Loving Lilium (16) The First Sensing Resort Experience

September 7, 2023

Last June, I met Marc de Graaf after his return to the Netherlands. Marc and his family had lived in Cura?ao for a year, where they designed and implemented green projects in large, luxury resorts. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he wanted to solidify this experience into a new business. He had found a potential business partner, and together, they would create a plan. I briefly explained to him that I could assess the plan using The Leaders Journey and messaged him this model.

At the end of August, the moment had finally arrived. I was invited by Marc, the plan was ready. He had found a 50/50 co-entrepreneur in Rink van de Stroet, and they had worked on it together. Marc (DISC profile red-yellow) and Rink (DISC profile blue-red) were looking for someone who dared to confront them with their blind spots, things that were not yet clear between them, or issues that were still simmering. And that suited me perfectly; I was already looking forward to this day.

The plan

A few days prior, on a Saturday evening, they personally presented the plan to me, and the ink had just dried. I spoke with them for 15 minutes and hinted that the target audience might be too broad, and I had doubts about the name, which had been created by a Branding agency. The name stuck in my mind, but it didn't have the right language, it felt a bit too angular - in short, something didn't quite fit.

I reviewed the plan over the weekend and couldn't visualize what they were really going to do. After checking out their competitors on the internet, my concerns only grew. In short, I was not convinced.

Inspiration

After the weekend, the moment arrived. I went to Marc's house and was pleasantly surprised to find myself in an incredibly inspiring location. It was a place that immediately provided me with the vivid imagery that I had missed in the written plan. Cool, I thought almost out loud, I could see myself living and working here. This place had been created by Marc for himself and his family, and it served as direct evidence of what he was capable of.

Heritage

In the splendid ambiance of Marc's residence, I embarked on a deep exploration of what they truly want to leave behind on this Earth, or in the elegant English term, what their heritage should be. We examined where their personal and complementary experiences and strengths lay. We delved into these, addressing them in all their depth and accompanying emotions while removing any barriers created by limiting experiences and beliefs.

Subsequently, they attempted to sense the experiences that customers should derive from their designs, delving into progressively deeper layers of emotions. During this session, I repeatedly asked them to express these feelings in words. We continued our discussion, focusing on who their customers would be, and equally importantly, who they should no longer target, thus allowing them to concentrate their efforts in their market approach. Once this became clear, I symbolically cast the plan aside and said, "Now you can begin."

Branding

After lunch, we initiated a creative session to craft a potential new name, one that would immediately convey their deepest values, bring them joy, resonate with customers, sound appealing, be easy to remember, position them effectively in the market, and have international appeal. It was an intensive afternoon, often interrupted by walks through the adjacent Binnenvelden, but eventually, that name emerged.

Through this session, a clear and well-defined target audience and product emerged. The emphasis shifted away from the execution phase, focusing instead on their greatest strength: creating concepts. This was followed by anchoring these concepts in a plan and carefully monitoring them during the execution phase to ensure that the essence of the concept remained intact.

Signing

If that's the case, then after the realization, they will have their logo engraved as a symbol that they themselves are experiencing what they aimed for with their concept. This also means that the sensory experience of customers should not be disrupted by design impoverishment during the implementation phase. For example, if real plants are replaced with artificial ones or if the staff does not radiate the right energy because they are being exploited and are too tired. The same goes for adding unnecessary stimuli that can disrupt the sensory experience, so no, there will be no discos, stages, or blaring helicopters landing at the resort. That's for a different audience, not for the audience that seeks such experiences that they return home completely and free of distractions, finding themselves in the peace and harmony of how it once was and once again, in freedom, connected with all that is.

Internal Division of Tasks

The above-mentioned changes in their plan also have an impact on their internal division of tasks, and it was precisely Rink who felt that what had now emerged aligned perfectly with what he wanted - to create something significant. He was willing to quit his job for this, but nothing less. That's why he chose to partner with Marc.

The Harvest???

But there was more to gain from the day. The need for bank financing for cash flow was no longer necessary, because the value creation occurs during the design phase and not during implementation. Furthermore, a planned new office building in Amersfoort was no longer needed. Everything that needs to be in place for a customer to be inspired is already there, and everything that needs to be in place for the staff to work in peace and without distractions is already available after a minor renovation; all within Marc's existing living environment. Sometimes, we seek something outside ourselves that we already carry within us.

The Jump

Marc & Rink are now going to take the jump together, not just into the lake behind Marc's house, but also across the vast ocean.

The Netherlands has become too small for them, that became abundantly clear today. This intensive day came at just the right time because Marc was leaving for Cura?ao a day later to meet with clients from large resorts and hotel chains. And that brings us back to Lilium because more seeds were sown on this day.

Sensing Resorts

One of the key target markets of Marc & Rink are Sensing Resorts. Sensing Resorts won't include smelly and noisy helicopters that disrupt guests' sensory experiences. Sensing Resorts will feature silent, sustainable forms of mobility. This means that perhaps in a few years, the first whisper-quiet Lilium Pioneer Jets will land at Sensing Resorts to offer their customers hotspots flights experiences and more.

Follow Marc & Rink to release their new brand and website

The big question for now is what the final brand name will be. It's not usually the case that a good name is created in one session; this is often a process that spans several months. The next step for Marc & Rink is to consult with their branding agency about this, which can, in turn, lead to an even more fitting name. Additionally, a brand name not only needs to be fitting, but also capable of being protected by a trademark agency. I'm curious to see where this entrepreneurial adventure leads, and I'll be following Marc & Rink through their website, which will go live this year.

Lilium Milestones

We are still waiting for wings to fly.

Lilium hints from CEO Klaus Roewe

We didn’t spot any new hints from Klaus Roewe.

Lilium News

Lilium Client Saudia: working on sustainability minimizing emissions Lilium EASA: We applaud?EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency under?Patrick KY’s leadership, for this very important milestone on the path to enabling the launch of VTOL and electric aviation in Europe.

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Lilium - The Leaders Journey - The Full Story Book

You can find all single LinkedIn Loving Lilium articles here. But there is much more for inspiration! If you want to read The Full Story, you can download the Book for free on our website.

This book is about – you might have guessed already – Lilium. But it is not solely about the most promising and captivating innovation of full electric flying. This book is also about ‘The Leaders Journey’, a full-proof leadership model. I noticed how the Lilium Team follows this path and therefore I am convinced the world will be blown away when Lilium will be officially launched. It will be a revolution in the history of aviation.

Loving Lilium

So, in this book I am sharing the Lillium story, from the perspective of an investor. I instantly fell in love with the model and with the concept (hence the name ‘Loving Lilium’). I am a strong believer and therefore part of the so-called group of early adopters. I will be scanning the market to bring you stories on new developments. But I will also provide information from the inside out, because I was invited to interview members of the Lilium Team. So, if you are interested in Lilium, their sustainability journey, in electric flying and/or in aviation in general, this book will definitely be worth reading.

The Leaders Journey

This book also is about leadership and the journey towards a solid business with a strong business model. As an experienced business innovator I developed ‘The Leaders Journey’. The falling in love with Lilium (an act of the heart) was immediately complemented by the fact that Lilium is following a determined roadmap to success (a realisation of the mind). By telling the Lilium stories I will show you the powerful effect of the Leaders Journey Roadmap. You can of course translate this information to your own (to be created) business. The roadmap helps you finding your destination and setting new milestones. So, if you are interested in a full-proof business model, elaborated by the story of people who dare to dream big (or even sky high), this book will definitely inspire you.

A living book

This book is a living book in which Lilium and some of Lilium's customers will be followed for the next years. As a result, new updates of the book will appear at least monthly, featuring new stories. This book also compiles all previous publications. The most recent book is always available for free download at www.lovinglilium.com.

Menno van Diermen (mailto:[email protected])

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