Unfiltered is Charles Maes’ direct take on business, leadership and the industry, no jargon, no filters, just bold opinions, real insights and behind-the-scenes truths.
Respect (noun, Larousse): the feeling that leads you to treat someone with particular consideration. I'm going to be honest. Not "LinkedIn honest". Actually honest. In the space of one month, two clients turned me down. Two clients I know well. People I built things with, adjusted for, and absorbed the kind of headaches that never […]
There is a scene I've come to know well. Meeting room. The pitch is over. A short silence. Not an awkward one. A dense one. Then someone says: "That's very creative." I used to file that under "good sign." These days I know it's more subtle than that. Because behind that sentence, two reactions usually […]
I must be an idiot to keep falling for it. Because I recognize these beginnings right away. The call that starts well. Too well. The tone is direct, almost committed. "We absolutely want to work with you." Not an inquiry. Not an exploration. A foregone conclusion. We talk about the project. It flows. It's smooth. […]
There is something beautiful, even noble, in the act of starting. Leaving a company, walking away from a permanent contract, launching your own events agency with that blend of faith, adrenaline and fear. It is a bold move. A real leap. And for that alone, respect. But what fascinates me is what happens just after […]
There's a stubborn fantasy in entrepreneurship. The indispensable founder. Always there. Always center stage. Always the one without whom everything grinds to a halt. It's flattering. It's good for the ego. And it's often completely wrong. @[urn:li:organization:18733116|GOOD VIBES events & communications] works precisely because I'm not essential to every minute of every day. Because I […]
Try to please everyone and you end up pleasing no one. We've all heard it. We quote it, we share it, and then we forget to ask what it actually means when you're the one making the decisions. In our business, that question comes back after every event. At GOOD VIBES, we send out a […]
There's a scene that replays in my head all the time. An old head chef, apron stained, eyes like a blade, saying quietly: "What's written on the menu has to be on the plate." No poetry. No performance. Just a professional hygiene rule. And yes, a moral one too. Today, I work in a world […]
Someone said this to me the other day, sandwiched between two brief notes. Not in a confrontation. Not as a joke. Just casually, almost offhand, but still a little bit serious. "I wouldn't want to be your client. I'd be too scared of ending up in a LinkedIn post." That's when I started wondering what […]
