You’re on a private plane for about 25 minutes from Manila, you land on a private runway, and suddenly you’re standing on a private island that feels like several countries rolled into one. Different villages, different architecture, different cuisines, all stitched together on a single, pristine island in the Pacific. It doesn’t feel real. It feels almost dreamlike.

What makes Balesin even more fascinating is how it evolved.

Long before it became what it is today, the island was a quiet private hideaway. It attracted people who wanted to get off the grid, unplug from the world, and disappear into nature for a while. Simple bungalows. Ocean in every direction. Total isolation.

Over time, that vision expanded, and the island was thoughtfully transformed into a private, members-only destination unlike anything else in the world.

Today, Balesin is built around a series of themed villages inspired by iconic places around the world — Mykonos, Tuscany, Southern Spain, St. Tropez, Bali and Phuket, and more.

Each village has its own architectural style, atmosphere, and restaurant, so moving around the island genuinely feels like travelling the world without ever leaving it.

One moment you’re walking through bright white Greek-style lanes, the next you’re somewhere completely different, yet it all somehow works together seamlessly.

For a bit of perspective, the Philippines has over 7,641 islands, but only a very small number are privately owned. Balesin is one of them, which adds another layer to just how rare and special this place really is.

I was only able to experience this thanks to Manjit, a dear friend who generously gave us the opportunity to go. I’m incredibly grateful. This has to be one of the most surreal places I’ve ever visited, not just because of the luxury, but because of how intentionally everything has been designed to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Take a moment to check out the video of me and the pics it contains. It will give you a glimpse, but even then, this is one of those places you truly need to see to fully believe.

Watch the video and let me know what you think and if you would want to go??

The post Balesin Island: A Private Island That Feels Like Several Countries appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

In fact, some of the most important moments happened after hours. That’s when you really get to know people. Not in a meeting room or behind a screen, but over shared meals, long conversations, laughter, and time spent together outside of work.

Our evenings were a mix of simple fun and local flavour. Playing billiards. Catching local bands. Visiting museums. Sneaking in some pickleball games and even a bit of freediving. But honestly, a lot of the best moments happened around food and conversation.

Trying local favourites like balut (a traditional Filipino delicacy made from a 16-day old fertilised egg), what the locals call dirty ice cream, and plenty of street food that turned into long, relaxed dinners filled with stories, jokes, and great conversations.

As you should know, there’s something very powerful about sitting around a table together, slowing things down, and just being present with your team.

It’s in these moments that real relationships are built. You see how people show up, outside of work. You learn what motivates them. You build trust, connection, and mutual respect in a way that no workshop or strategy session ever could.

Yes, we build systems, workflows, and AI agents. But we also build relationships. And those relationships are what make teams stronger, cultures healthier, and businesses more resilient.

Grateful for the shared meals, the laughs, the conversations, and the reminder that great work is always powered by great people.

The post After Hours in the Philippines: Why Shared Meals Build Stronger Teams appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

After 14 unforgettable days, traveling through three incredible countries and visiting 11 breathtaking cities, our Business Blueprint Adventure Club experience has come to an end.

We’ve just arrived in Venice, the final stop on what has truly been the trip of a lifetime!!

This journey brought together a wonderful group of Business Blueprint members and their families. Together we explored ancient towns, sailed across turquoise waters, shared countless meals, and created memories that will last forever.

What made it so special wasn’t just the beautiful locations, but the laughter, the friendships, and the sense of community that grew stronger with every passing day.

Our last night together took place in the magical city of Venice. To celebrate, we hosted a Venetian masquerade parade through the cobbled streets and winding canals, masks on, music playing, and everyone fully embracing the spirit of the city.

We ended the night with an incredible dinner at a beautiful restaurant, filled with amazing food, laughter, and lots of dancing too. It was the perfect ending to an extraordinary adventure.

The entire experience exceeded our expectations in every possible way, and I couldn’t be prouder of how smoothly it all went. This is entirely due to Katherine Beaumont, who did an amazing job organising the event from start to finish.

Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing more reflections, highlights, and behind-the-scenes moments from our journey.

For now, here are a few photos from our final night in Venice.

And if you’re part of the Business Blueprint community (or thinking about joining) just know that experiences like this are what make our program totally unique.

The friendships, the learning, and the adventures truly take things to a whole new level.

And if you want to be there next time, let me know.

Can’t wait till the next one.

The post And That’s A Wrap: Our Adventure Club Trip Ends in Venice appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Mostar, a place that holds so much history and emotion…

Mostar is famous for its iconic Stari Most, the old bridge that arches gracefully over the Neretva River.

We even saw someone take the traditional dive from the bridge into the waters below, a heart-stopping moment that’s part of the town’s living tradition.

But Mostar isn’t just about picturesque views; it’s a city that still carries the physical and emotional scars of the Yugoslav war of the 1990s.

Growing up, I remember watching the daily updates on the news, and it’s etched into my memories.

Walking through the streets today, we saw buildings marked by bullet holes, a sad reminder of what the city endured.

The local museum also showed a documentary that painted a vivid picture of life here during the war, and it was a moving experience to understand just how much resilience this place has.

Despite its history, Mostar is a city of incredible beauty and enduring spirit. There’s a mix of restored and historical buildings, a feeling of hope, and a sense that the city embraces its past while moving forward.

It’s a place that reminds us of both the fragility and the strength of the human spirit.

Mostar left a deep impression on us, and we’re grateful for the chance to have experienced its history and its hope firsthand.

Finn Beaumont

The post A Day in Mostar: The Old Bridge and the Scars of the Yugoslav War appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

I stayed in Nagoya and shared a room with a fellow 17-year-old named Yuji Kato and together we hung out with his family, friends and his girlfriend, Aki.

Since then we have kept in touch, Yuji ended up marrying Aki and together they had 2 girls.

Now 26 years later, we are on our way to visit them again and stay at their house

Our plan is to do sightseeing, eat lots of Japanese food and for our respective next generations to become friends.

Also, we saw in the new year of 1999 together, which you can see in the photos.

So we plan to do the same thing and welcome in 2025 with both of our families together

Then after we are going to do some more sightseeing in Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and then head up to Hakuba for 10 days of snowboarding

The post Back to Japan, 26 Years After My Homestay in Nagoya appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

If you know me, I openly say that building a team in the Philippines was the best business decision I ever made.

Well, the person who helped me do that 15 years ago was a man by the name of Chris Ducker.

Chris, originally from the UK, moved to the Philippines in 2000, and after a few years, established a wildly successful call centre business that grew to more than 400 staff.

As a result, Chris had dozens of friends from the UK, US, and Australia reach out and ask him to help them build their own teams in the Philippines. I was one of those friends!

Then when Kody joined Business Blueprint, I introduced Kody to Chris and told him to read Chris’s book “Virtual Freedom”, which Kody promptly did cover-to-cover.

As a result, over the next five years, Kody went on to build a multi-million dollar website development business (which I later became an investor in), powered by 70+ staff in the Philippines.

Along the way, we both found that if you want to hire one or two staff, they can work from home. But if you want to build a proper high-performing team, it’s so much better to have your staff together, in an office.

So based on our own experience, we established WrkPod, and within the last few years, we have grown to 800 staff that now work in one of our four (soon to be five) locations.

Throughout this time, our friend Chris Ducker and his wife Erz moved back to the UK and have been cheering us on and helping us if ever we got stuck.

Then early this year, Chris said, “You know the company I have had for 15 years, I think you guys should take it over…” So we did.

Originally, it was going to be a straight acquisition, but then Chris said, “I love what you guys are doing, and I believe my clients in the UK and the US need a solution like WrkPod, that offers workspace.”

So we decided to go all-in, and I’m proud to say, Chris (the O.G. of helping people hire staff in the Philippines) is now a partner in WrkPod.

Clearly, this is an exciting milestone on our journey and, given the story above, a beautiful full-circle moment.

But business-wise, what it means is we now have the world’s best expert on our team and someone who is able to help us further expand our company into the US and the UK.

Thank you, Chris and Erz, for blazing your trail and now allowing us to come together to do something that will echo in eternity.

The post A Full-Circle Moment: We’ve Acquired Virtual Staff Finder appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

Called “Rancho Churrascada” it’s complete with an owners’ homestead, a massive restaurant for 200 people, winery, coffee plantation, horse stables, vegetable garden, children’s play area and self-contained accommodation cabins for 30 guests.

When we arrived we were treated to a fire cooking class with “Marcos Livi”.

In the space of 4 hours Marcos made no less than 12 courses of meats and vegetables with the most wonderful mix of ingredients and flavours.

From there we travelled by ATV to the top of the mountain to check into our cabins, which looked down on the entire Ranch.

After a few Gins by the fire it was time for bed.

Then the next morning we woke and had the most amazing view from the top looking out over the entire Ranch.

From there it was a transfer back down the mountain to farm style breakfast with everything made on the property.

So if you are ever in Brazil and want to get out of the big cities, this is a great place

The post 24 Hours at Rancho Churrascada, a Ranch Outside São Paulo appeared first on Dale Beaumont.

In school, and in subsequent years of travel and study, I’ve learnt a lot about WW1 and WW2. But the Yugoslav War of the late 80’s and early 90’s was always a mystery to me.

Growing up I knew a lot of Croatians and Serbians came to Australia as refugees. Many still hated each other even though they were now on the other side of the world. But why?

Well this month, as I travelled through these countries I made it my mission to understand why.

How can you brainwash an entire race to pick up guns and start shooting their neighbours? People who they had lived side-by-side with for 30 years?

It just didn’t make sense to me.

So, I visited sites, spoke to people young and old, from taxi drivers to tour guides and historians.

We saw buildings with bullet holes. We walked streets where tanks committed genocide and stood on the sites of mass graves.

And through all this, I understood.

It’s a very sad story and not one to share here on Facebook.

But I will say this: Like with most wars, it is never about the people themselves.

It’s corrupt and power-hungry leaders that use evil psychology and fear to manipulate people to do horrible things.

Plus, I learnt not to blindly follow slogans from leaders…

For example, the latest slogan in Australia regarding the referendum, “If you don’t know, vote no”.

Don’t do that. Make a point to learn. Ask questions, do some research, talk to people and understand things and see things from both sides. Then form an opinion and be ok if your neighbour’s is not your own…

Love each other anyway.

The post A War in My Lifetime: Trying to Understand the Yugoslav War appeared first on Dale Beaumont.