Make a life-changing work decision in four days
For anyone with a big step to take at work. Whether you’ve got ten projects on the go or one you never quite start.
Our lives are cluttered with distractions and endless demands on our time. Most of us are drowning in noise - social media, world events, work, social and family commitments… Perhaps you've become a master at efficiency - furiously balancing and endlessly optimising everything, but you're still left feeling unfulfilled.
There's usually one thing that you keep postponing and won't leave you alone: a new product idea, major business pivot or a career change. Neglect it for long enough and it becomes the thing you later regret.
Make the Cut is a facilitated retreat in an old country estate, within easy reach of Berlin. We're bringing together a hand-selected cohort of professionals who are each prepared to take a courageous step to move ONE thing forward and declutter whatever stands in the way.
How it works
Here's the deal: you dedicate four days of your life to this process. Bring one, two or more ideas. You'll leave with one priority for going forward, and a list of other important, but postponed ideas.
Why only one idea or priority? Because holding on to two or three is often a trap, having lots of pleasure in potential ideas instead of really focusing on one.
You'll be among people who'll be your sparring partners, and may well stay friends. There'll be time for reflection: winter walks, long dinners and evenings in front of an open fire.
Our facilitated sessions support the process - in pairs, small and large group settings. There will be no teaching and this is definitely not another productivity workshop. Expect some surprises along the way.
Phones and laptops will stay switched off during the retreat. You can check them at set times during the breaks.
What's the schedule
Wednesday: Arrive and say it out loud. Meet your group and name what you've brought with you. Dinner and a fire in the evening.
Thursday: What's underneath and naming the clutter. What's taking up your time, what's been holding you back and where the openings lie.
Friday: Make the cut. You get down to ONE idea or priority. What's at stake as you make that call?
Saturday: Make it real. Make room for it. Declare your first move and your stop list, and get feedback from others.
Sunday: Lock it in and step forward. Agree your check-ins with your accountability partner, last conversations over lunch and arrive home by the afternoon.
30 days later: Online group call (90 mins) Check-in with the group, ask questions and support each other. A WhatsApp group will also be set up to enable you to stay in touch with your cohort.
What you take away
ONE thing that made the cut, written down with dates:
Your first move: one concrete step you'll take within 30 days to test it, such as a conversation, a pilot or a prototype
Your STOP list: what you'll drop or put aside to make room, and by when
Group: people who saw you make the cut and offered support. Stay in touch and back each other.
Accountability partner: someone from the group who holds you to your first move and stop list, with your check-ins already agreed.
Who this is for
A team lead with a change that could upset how things are done
A founder or entrepreneur deciding what to build next (and what not to build)
An executive with a pivot the organisation might resist
Someone who has outgrown their job and is putting off the next move
This can be paid by your employer as part of your learning & development budget. Here is a template to support your request. Your work at the retreat remains confidential.
Meet your facilitators
Igor Ranc is the founder of Handpicked Berlin, a media and event company, now bootstrapping it full-time since mid 2025. He previously worked at NGOs, a big German corporation and a scale-up before finally focusing on his own business. One of his biggest strengths and weaknesses at the same time is idea generation, so making the right cuts has been on his radar ever since he met Simon.
Simon Bowen has been coaching and mentoring since 2008 with people who are deciding whether to start something, running it, or working out how it ends. He is an accredited executive coach at EMCC Practitioner level, with a Practitioner Diploma from the Academy of Executive Coaching. He built a software company in Berlin, scaled and successfully sold it in 2022, staying on as Product Manager with the US buyer until 2024. Before any of that he studied architecture and spent over 20 years in digital media, e-commerce and software.
How much does it cost
We are finalising the pricing, but you can count on €300-400 per day including facilitation, food and lodging.
Why do we love the location
Coconat is an old country estate about 90 minutes from Berlin, close enough to get there easily and far enough to leave the city's noise behind. There's space to think, forest and fields for long walks, and a fire to sit around in the evening. It's a place built for slowing down, which is exactly what we need.