Life Is Out There: towards social impact

The Best Feeling in the World

Last September, a 10,000-mile motorcycle trip that had started in Chile 6 months earlier, came to an end when riding my 40-year old Moto Guzzi onto Times Square in NYC.

Six months of terrific riding, of crossing the Andes, of happiness, of countless smiles, of shitloads of endorphins, and of hours, days, weeks on the road.

Six months of the Best Feeling in the World.

Little did I know that this trip would change my life completely. Back in my beloved Amsterdam and as if it was meant to happen, I started working on Life Is Out There. It just took over. And it felt as the only possible direction for my life at this point. Positivity started flowing, and there was just no way to stop it.

Life Is Out There was launched last week, and I feel so super proud and thrilled and grateful that my Guzzi powerhouse forms the spirit of my current business.

Connecting Las Americas — the BOOK

As this bike has been, and continues to be, a huge inspiration, I am happy to announce that an important part of Life Is Out There is the writing of Connecting Las Americas — the BOOK.

Many people have ideas for a better world. Ideas for new businesses and projects with a direct positive impact on society, that challenge the status quo.

At the same time though, many people are reluctant to start acting.

They think they lack the skills or the time, or they just start downplaying the fun of beginning for no particular reason.

Connecting Las Americas — the BOOK tells the story of leaving my own comfort zone. What it’s like to bridge two continents on a 40-year old motorcycle without any knowledge of mechanics.

Above all, it breaks down the key steps to launch a new business or project towards social impact. To show how everybody can become an expert in doing, and in having social impact.

Triggered by a whiteboard

When studying Latin American studies in Amsterdam, there was a whiteboard hanging in the faculty’s coffee room, containing articles from Dutch media about Latin America.

A whole continent of >630 million people, crammed together on a small whiteboard.

Even worse: the stories on the whiteboard kept highlighting the same topics over and over again, claiming Latin America solely to be a continent of corruption, football frenzy, and drug violence.

So that’s why I set out on my 40-year old Moto Guzzi in late February: I was determined to show Latin America from a different perspective, and to discover the great stories of social businesses in the Americas by asking myself and them the following questions:

• Who and where are these businesses?
• Who are the people behind them?
• What is their business model?
• What ethics do they apply to doing business?
• What is their dream and what motivates them?

At every company that I visited in the next six months, I spoke with the founders, directors, and team members. At each company I took several pics in order to transmit the company story visually. And after each visit I wrote a blog post on my site about the company (see the screenshot below), and shared their story through five social media accounts.

Life is out there. Go get it.

Riding my Guzzi from Chile to New York was the best decision I have ever made.

Sharing the lessons from companies all over the Americas through a book is the next logical step.

Through Connecting Las Americas — the BOOK, everybody can ride along, learning how to become an expert in having social impact.

Benefit from the Early Bird rate and get yourself a copy of the book now.

Publication of the book is expected in European summer 2016, and it will be available in English, Spanish, and Dutch.

Life is out there. Join the ride, and go get it.

Max Wohlgemuth Kitslaar is a speaker and business author who examines how businesses and individuals create social impact, and how we can learn from them. All through a combination of adventure travels and business.

Pre-order Towards Social Impact — the Book. For bookings and more info: Life Is Out There.