Consulting, Workshop Facilitation + Training for Busy Business & Product Teams
BEFORE OUR COLLABORATION
Solving the Right Problem? Feeling Pressure to Collaborate & Innovate?
Many teams encounter similar challenges that are often rooted in underlying issues.
Problem
Meeting chaos
Meetings that are poorly run, lacking in structure, focus, and clear direction, often fail to achieve their desired outcomes.
Problem
Poor problem-solving
Poor problem-solving can lead to resource wastage, missed opportunities, and lower customer satisfaction and profitability.
Problem
Lack of agility
Businesses that can’t keep up with changes miss opportunities, lose revenue due to slow response times, and lack innovation.
Problem
Indecisive stakeholders
Leaders who lack confidence can slow down productivity by causing circular discussions where only the loudest voices are heard.
Problem
Poor team alignment
Team misalignment can significantly hinder a team’s ability to function effectively and achieve its goals.
Problem
No repeatable process
Innovation without a clear process leads to a “Wild West” mentality, characterized by inefficiencies, confusion, and a lack of progress.
Stand out and outperform your competitors:
Turn your meetings from mundane to meaningful, fostering collaboration, innovation, and tangible results.
15 minutes. 100% obligation-free.
SURVEYS
You are not alone. The default method of collaboration is fundamentally flawed!
Meetings are the primary barrier to productivity, team efficiency, and product improvement.
$100 Million
is the annual cost to large companies for employees attending unnecessary meetings.
Source: Useless Meetings Waste Time and $100 Million a Year for Big Companies, Bloomberg 2022
72%
of the time that teams spend in meetings is ineffective, as it does not result in productive outcomes.
Source: Meetings Are the No. 1 Barrier to Productivity, Atlassian Survey 2024
75%
of decision-makers state that they need to enhance collaboration within their departments.
Source: Unlocking the Value of Open Collaboration to Drive Enterprise Agility, Forrester Research 2021
65%
of senior managers said that meetings prevent them from completing their own work.
Source: Stop the Meeting Madness, Harvard Business Review 2017
Stop pointless meetings and start ones that are important, fostering collaboration, and driving real results.
ABOUT ME
15+ Years Guiding Teams and Developing Digital Solutions
I’m excited to help businesses innovate better and faster together. I approach tasks with a confident mindset and no-nonsense workshop toolkits to make meetings productive, creativity tangible, innovation easy and the process fun! Ready?
Martin Backes – Innovation Consultant, Workshop Facilitator, Product Strategist, Design Expert, Trainer and Lecturer.
🥷 15+ experience as a designer & consultant in collaboration, innovation, product strategy, UX, usability, prototyping, and workshop design
🎤 14+ years of experience as a university lecturer
👨🏫 12+ years of experience as a corporate trainer and mentor
🪪 1 000+ people trained and certified in workshops and seminars
🥇 Certified Workshopper Master
⏱️ Certified Design Sprint facilitator and trainer
🤖 Certified AI Design Sprint facilitator and trainer
💡 Certified customer-centric and JTBD specialist
📱 Official UX Design & Usability certifier
🥇 Winner German Design Award 2021
🎨 Works are exhibited in museums globally
I am your personal agency that cuts through nonsense, drives change quickly, and helps you get ahead.
My mantra: Don’t have a meeting, throw a workshop!
AFTER OUR COLLABORATION
You After Working With Us: Better. Faster. Innovative.
Solution
Better team collaboration
Leads to more efficient processes, increased success, improved communication, and greater innovation.
Solution
De-risked projects
Our methods will reduce the risk to the barest minimum for your product development.
Solution
Better problem-solving
Effectively solve the right problems and make critical decisions with confidence.
Solution
More agility
Adapt and survive in an ever-changing business world by improving processes.
Solution
Strong team alignment
Team members understand project goals and roles, promoting efficiency and collaboration.
Solution
Repeatable innovation
Use our repeatable methods for turning new ideas into profitable businesses.
HOW IT WORKS
Design Sprint Approach: Our 5-Step Secret Recipe for Effortless Collaboration & Innovation
1-Project Launch: Succeeding Together
Business Needs Analysis
We will analyze your business needs and pain points, define measurable criteria for success, and establish the appropriate framework.
2-From Planning to Success
Your Individual Plan and Workshop
We will create a plan to improve your innovation and problem-solving processes with our award-winning frameworks to help you achieve your business goals and define important milestones.
3-Doing the Right Things (Right)
Workshop, Consulting, Training
Whether it's project initiation, innovation discovery, problem-solving, strategy refinement, product enhancement, or technology streamlining, we work with your team to find the best solution and define clear action steps within days or weeks, not months.
4-Actionable Results & Recommendations
Executive Summary and Next Steps
Whether you work with us for training, consulting, or workshop facilitation, we will provide your project team with a summary and recommendations so that everyone will have a clear and concise understanding of next steps.
5-Streamline Design & Business Procedures
Scaling & Optimization
We will be your go-to consultants for any questions you have about completed workshops or training. Additionally, we offer consulting services to assist you in creating an MVP or implementing a new workflow.
FOR WHOM?
For All Businesses Seeking to STOP
losing profit
Frustrated by missed revenue opportunities due to poor team collaboration and innovation?
risking customer dissatisfaction
Do you fear losing customers due to poor-quality products and lack of a clear strategy?
falling behind
Do you want to survive strong competition and stay ahead of technological progress?
We’re here to support you every step of the way in achieving your goals.
To remain competitive, it is essential to be efficient and innovative.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It: Hear What Our Customers Say
🏆 Our project was honored with the German Design Award
»Working with Martin Backes and his studio was great. We hired him to direct and consult us in our vision of becoming a worldwide-leading audio product.« Niklas Jansen, CEO and co-Founder blinkist
Challenge: As a SaaS product that started out almost entirely visually, one of Blinkist’s main challenges was the lack of a streamlined process to create an audio-first business strategy.
Solution: Customized consulting solutions and workshops based on the Design Sprint method helped overcome the challenges of becoming an audio-first company.
Result: Blinkist has confidently transformed into a premium audio-first product, leading to a significant increase in customer engagement and revenue. In 2021, our project was honored with the German Design Award. Two years later, in 2023, Blinkist was acquired by Go1 (valued at over $2 billion).
🎯 A repeatable process for reducing risk in strategic innovation projects
»We highly recommend their service for anyone seeking innovative ways to foster team collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making, and to de-risk strategic projects.« Anna Schieber, CEO UVR Berlin
Challenge: As a fashion brand with both physical shops and an e-commerce store, one of UVR’s primary challenges was to innovate without any established processes beyond their day-to-day operations.
Solution: Our consulting services and customized workshops, based on the proven Design Sprint methodology, help overcome challenges in fostering innovation and exploring new business opportunities beyond day-to-day operations.
Result: UVR Berlin successfully transformed their approach to team collaboration by implementing innovative problem-solving and decision-making methods, reducing risk in strategic innovation projects, opening two new shops, and transitioning to a more sustainable brand while maintaining core values.
More Client Testimonials
Martin is an exceptional mentor, teacher, and workshop facilitator
Martin is an outstanding UX & UI Design mentor, teacher, and workshop facilitator. He engages and motivates his students while equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. As a dynamic instructor, Martin constantly seeks new ways to make learning fun. His passion for teaching and commitment to his student's success is unparalleled.
Highly recommended for any training, or workshop facilitation role
Martin is an exceptional UX & Usability teacher, trainer, and workshop facilitator who can explain complex concepts in a clear and simple way. He tailors learning programs to meet the unique needs of his students and provides actionable and practical takeaways for immediate application, making him an invaluable asset to any organization.
SERVICES
Do You Already Know What You Are Looking For?
Solution: Workshops & Consulting
Organize a workshop to encourage collaborative work or get consulting on your next product, strategy, or launch.
Solution: Corporate Training
Empower your team with practical training to conduct more effective meetings and drive innovation-led growth.
CONVINCE YOURSELF
Elevate Your Collaboration, Innovation, and Product Development Now
1. Scheduling
Click the button below to reserve one of the available, free 15-minute time slots in the next 14 days.
2. Situation Analysis
We will evaluate your current situation, identify your main challenge, and explore potential strategies to address it.
3. Action Plan
We will demonstrate a possible implementation and provide you with ideas for your own approach based on our conversation.
Our first meeting is 100% free of charge and without obligation.
Your data will be treated confidentially
and will only be used for preparation purposes.
GENERAL FAQs
Questions We Get Frequently
If you never heard of collaboration workshops, facilitation, design sprints, design thinking or any other innovation method, this page provides help with the most common questions. If you don’t see what’s on your mind, reach out to us anytime by phone, chat, or email. You can also check our complete FAQs.
What services do you offer?
We offer top-notch services for product strategy, design, innovation, workshop design and facilitation, as well as practical innovation training for businesses. We can help you build products or services based on real customer needs, enabling innovation-led growth. Our aim is to enable teams to achieve their best work without relying on luck or genius. We also offer consulting services to assist you in creating an MVP or implementing a new agile workflow. Furthermore, we will be your go-to consultant for any questions you have about completed workshops or training.
What sets our workshops and trainings apart?
Our workshops and training programs go beyond typical meetings, workshops, or seminars. Each session is designed using our 5C’s framework, with a clear goal and structure to produce actionable outcomes—not just ideas. Unlike traditional workshops, we provide a detailed action plan and follow-up support, ensuring that insights lead directly to results. Our methods have a proven track record of transforming team productivity and innovation, as seen in the success stories of companies like Blinkist, where we helped them achieve major strategic shifts and revenue growth.
Is this workshop/training suitable for my team?
Our workshops and training are designed for teams and leaders who want to turn ineffective meetings into powerful, results-driven sessions. If you’re facing challenges like misalignment, chaotic communication, or stalled decision-making, our sessions will give you the structure and tools to overcome these issues. In fact, we start with a Situation Analysis to ensure the workshop or training is tailored to your specific needs. This means every session is customized to deliver value aligned with your team’s goals.
Is this time-intensive? How can busy teams fit it in?
Our workshops and training sessions are intentionally designed to be time-efficient and impactful. The core workshop typically lasts from 2 to 8 hours, or a few days at most, and is structured to maximize productivity without taking teams away from their day-to-day responsibilities for too long. Plus, by streamlining decision-making and problem-solving, these sessions often end up saving you time in the long run, eliminating the need for unproductive meetings in the future.
How does the process work from beginning to end?
After our analysis conversation, we will create a detailed project plan that includes all the necessary steps. You will receive regular updates, and we will continuously coordinate to ensure that the result meets your expectations.
What are the costs?
The cost of our services depends on the type and scope of the project. To provide you with a fair and transparent offer, we first discuss your individual requirements and preferences. After our analysis conversation, we create a customized offer that takes into account all costs and is tailored to your specific project.
How is communication managed during the project?
Open and transparent communication is essential to us. We use email, phone, Slack, Notion, and possibly video conferencing tools to regularly exchange information and keep you informed about the project’s progress.
What changes are possible during the process?
We can make adjustments at any time, as long as they are within the scope of the original project. However, the extent to which we can make changes depends on the project. For significant modifications, we will discuss the impact on the schedule and costs.
How is support managed after a project is finished?
Once the project is complete, we are available to answer any questions and provide support. Depending on the agreement, we may also offer creative direction, process support, workshop facilitation, or optimization services.
What happens if I am not satisfied with the end product?
Our top priority is your satisfaction. If you are not happy with the results, we will work together to find a solution that best implements your ideas. However, we have never had an unsatisfied customer before.
Why us?
Design Sprints and other Design Thinking related workshops are a wonderful, structured, human-centered approach used for practical and creative problem-solving. They can, however, go completely wrong if you don’t have the right experts around, who can guide you through challenging decisions and bring in their perspective. In order to assist you, we draw on decades of real-world experience in the fields of design, entrepreneurship, and strategy in both startups and large corporations. Because we’ve been there too, we can identify with your situation. We know and understand what you’re up against, and we’ll do everything we can to help you succeed, guaranteeing you real added value and the highest quality in every aspect.
Why run a Sprint Workshop?
Unorganized brainstorms tend to favor extroverts over introverts and to place importance on quantity over quality. In summary, they are an unsuitable choice for coming up with necessary solutions.
Below are the main reasons you should opt for a Sprint Workshop approach instead:
✅ In sprints, group and individual tasks can coexist peacefully and effectively. Structured, timed exercises promote a variety of perspectives and developed ideas (with distractions reduced to the barest minimum).
✅ You get a tangible and reproducible problem-solving process that you can use whenever you want to advance your business ideas.
✅ Obtaining authentic feedback from your target users allows you to advocate design based on data and not bias or intuition.
✅ Before investing a lot of time and money, you can secure buy-in from stakeholders right from the start.
✅ As a result, you will get a solution that has been prototyped and tested.
Do you offer other types of Sprints or workshops?
The core of all our workshops uses exercises from tried and tested Design Sprint method while adapting it to the specifics of each challenge. Besides the Design Sprint, we also do offer workshops for brainstorming, ideation, and problem-solving or even for marketing challenges. We recommend using our workshop methods anytime your team needs to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges fast + find quick direction. It will prevent your team from losing focus and replace your open, unstructured discussion with a simple process.
Here are some examples of workshops we frequently conduct for companies of all sizes.
🧩 For 1-3 day workshop formats, we offer:
↳ Scoping Workshop: A workshop to scope business challenges, define strategies for desired results, and align with stakeholders.
↳ Innovation Sprint: It quickly identifies the problem space, helping focus on the main challenge for your next innovation project.
↳ Growth Hacking Workshop: This workshop will guide your team in creating actionable growth hacking experiments in a structured manner.
↳ Marketing Campaign Sprint: For tasks such as crafting marketing strategies, promotional campaigns, and content ideas.
↳ OKR Sprint: This simple and effective OKR workshop will help your team gain clarity on which goals to focus on and how they will be measured.
↳ Challenge 360 Sprint: This helps a team align on exactly what to work on or solve, and what to ignore for now.
↳ Strategy Signal Sprint: This helps a team define an end goal and a straightforward strategy for solving a selected challenge.
↳ Plan-O-Rama: This helps a team execute their strategy.
↳ Decision Sprint: This is a general-purpose problem-solving and decision-making workshop that provides tangible, actionable results.
↳ Leadership & Executive Team Retreat: Enhance strategies, teamwork, and leadership skills in a focused workshop retreat that condenses planning into a few action-oriented days.
🧩 For 3-5 day workshop formats, we offer:
↳ Strategy Sprint: For leadership teams to design a successful strategy that positions their company advantageously.
↳ Product Strategy Sprint: Develop a coherent approach to product development, articulated in a Product Strategy with actionable steps.
↳ AI Design Sprint – Process Automation: Quickly identify easy-to-automate processes with AI and develop valuable team solutions.
↳ AI Design Sprint – Products & Services: Confidently infuse AI technology into business products or services for innovative and valuable solutions.
↳ Design Sprint: Before investing time and money, validate ideas and solve complex business issues as a team through prototyping and user testing.
and more.
Do you offer customized workshops or training?
Yes! Many top designers and consultancies around the world have adapted the time-boxed sprint model to special cases. Every situation that demands change can benefit from a tailor-made approach. All organizations, as well as us, have to deal with different situations. There are many different target groups, change requirements, possibilities, and so on. That is why we offer tailor-made workshops to respond to such individual situations and, of course, to keep our clients happy. So if you have a specific issue, we can tailor a workshop or training for your specific needs.
What are the core principles of our Workshops?
1. Working Together Alone (removing personal biases and levelling the playing field)
➡️ The group works in the same room, while each person has time and space to form their own individual ideas and thoughts.
☝️ Why? To equalize different personalities and levels of hierarchy.
2. Tangible (ideas) over Discussion
➡️ Instead of discussing and trying to convince others of our point of view, we let the ideas speak for themselves by writing, sketching or showing examples.
☝️ Why? To avoid different interpretations & misunderstandings.
3. Getting Started over Being Right
➡️ Rather than waiting until we all agree that everything is “perfect”, we make decisions, move forward, and test our hunches quickly.
☝️ Why? To break the cycle of decision paralysis & make some progress!
4. Don’t rely on creativity
➡️ Instead of expecting each person to “feel” creative at the right moment, we use the process to inspire, inform and prepare for idea generation.
☝️ Why? Because creativity is unpredictable.
Is Design Sprints or Design Thinking only for designers or tech companies?
You may have heard a thousand times that designers started Design Sprints. While that may be true, anyone in any industry can use this method. Anybody who is hoping to advance their business can run Design Sprints.
Read on to find out more about the biggest misconception about Design Sprints.
Why using an external facilitator or consultant?
Every company faces complicated times, big problems, or risky situations. Teams need to take important decisions and make alignment fast. As facilitation specialists, we are here to support you in an unbiased and structured manner. Using an external facilitator or consultant allows you to avoid potentially explosive situations and smoothly manage difficult personalities and emotions within a group. Please read our comprehensive article on why an external facilitator should run your next Design Sprint to learn more.
What about running a fully remote Workshop or Design Sprint?
Yes, we can. Three years ago, it would have been impossible to offer such a service, but the tools are here. We are using simple tools, so for sure, the virtual Sprint or workshop team doesn’t need to have specific skills or experience regarding remote work. Participants will be guided through the process and introduced to each exercise and every tool we are using for our remote Design Sprints.
Any advantages of Remote Workshops vs. In-person Workshops?
Dispersed teams can collaborate to solve problems fast, using a proven process that delivers precise results without using an extra budget for accommodation & traveling, renting a venue, food, etc.
There are even more benefits of running Sprint or Workshop remotely:
1. Take action now instead of waiting for the perfect time “when the stars align”
2. Easier to organize, even with distributed teams
3. Same quality as in an in-person sprint… if not better!
4. Easier to get busy people in who might otherwise not be able to join
5. Fully digitized – benefits of not having to type everything up
6. No need to organize a workshop room – or having to deal with subpar rooms
7. No need to buy materials – and you never run out
8. Yes, we can work on different time zones without messing your day up
9. Lower stress with fewer variables
10. We can sprint worldwide! No travel costs, no jetlag, no environmental impact
11. Show your team how to collaborate remotely, and that it’s even easier than on location
12. Build a remote collaboration culture
Conclusion: As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to running a workshop remotely!
If you have any more questions about Sprints or any other workshop method, just send us a message or book a free call. We’d love to learn more about you.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your
business to the next level. Start now!
CONTACT
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