The work behind the ventures.

Context

My role

As an independent consultant, I worked closely with founders to analyze their businesses, identify gaps in business logic and communication, and translate complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives. I combined business analysis, content strategy, and design thinking to develop materials that communicated value propositions effectively, strengthened investor and customer engagement, and supported fundraising and sales efforts.

Challenges

• Clients came from different countries, each with distinct communication styles, cultural expectations, and ways of working.
• Every engagement involved a different industry and business model, requiring research and contextual understanding from the ground up.
• Founders often had deep technical expertise but needed help translating complex concepts into clear, compelling narratives that non-specialist audiences could understand and engage with.
• Projects operated under tight deadlines, often requiring coordination across time zones, rapid turnaround, and effective prioritization under pressure.

Actions taken

• Adapted communication and collaboration approaches to accommodate clients’ cultural backgrounds, working styles, and expectations.
• Conducted industry, market, and competitive research to build context and develop tailored solutions for each client.
• Translated complex technical and business concepts into accessible, engaging narratives for investors, customers, and other stakeholders.
• Managed competing priorities and cross-time-zone coordination through structured workflows and efficient communication, delivering high-quality work within demanding timelines.

Context

My role

As founder, I lead business development, commercial strategy, and venture development. My responsibilities span product development, scientific collaboration, partnerships, operations, team management, and customer experience. I also oversee the development of systems and new business verticals to support the venture’s long-term growth and operational sustainability.

Challenges

• Coming from a business background, I had to build a venture in a highly specialized scientific field, bringing together scientific expertise and commercial execution while developing a team capable of operating advanced astronomical equipment.
• Astrotourism was an emerging niche with no established operating model to follow. Developing the venture required continuous experimentation, learning from the community, and creating operational standards from the ground up.
• Astronomy alone was not enough to define the offering. The challenge was to develop experiences that combined scientific knowledge with storytelling, history, and local culture, supported by continuous research and development.
• Building the venture required developing supplier relationships, commercial partnerships, and operational networks from scratch. Some vendors also adjusted their pricing based on their perception of the venture’s pricing and customers’ spending capacity, creating challenges in maintaining cost control and sustainable margins.
• Weather conditions and seasonal demand created fluctuations in business activity, making revenue diversification essential for long-term sustainability.
• With my increasing absence from Bali, the venture needed to operate consistently without relying on my physical presence for day-to-day decisions and execution.

Actions taken

• Recruited and coordinated people with scientific expertise, combining their knowledge with business strategy to develop and deliver astronomy experiences. Invested in high-tech equipment and structured team training to build operational capability.
• Started as a community-driven initiative, gathering feedback directly from participants and conducting on-site observations to understand customer needs, operational constraints, and suitable locations. Used these insights to develop and refine SOPs through continuous experimentation.
• Integrated astronomy with storytelling, history, and cultural interpretation to create differentiated experiences. Led product development and research to make scientific concepts accessible, engaging, and relevant to diverse audiences.
• Established relationships with hotels, travel agents, suppliers, and local stakeholders through direct outreach, relationship development, and collaboration.
• Incorporated community engagement, CSR initiatives, and charitable contributions into the customer experience, creating a differentiated value proposition beyond stargazing. These initiatives strengthened community relationships, supported brand positioning, and created opportunities for guests to contribute to a broader social impact.
• Initiated Astrolab Indo, a retail venture focused on telescopes, astronomy equipment, and educational products, to expand beyond experience-based tourism and develop complementary revenue streams.
• Developed operational tools, SOPs, team coordination processes, and regular check-ins to maintain service consistency, monitor execution, and support decision-making without requiring my physical presence in Bali.

Context

My role

As Chief Operating Officer, I focused primarily on operational management, client acquisition, and project delivery. I managed external contractors, coordinated vendors, oversaw project execution, and maintained quality control across client deliverables. I also contributed to business development, client relationships, and the development of Brandneo’s service offering and positioning.

Challenges

• Establishing credibility from scratch — Brandneo entered the market without an established portfolio or agency credentials. Competing against established agencies required a differentiated value proposition, while my personal brand and existing consulting relationships became important sources of credibility.
• Managing quality within a cost-efficient model — Working with student contractors helped maintain competitive pricing, but varying levels of experience and execution quality created challenges in delivering consistent client outcomes.
• Building an independent client pipeline — Initial projects came primarily through Keyliine Consulting. Brandneo needed to develop a portfolio and establish its own positioning before it could independently attract and serve new clients.
• Balancing operational demands — Managing contractors, client expectations, project timelines, and quality assurance required significant coordination alongside my existing consulting responsibilities.

Actions taken

• Developed a cost-efficient service delivery model by working with student contractors and external contributors. Positioned affordability and accessibility as key differentiators for startups and SMEs.
• Leveraged my personal brand, consulting relationships, and existing client network to establish credibility and generate initial business opportunities.
• Introduced a quality assurance process by engaging a senior designer to review deliverables before they were presented to clients. Combined the strengths of contributors with different experience levels to improve execution quality while maintaining cost efficiency.
• Used Keyliine Consulting’s existing client relationships as the initial source of projects, building a portfolio of completed work and gradually developing Brandneo’s independent positioning.
• Managed client engagements from initial meetings and needs assessment through project scoping, contractor coordination, delivery, and quality control.