into their spam folder or if they didn’t care.
2 answered me as follows (unofficial translation from French to English by me):
Translator 1:
Thank you for your message. I work full-time as a translator and am used to doing translation work as you requested.
My fee would be as follows: translation XX€ + VAT 24% = XX€
If you need me to mail you the document, I’ll add the fee for express mailing (X€).
I will send you the translated document one day after you accept my offer.
Translator 2:
Thank you for your message.
The fee will be X€ (NB: 40% cheaper than the 1st offer)
What’s your deadline?
So, if you were me, which translator would you have selected?
I went for the first offer.
Of course, I was tempted by the cheaper quote, but it didn’t sound as professional as the first one.
I assumed that both translators were good. But I felt that Translator 1 would provide a better service. I trusted my gut feelings.
I was right. Translator 1 delivered on her promise. And I was very happy with the money I paid.
What’s the lesson here?
I made a purchase purely based on my emotions.
We all do. Every time we buy something, we follow the emotional connections that we create with a product (e.g. being part of the same tribe) or a person (e.g. trust) and rationalize our choice later on.
If you don’t believe me, ask yourself how you selected your mobile phone or your bank, then ask yourself why.
So, what’s my point?
I hear many entrepreneurs saying they’re bad salespeople or they’re afraid of being too pushy.
That’s because they’re not looking at sales the way they should.
Let me tell you: Nobody cares how great your brand is, especially when your products or services look very similar to the many others.
This is why most entrepreneurs drop the price to try and make the sale easier (just like what Translator 2 did).
The problem with such an approach is that it’s a race to the bottom because there will always be someone who’s cheaper than you.
Ultimately, you’re not born a salesperson, you become one. And the best part is core sales skills apply whether you're selling in a B2B, B2C, or even a B2B2C environment!
This is excellent news because it means you can acquire the sales skills you need to succeed through training!