While on a weekend ski trip in Australia a few years back, Matt and a couple of his builder friends started talking about how good it would be if it was possible to travel to some of the worlds top ski and surf locations, but do it as a business expense.
As a former plumber, Matt totally understood the frustration of running a business that’s tied to a location. Of course, there are lots of positives also, however one thing that is quite restricted is the ability to travel.
I know how hard it is to get away when you’re a business owner. Business commitments, family and life in general get in the way. Not to mention the guilt of not spending that time and money in a way that benefits your business.
I developed this program as a way for tradies and contractors to have their cake and eat it.
You can now travel to world class locations, with an awesome group of like minded people, while also learning and applying skills that will help you grow your business.
Who wouldn’t want to do that?
– Matt Jones
Primarily, this event is for people that work in a trade business (like plumbing, building, electrical, etc). You’ll probably be either the business owner, a manager, in the marketing department, or someone within an organisation that is looking to advance their skills for the benefit of the company they work for.
You’d probably enjoy travel and in this instance, as we’re going to Japan in the thick of winter, it’s probably ideal that you like the snow and can handle the cold.
If you enjoy meeting new people, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to network and collaborate with people just like yourselves, from lots of different locations and markets. You’ll meet Australians, New Zealanders, North American’s and people from all types of locations and backgrounds.
You’ll probably enjoy activities that relate to winter sports. You don’t necessarily have to be an accomplished skier, or snowboarder to enjoy this event, however you may want to give it a try.
You’ll probably enjoy experiencing a different culture…and trust me, in Japan, they have a different culture, it’s incredible.
The language is amazing, the food is divine and the people are unforgettable.
You’ll be the type that likes to learn and improve. Much of what we’ll be teaching will be new to you, so you’ll need to have an open mind and go in with a ‘teach me new things’.
You’ll need to be comfortable with stepping away from the business for a few days. Sure you’ll be able to connect to the internet and cellular phones will work on local or roaming plans, however you’ll be in a different timezone and you’ll not be able to take phone calls as normal.
If that kind of sounds like you, then you’re in the right place.
Simple really. We wake up and prepare for a day of fun on the mountain. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced skier/snowboarder, or if it’s your first time, Hakuba caters to all levels of ability.
We make our way to the mountain of your choice. There are 10 resorts in the Hakuba region to choose from, so you can either decide on the day where you want to ride, or you can make your mind up the night before.
We ski/snowboard until early afternoon, then make our way back to the hotel, where the conference room will be ready and waiting for you to a two hour workshop.
After the workshop, we can go and chill for a couple of hours, before we head out for dinner and a couple of refreshments, swapping stories of who had the biggest stacks and who threw the earned the ‘hero of the day award’.
One of the biggest problems that we see day-to-day with trade businesses is they often seem to be dropping the ball when it comes to communicating effectively with past and present customers AND nurturing potential customers.
“You’re 80% more likely to retain a customer than gain a new one”
This means that it’s not only cheaper to nurture your customers than market for new ones, it’s also more likely that you’ll do work for them a second time around…if you play your cards right.
In this workshop, we’re going to build an entire years worth of communications specifically for your customers, so you can keep them engaged, happy and coming back…USING AN AUTOMATED, PROVEN SYSTEM!
The Hakuba Valley is located deep within the Japanese Alps inside the Nagano Prefecture.
The valley incorporates 10 ski resorts, over 200 runs, 139 lifts, huge towering peaks, a local village, ski /snowboard shops, a combination of traditional and Western dining and apres ski entertainment.
This area the heart and soul of snow sports in Japan and played host to many events during the 1998 winter Olympics including, downhill skiing, ski jumping and the super G.
It’s a relatively short flight from Australia (compared to what we’re used to anyway). 10 hours ‘up the road’ is just enough time to watch a couple of movies and crush a few beers.
The transport system in Japan leads the world, so once you arrive in Narita (the airport), it’s super easy to get around. Warning, it’s a pretty busy place, so prepare for a shock 😉
It takes a couple of hours to get from Narita to Hakuba, which is in the Nagano region where they help the Olympics. Once you get there, it’s like you’ve stepped onto a movie set.
If you’ve ever had the privilege of skiing in Australia, New Zealand, or North America, you’ll have noticed that the culture is relatively similar. Sure, in North America they drive bigger cars and they speak with a cool accent, but culturally, it’s not that dissimilar.
The cultural differences are one of the reasons I’ll keep returning. It’s just awesome.
Everyone is so polite and respectful, it will blow you away. To the point that when you return back home, you’ll spend a good couple of days trying to adjust to NOT bowing to everybody you greet. The locals will literally do anything for you, it’s amazing.
The food is incredible. There’s something about getting a nice bowl of noodles for lunch that shames the standard burgers and fries we’re used to. The restaurants and bars are great in Hakuba too, so if you’re partial to a beverage or two, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I’ve been lucky enough to ski in lots of destinations around the world, but if you’re wanting reliable snow and lots of it, Japan is hard to beat. There was so much snow one year that they had to dig the lifts out. It was nuts.
There is terrain for all levels of ability. There are beginners slopes and awesome lesson programs, there’s great intermediate skiing if you’re a little more daring and if you’re an advanced skier or snowboarder, you’ll be in Navana with all of the black runs, off-piste skiing and world-class terrain parks.
I friggin love this place and I know you will too, so hopefully, we’ll see you there!
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