Afl.9 - Glenn Roggeman - AED GROUP

Welcome to the Belgian entrepreneurs podcast, who are our Belgian entrepreneurs, what are their strategies and strategies? What nice moments and dark periods have already been made with them? We all know the history of top entrepreneurs such as Maracouca, Willy Nasus and so on, but what does the KMO, the small independent or even the startup play? My name is Christof Roggen, I am a self entrepreneur, business leader of document and print solutions and in this podcast we have interviewed a Belgian entrepreneur who works very hard on his or her business, or not, and that consists of others. We are ready for a whole series of tips, new insights and a look at the reality in our Belgian entrepreneurs. Enjoy! Hello, welcome to the Belgian entrepreneur podcast. Today I am walking a bit to the border of my introduction, where I say that we are the absolute Belgian top entrepreneurs, where everyone already knows the story, not everyone in this podcast wishes that we are the people who lead the KMO and leave their startups and self-employed rather than the word. I am walking towards the border because our guest today is a real top entrepreneur. Most of you already know the story a bit, or have you heard of it already here and there, but I would like to go into detail with how Glenn Roggenmann started with his company and where I am now the CEO of a multinational. And I also welcome Glenn very much in this podcast. Hello Glenn. Good evening everyone. Glenn, fantastic, my first already driving interview. You are already driving, I will say so. I have my own hands on the wheel, I do it safely. You know that you can do a lot with one hand on the wheel, what is it? Yes, I am a sports driver. I have a bit of a great feeling here, thank you for that. Glenn, thank you for having an incredible press agenda to take us through the meetings in your story. I will leave you with the word and I will start with what most of you already know, you started as a entrepreneur on your 16. This is correct, I asked my parents when they saw that I could start my first PVBA, that's how it was called in the time, my first emergency cost. And that was AED Rent, which is still my largest emergency today. That's the rent department. We do about 60,000 savings annually for you from audiovisual material, that's one of my 13 businesses. It sounds quite unlucky, but it is. It also sounds very busy. Are you still active in all those 13 businesses or do you work and move on to others? I try to do as little as possible, I am very bad at it. Yes, I said it wrong. So I try to give the people the freedom that we can manage the businesses. So we have 13 businesses and 13 managers. I also have a C-level, so a financial director, operational communication, the responsible legal IT, so all the C-levels we can say. And the 13 managers who are allowed to do business, of course, on the 6 C-level people. I especially try to be visionary and to send people in a direction. Of course, the general structure is now financially operational, it is in communication. I also try to keep the general structure and overview and the C-level people and the managing directors to help in that need. Okay, perfect. Yes, you are known as visionary, lifgozer and top entrepreneur. Now, how did that actually start? You started with AED Rent, you went out of the principle. Everyone needs material to do their parties and events. I am not going to tell you about it to a certain cost. But how does that grow so quickly? So quickly, yes, look, that's still already working on it. 1985, that's now 35 years ago. So that's not so fast. Of course, if you look at it now, the last years, the viewers come with one of the 13 companies, AED Studios, that is the largest 5 people in 2013 in Belgium. What I took over is a catastrophic miscarriage of companies. I'm not going to mention names, but other people will do that. I will do it, that's all possible. Yes, I have brought that from NATO. You want to say legal, there was nothing wrong, nothing wrong. They were all in construction training. I have 7 years in which the first 3-4 years have to fight against the instances, almost. Because the instance is thinking, Alfa can go to Switzerland, then this is going to be a fight. I have 4-4 years against Birka and have to fight. Because I think that the film world is a very proper industry, a very creative industry. That is one of the potential buildings of our country. The creative proper industry, we have to stimulate in Belgium. We have to leave something out of our children, not just the houses in the years, the small railways and a huge dam. We also have to leave companies behind. When I see which companies we still have production in Belgium, almost nothing anymore. So that is a space of our society. So I have all, have an old, old savings centre in that company. I also have a construction plan of 17 million euros from my work there in a seven-year period. So that's exactly why we have corona now. But I think it's important that as entrepreneurs we also have to think not only about the money of our own, but also about the future of society and our people around us. And also ecologically, that's a very important thing. I want to do things in the three levels. And money is cruelly said, yes, the least important. Of course it has to be a healthy balance. But today I can say that I have less than 2% in cash and 98% invested in the future to give my employees in these very difficult times. So cash is the last thing that interests me. I see many companies that, if you are able to get cash out of companies, large companies, and who now ask the state for help, because they say, yes, we really have cash, people have to hit us. I'm not going to do that. No, no, no, I'm not going to do that. I don't have any policies, but I would like to discuss that. Yes, let's be honest. Companies that now want to get cash out of their companies, yes, the political landscape and the enterprise landscape, don't let that happen either. No, in the last ten years, I can print out ten well-known names in Belgium, which, if you know them all, have made a very large amount of cash out of the company, to the shareholders, I would say. And some of them are now asking the politicians for help. And then I say, I think that's a very strange thing, because they use their own money better. Of course, I've already put it on sale, I've already put it on sale. So, yes, that's a strange measure, but that's just the name of the game, and that's our measure. I hope that the cabinet chefs and the politicians, at the right time, will think about it, and not blindly give money to some large companies in the world, because they have their money short now. I would still look at the last ten years, how much tax they have paid, so how much have they contributed to our community, which I think is very important, and how much have they received from their own powers. So, two things that have to be considered very hard when we help companies. Companies that have not paid any tax in the last ten years of Belgium think that we should not save them, they do not contribute to our society. That's what I always follow. You have the drivers, they are multinationals that pay the money out of Belgium, and then pay in other countries in a fiscal, friendly, paradise, but even Ireland is very low in tax. And Portugal, yes, I think we should not help those companies. That's great, because my question actually went over there, that leads to a nice one. You also have companies in different countries, from France, the Netherlands, England, but also Dubai. What makes it so difficult for you to keep paying here? If I may be so free, of course, Glinn, because that's free, I think that's free personally. My children live in Belgium, my friends live in Belgium, the way I drive in Belgium. So I think it's logical that I pay the money out of Dubai, but here it's all weird, but where everyone is paid, I find the Belgian fiscuses, sometimes sound organizers, and those who put in a lot of money, when I fly to Dubai for business, they control me with the tickets from Dubai. If I'm sent, I pay it privately. If I go to Germany, I want it low, I think it's logical. If I go to Belgium, I don't get the tickets, so Belgium is too free. We have too many antennas, there is too much people, too many people are asked, but few people are really responsible. And sometimes it's hard to fall into business. And I find it very funny. I think that because of corona, we can. And I think the NVA is a good step forward. I hope that we can save our country, because of those incredible people. We have to organize the heavy state care, we have to make everything better and efficient with software. We don't have to wait, for example, for a helicopter. I've been waiting for six years for an emergency, six years for my books to be in order, six years for a plane emergency, an official air-conditioner. Yes, I've been working in Malta since a month. In Malta, for example, in three months, it's in order. This is perverse, that the bell is working against the state, but that comes through many supply cities and no one is really responsible. But everyone can say their opinion. A too long device. A too long, too long device. Look, six years for an emergency that they have to deliver within three months. In a hundred years' time, we will talk about the pre-corona and post-corona times. I hope that every minister asks that very well, we have six ministers, or seven of them, if possible. Yes, it is. We need a humorous story of the delivery of tax money. I can't say for a hundred million, we have a single, one or two. I understand that everyone of the ministers have done their best, but in war, and we are now facing war, in war, every minister will not decide which one we are going to put on a plane, that's what our general has to do. And that's very logical, we all think it's logical. The army has learned that in general, in our childhood, although in politics, we did not get to be responsible for the only general, who is really responsible. So everyone has been asked, so at a certain point we had to make sure that we get a cover of our toilet and we went to learn how to make a mask. It is scandalous. It is indeed true. It is an apology to every minister, a big plan. I think it is a national shame. So it is not a matter of whether the minister thinks badly, it is a matter of whether the minister has to fight to make one general. A general, when we have a cyber attack, it is an apology in the future. And a general for war against viruses, no responsible department, this is what I believe. For the rest, for all politicians, do what they are doing. But in war situations we have a general, we need a general for viruses, we need a general expression for the future. For example, in IT. Look, have you found a general in the corona problem? Because let us be honest, you mainly talk about events, AED studios is an event hall. If it will be in a ruby, I will say, it does not mean bad. What has gone to zero today with you? What have you been able to communicate with that? Have you been able to conduct the right communication? I think we also have to give a plan to the ministers who have decided to do the lockdown. That was a very hard and very serious decision. So positivity to me. My good thing about every minister is that it has been a very hard decision. It was necessary and we needed a life for that. That was necessary. So what have I done? I saw that in February, I bought an isolator for my helicopter, a corona, or an Ebola converse, we have it. And I also started looking for solutions with my company at the end of February and I came out of the only search for it at UVC on smetting. So we can do a doctor's office with alcohol once a day, but after the patient comes in, he is still infected. So we have to try to spread the air and the surface. Two separate cases. The surface is the office, or the table or the chair, and the air. That is what we are looking for in the air. But in February we were looking for solutions in Japan with laser measurements. So with heavy light that you can see the dust particles in the air. If you take a good look at where the dust particles are, you can see nanodrops in the air so that we can see. So that happened in February and it has been proven that corona was airborne. It took me and myself from the beginning of June before we knew that in Europe. Because that has to be proven scientifically. Now, since I heard that and heard about talking about people in Japan, I started to make a UVC on smetting lines. Today we have four devices and four devices in development. So far so good. That we can also make something mobile so that people can take part. Like a speaker, a docking station. Shall we say a speaker on drums for music? We will have a sustainable smetting bubble in two months for the people. That is now the beta proof samples we are making. So I tried to send my device to solutions and not to try to send it to problems. Fantastic that you said that. That is not given by everyone. I did my HEPA filter because HEPA is now in dust particles. And so many people have a solution and that is also a solution. But there are many different HEPA filters. Each HEPA filter is not a solution, we will say. One, I have my sound. That is my often natural sound and light. I have been working on my sound for dangerous viruses and bacteria to destroy my sound. I am with products, let's say nanodrops of products in the air to die. I have the idea of a smoke machine to use as a carrier of smetting molecules. So I am busy with everything. The easiest and fastest to produce was UVC. Strange but true, the most proven. UVC is more than 100 years old. Do you have a blacklight? Do I have to imagine that? If you want to call it that way, but that is not a blacklight. It gives a kind of strange light, we will say it is a blacklight. But a blacklight is also not a solar panel and is also not a UVC light. But it all looks like a simple face in that kind of light. Do you have a power LED? Sorry, tell me. You could do a LED. Today is a power LED that can deliver as few watts of smetting power. It costs 750 dollars with a small rocket. Now you have 50 watts needed. If you want to send a lift, in the menu time you will need 50 watts of smetting technology. So if it costs 10,000 euros for a lift to send a light. If we use Phillips lamps, 55 watts of light is very affordable. But of course, all alarms must be made to ensure that people are not allowed to blow up the UVC. But that is another story. If it is activated, most people should come out of the room. But it is a solution that you have been thinking about for a few months, weeks and times. How can that go so fast? First of all, we are just developing products. We have two manufacturers, with whom we buy parts. So we have been busy for two months in R&D. And then the production period is two and a half, three months to start. So we had probably delivered products from the end of June. With the needs of children. But here it comes, whether they are the early adopters or the late adopters. If early adopters bought the first computers, we would also have some problems with them. Yes, absolutely. Look, can I ask you, if I may experience something like this? How do we take an average day off? Because if we can't take it on our own for two days at a time. I try to keep a helicopter review. I try to keep distance from the companies. And if I see it somewhere in the future, I try to land in the company. Literally or figuratively. That's the thing I want to ask the most. Then I try to drive safely, or with the car, or with the bicycle. Or I try to have a close communication line when there is a need for it. So how do you see the day off? In the morning I try to focus on everyone who sends me a mail or a question or a phone. The answer is, I am not an early adopter. I have to know that. My day starts at 9 o'clock. And I try to focus on everyone for the first two hours. If you send me a message via social media, emails, WhatsApp, telephone. Call me. First two to three hours. We live in a modern society now. There are many ways to communicate. Fortunately I don't have postcards, because otherwise I would have to buy that. But we try to be in this modern society. The different forms of communication can be followed. Then I send it off for two to three hours. And then I start the day stress-free. I will say worry, worry, free. And then I can focus on trying to visit every week, every company. And when there is a need, to keep an intensive care company. What is intensive care? That I visit twice and still have a deep conversation with the managing director or with the people at the workshop. It all sounds very technical, but I want to keep it simple. The point of people is to make simple things difficult. I try to be simple people. I try to get difficult things simple. So that you can quickly continue hacking? Yes, of course. I can quickly make decisions in the company. Because I try to keep a short communication line. I am not the man to make emails with six pages long. I am the man who comes along and tries to spread each problem in a conversation. And keep it simple, stupid, straight. So three S's. Try to keep a short communication line with people. Yes, okay. I saw today, on your left, that you used the medical helicopter for a trauma that happened to a young man which caused him to get sick for a long time. That is another part of what you do. You are a helicopter pilot. Yes, I think in life you have to do everything with passion. Now you work at Ford at the production company. If you are happy with that, you do that with passion. Then I find you a rich person. If you are frustrated because you want to become a doctor and you are behind the company, then you are a frustrated person. Then you are not a good employee. So I believe there are no bad people. But people have to know what they want and have to treat their will. Not my will, but their will. So everything with passion. One of my passions is aviation. I was once in England, in the middle of London. From one side to the other, it took about four to six hours. I really have a lot of problems in Belgium. Also all the time. Yes, all the time. A year later, we are also in Belgium. We have become modern in Belgium. So I saw a helicopter landing in the middle of a small street in London. And I thought to myself, "Oh, my passion was aviation, but I never did anything with it." And I started researching. In Germany, the ADAC is 200 medical helicopters. In the Netherlands, the ANWB is 8 medical helicopters. In France, in England, there is mostly charity. So in Belgium, we had no medical helicopters. We do talk about bridges, but bridges are just a helicopter. The patient next to the helicopter is a pilot. That is dangerous. But they call it a medical helicopter. So I said, I am going to invest in a real medical helicopter. So an Airbus helicopter EC-135. It is called the Medic One, by the way. So Google it, it is interesting. And I am going to prove in Belgium that we can make the difference between life and death. And sometimes I post something about the few months. I fly 1-2 medical missions every week. Until today I use my company for a safe amount of money. The charity of the medical helicopter to pay. Because we stole that in a company. But yes, that is why it was released. So my AED studio sponsored that amount of money. My management firm sponsored that amount of money. Even if FISCUS has to say that, I don't get it. But that is another thing. I try to find a balance. I try to do a good job of it. Unless it is my passion. From the moment it is not your passion, you can't keep doing it. You have to be able to do it fully. So I am now in charge of the medical helicopter, the Medic One. In charge of the management firm. I myself have a helipad in my garden. Which they have also thrown away. Because I believe. I was just in meetings and they called me. Yes, they land at me. And I understand in the helicopter that we are going to fly the medical mission. So yes, passion is something very beautiful. I have no money left to earn it. It only cost me a lot of money. But I believe that a life is not unpayable. If it is payable. But life is important. So I thought it was a necessity to do something in charity. I have all the company leaders. And they all want to do charity. But I still have to get the first euro from charity. Also from communities. I still have to get the first euro from politics. They all want it. And they see the necessity. But with the attack in the evening. We had a phone call. And I received a message. That I could not leave the medical helicopter. No, because it was in the basement. At that moment. Oh, don't you have a second? Maybe it's nice that we get the first euro. So yes, that was also a lot. Do you want to step in there? In charity. Even as an ecologist. Every company leader finds in his statement. So that it is very important ecologically. Now I have the film studios in Lint. I have completely burned ecologically. Seventh-day light bulbs, solar panels. All the furniture on site. That can't be driven by guys. Kitchen on site. So that is the most ecological event hall. Yes, the color of the carpet is more important. Than the ecological event hall. In the decision of the event. The color of the carpet is important. Then green. Yes, green. This is a very critical thing. That I say in corona time. Gentlemen, company leaders. Let's build together. Not only with words. Let's do everything. Not just solar panels. What you get as subsidies. But the next company. Make sure that you do the ecological situation. Let there be a very clear call. To everyone who listens and watches. For those who have an appointment. The AED studios are available. To do business events. I already give that to you. We can't take that off. Thank you, thank you. I don't know if you have time. I still have 11 minutes left. Perfect. Then I would like to tell you. About the virtual reality studio. I'm not sure. That's something new. An extended reality. The first event. That's going to happen. I think the national vodka. With Jan Jan Bomm. I don't know if I'm allowed to tell this. Because at the beginning of September. That's a first, I think. So as the first setup. In extended reality. What is the difference between virtual? In virtual reality. You put a bullet shop. And you see a new world. Alone. Yes. So if you would do a presentation. With a bullet. That doesn't look like it. In extended reality. We used to take my green screen. That you come in the middle of the air. On Mars. On a roof. In the Sahara. Keep your presentation. But for the speakers. That has no feeling. Because here is a green screen. We have added a few levels. We have the first. A camera system on cranes. Moveable. That you can turn around. We don't have a green screen. But a super high quality. Video. With very small TV screens. On the millimeter TV screens. But millions of TV screens. So the top of the LED wall. Black. Also on the ground. That you can keep your presentation. In a different world. What else do we have. Supercomputers. That we can project your powerpoint. In that world. One or two. There are now 12 supercomputers. Supercomputers that have turned around for the first three months. For example. Many universities and professors. Some. For breaking down. We have 40 supercomputers. I think 3% of the world. Processing capacity has been adjusted. So. Still in pressure. So those supercomputers. Sorry. 400 computers. 12 of them. Connected to an extended reality. You can't call it better. Extended. You can keep your presentation. For the people who want to call. You can put it in. Interactive world. Since America built this. And ledegaga. Our last three video clips. Fantastic. If you press XR studio ledegaga. Then you see something. But this one is in Belgium. On the new early adapter. I believe that we can be in Belgium. Unique with technology. With innovations. Not with iron ore. Or iron planks. Fabrication in Belgium is getting harder and harder. But we have to have. Ideas. Of cutting edge technology. With this. In the pharmaceutical. And also in the film. And many other worlds. And in the computer world. Let's leave. As Belgian company leader. Early adapter. Let's move forward and backward. And then we hope you get the support. From the politicians. And other organs. That you want to tell us later. I feel that I have a lot of support. From politics. Problem is. Under politics. There are also 1.2 million actors. If we look for example. The film industry. To promote. We are Belgium. And I understand that we are Belgium. But we have screen flanders. And a wild image of the waves. And Brussels. Screen Brussels. That is all on the film festival. Your own. Community can imagine. And not to be different. That we are not successful. Because those foreigners are laughing with us. We would have to advertise in the film world as a country. And then say, we are Belgian, but did you know that we also have screen brussels and screen flaunders and wallimages? We have a lot of Belgian for you to help. We are all going to be able to communicate on the film festival in Venice. I don't understand that. We have to be proud of Belgium and hear it together. Stop competing with each other, but to come out as one whole. We are going to be very difficult in the next 100 years. Over the next 20 years we are not going to be the same as the last 20 years, due to Corona. Corona is a big line in our society. And if we find our own way, then I safely live with the little children of my children. Do you see the economic shadow in it? If we continue doing it, as we have done the last 10 years with the policy, then I see the shadow in it. And I know some people are not going to be happy about it in politics, but that is not the intention. The intention is a wake-up call from people. We have to reform it. We have to do things together. Otherwise, we are going to continue. I don't know if it is appropriate to create an instantion for Corona, but one. Not only for Corona, but for everything. Everything, yes. You have to give it right. Finally. No, no. I have one political ambition. There must be no part of me. I don't want to be in politics. The only thing that many politicians have my phone number, or can very quickly call my phone number, I am always welcome to give advice from the sidelines. That's the only ambition I have. Not from my point of view either. That's noble. Can I ask you one more question, the last one? That was it actually. What would you now start, after Corona, let us say? Then you have 1, 2, 3 tips that you can give people. If there is an organization now where they also have to lead. I think you have to believe in yourself, because there are many people who are not going to do that. That's one. But I think you also have to spread your ideas with your friends, your family, with 10 people talking about it, and your idea that you can rip it out with 10 people talking about it. But we also have to follow that. That's a difficult balance. Tip one. Tip two, cash is king. I see many companies getting underrated in capital. So they don't have enough money to work. Then you have to split that. And at some point, they grow, they grow. And at some point, they get an offer to sell. And nice startups, who are a few years old, have a good idea. They are sold for a few million euros, and that's more Belgium. I find that very funny. Let the people around you know that you can find a balance between your own power, your ideas, and your future power. Let a balance be found by professional advisors. And not just one, but more, of course more people. That's the second. Third, try to make a balance between your startup. Does it contribute to society? Does it contribute to ecology? And is it not only about money? Try things in those three peaks. Those are my three advices. Thank you, Glinn. I thought it was great to be able to do that outside. I thought the water of enthusiasm was great. It was very inspiring. I'm going to leave you and I want to thank you again. Sorry, I have two minutes to ask my next question. Sorry about my camera and my car, but that was something easy to combine. Sure, I always wanted to do an auto interview. And I hope next time, if I can interview you again, that we can do it in a helicopter. Online, right? I don't know, online. If you have a few infuses in the stretcher, then that's logical. Yes, that's right. Okay, Glinn. Thank you for being here. I'm going to leave you and say goodbye to the viewer. I'm going to say goodbye. I would say everyone have a nice lunch and try things with passion in your life. And I don't hurt you with what you do. Great, thank you, Glinn. Good bye. Bye bye. Voila, everyone. It was indeed a shorter conversation than otherwise. But what an enthusiasm, what an entrepreneur. I'm a little surprised by how motivated you are. And yes, I'm there under your feet. Because it's not easy for Glinn to get something like that. It's very nice that he wants to do that through his meetings. And once again, if he is allowed to watch or listen, then thank you, Glinn. You can also listen and watch our podcasts on YouTube, on Spotify and iTunes. Do you have comments, tips, questions you want to ask to a next entrepreneur? Or are you a entrepreneur who would like to know? Let us know at info@belligse kopotekenondernemers.be and see you next time.