01
Step back
Leave the everyday pressure behind. What occupies your mind, gives you energy or needs attention? There is room for the person, not only the entrepreneur who always has to keep going.
Back to MensFortiaRetreat for entrepreneurs
One-to-one leadership retreat · Dordogne
Retreat for entrepreneurs
Stop. Look. Choose again.
Your business is changing. What does its next stage ask of you? Step back in the Dordogne and explore with Ruud what you want to keep, learn and do differently — for your business and your life.
3 to 5 days · Dordogne · for you as an entrepreneur
Arrange a conversationDistance to see clearlyLearn from your own experienceFor you and your business
What decreases
Stress and workload
Look at what you can hand over and which boundaries help you carry less on your own.
What returns
Energy and enjoyment
Make room again for energy, the enjoyment of entrepreneurship and work that fits you.
Does this sound familiar?
Your business is growing. Is your role keeping up?
You have built a great deal. Yet the role that once suited you may now ask too much. Decisions keep returning to your desk, letting go is difficult and time to look ahead becomes scarce. This is not a judgement about what you have done. It is a reason to examine what your business needs now — and what you need to keep enjoying your work.
“What fits the next stage of your business and your life?”
- 01You work hard but miss the energy you had at the start.
- 02You lose yourself in the many roles you carry.
- 03You feel success depends on your control.
- 04Your beliefs about work, rest and success start working against you.
- 05Delegating and letting go remain difficult.
- 06You work long hours, but the business still feels stuck.
A thinking partner
A sounding board for entrepreneurs
At the top, you can feel alone. You are not looking for another list of tips, but someone who thinks with you about your business and about you. Ruud knows the dilemmas from his own experience as an entrepreneur. The conversation is practical and grounded in your situation, in the Dordogne or online.
Familiar situations
When a retreat helps.
Everything comes back to you
Every question, decision and problem reaches your desk. The company works, but only as long as you are there.
You are considering selling or handing over
You want to step back, but do not yet know how, when or what it means for you.
The enjoyment has gone
You work hard, but the energy of the early years is missing. You want to understand what you need now.
Your company has changed, your role has not
The business has grown. You want to decide what you keep doing and what others can take on.
The approach
Your next step. As a person and entrepreneur.
We look at the company and the person running it. Your market, structure, people and dependence on you matter, as do your motivations and beliefs. We start from your experience: what worked, what turned out differently and what you learned. Conversations and exercises help you work out which role and responsibilities fit the future.
02
Understand what is happening
Look at your company and your role together: market, structure and people, as well as your motivations and beliefs. What worked before? What no longer fits? Your question starts to become clearer.
03
Learn and practise
Explore your relationship with control, responsibility and rest. Practise delegating and the conversations that come with it. Decide what you want to do yourself and what others can carry.
04
Choose the next step
Translate your insights into a personal and business plan: actions for tomorrow, priorities for the next year and direction for the years ahead. With a role that fits your company and your life.
What you work on
What you learn stays with you.
- 01Clarity about what your organisation needs.
- 02A role that fits the next stage of your business and life.
- 03Choices about what to delegate and to whom.
- 04Direction for roles and company structure.
- 05Priorities for the coming twelve months.
- 06A personal, operational and strategic plan for the next step.
Around the fire · away from the noise
Why France
Away from your company. Closer to your question.
It is one-to-one: you and Ruud. In the Dordogne, you leave your usual pace behind. Walking or sitting around the campfire, you can give your question attention without rushing to the next appointment. No promise that everything will disappear here. Instead, time to look at your experience, what you learn from it and what your next step could be.
- Format
- 3 to 5 days, always tailored
- Setting
- One-to-one with Ruud
- Location
- A suitable location in the Dordogne
- Accommodation
- Included
- Investment
- Tailored
Ruud Meulenberg · founder of MensFortia
This is MensFortia
Your business changes. You can change too.
Strong people make strong businesses. With a practical, positive view of the future. Entrepreneurship means continuing to learn about your business, yourself and the life you want to lead. What worked before does not have to fit forever.
Ruud knows what it means to build a business and let it go. Not as an answer to everything, but as a starting point for an honest conversation. What went well? What happened differently? What do you want to learn or change now?
In the Dordogne there is room to pause, ask questions and try different ways of doing things. Difficult experiences do not need to be turned into a success story. We look at what you need to move forward, with less pressure, more enjoyment and a plan that fits you.
Real conversations, in your language.
Ruud leads conversations in English, French and Dutch. For international teams too: one person to talk to, with attention to what each person wants to say.
From experience
“Today I can run my company in one hour a day — and it works better than with me on board.”
Johann de Vries
“I knew what I wanted, but what I was doing no longer motivated me. Ruud's human approach brought trust, clear lines and the ability to delegate. Within a year we became a professional company that found a good new owner.”
Hannah
About Ruud
Practical experience. An open mind.
Ruud Meulenberg is an entrepreneur and founder of MensFortia. He built a business supporting people affected by burnout in the Netherlands and the United States, grew it with a team of 75 employees and sold it. He connects that experience with honest conversations about what you want to learn and how you want to move forward.
Frequently asked questions
What do I leave with?
A concrete personal and business plan: what you keep doing, stop doing or delegate, what structure is needed and which actions come first.
How long does a retreat last?
Three to five days, depending on your question. Every retreat is tailored; we decide the duration together during a first conversation.
Do I need to come to the Dordogne?
We prefer the Dordogne for the calm and distance it offers. Online conversations can complement the work.
What if my company needs someone at the helm?
If you need to step back or hand over, Ruud can also take on day-to-day leadership as an interim director.
A retreat for you?
Tell us where you are now.
Briefly describe what is happening in your company and for you personally. Ruud will call or email you within 24 hours for a first conversation.