Sunday
Sunday
Arrive, transfer to Park Suites in Uptown BGC, and get your bearings. We meet at Manam for Filipino sharing plates, then let the room do its work. Your team and the other founders meet without a slide deck in sight.
Founder Tour · Manila · Team Up Now
You know their names. Now meet the people.
A proper working week in Manila for ten Australian founders. You will work, eat, talk too loudly, and finally put faces to the team that helps run your business.
Register your interest
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Real client quote coming here
[CLIENT QUOTE — to be supplied]
Name, company and portrait to be added once approved. We are not making one up.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
Client portrait
A real Team Up Now client, relaxed and recognisable.
Caption slot
The point of the trip
You have sent the messages, approved the leave, and watched the work land in your inbox. You may know the name of their dog. You still have not shaken their hand.
We fix that in Manila. You keep your working hours, meet your team properly, and let the conversation carry on over food instead of another video call.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
The first meeting
A founder meeting their team for the first time: the handshake, the laugh just after it, or the moment everyone finally relaxes.
Caption: founder, team members, company and the date they first met.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
Uptown after dark
The Uptown BGC streetscape at night, busy pavements, lit towers and the group moving between venues.
Caption: the exact street, venue and people pictured.
The week
You work first, then Manila gets going.
Monday
The first handshake
This is the day you came for. We get you into the Makati office and introduce you properly, not with a rushed wave between calls. You sit with your team, see how the work moves, and have the conversations that are awkward when you have only ever typed them. The afternoon stays yours, so you can work from the apartment or office. Monday night is deliberately clear because first meetings take it out of people.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
Monday photo
The Makati office itself, people working, daytime.
Caption: name the people, place and what was happening.
Tuesday
Tuesday
A normal work day with a team lunch at a full table, plates everywhere, and your people choosing the restaurant. In the evening we eat at El Born with a Team Up Now client and talk about the first ninety days without pretending every bit was tidy.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
Tuesday photo
A team lunch, full table, plates everywhere.
Caption: name the people, place and what was happening.
Wednesday
The night gets going
You work through the day, then we start at Electric Garden in Uptown while Manila gets louder around us. There is a drink, a proper catch-up, and time for people to stop being polite and tell better stories. Later, we head to Revel for the private table, and someone will probably start arguing for karaoke. Some people stay late. Some people sensibly call it at midnight. Both are fine.
REAL PHOTO NEEDED
Wednesday photo
Night shot at Revel or a bar in Uptown, people mid-conversation.
Caption: name the people, place and what was happening.
Thursday
Thursday
The morning is rough for anyone who treated Wednesday as a challenge. Coffee, breakfast, and then back to real work. Late afternoon is a founders' roundtable where we say what worked, what did not, and what each of us got wrong. We close at Dr. Wine in Forbes Town, with a slower dinner and fewer people checking the time.
Friday
Friday
Depart, or stay on for an optional weekend in El Nido or Siargao. No hard sell. If you have flown this far, you may as well make the most of the Philippines.
The people
You will know who is looking after you.
Melbourne · co-founder
Julius
We are Julius and Eiza. I am from Melbourne and I have made this Manila trip more times than I can count. I know the jet lag, the long lunches and the exact point where a founder needs a quiet hour.
Manila · Philippines lead
Eiza
I run the Philippines side of Team Up Now and live in Manila. I know the city, the shortcuts, the restaurants that can handle a big table, and when to get everyone into a car before the traffic wins.
What makes it ours
Not a tourist itinerary.
Makati to Uptown
You will see the office, eat where your team wants to eat, and walk BGC at night when the towers are lit and the pavements are still busy.
Your team chooses dinner
Not a concierge's version of Manila. The people you work with pick the table. We handle the booking, transport and the moment when everyone stops talking about work.
The details
We keep the cohort small and host it properly.
Ten founders. Five nights at Park Suites in Uptown BGC. Hosted by Julius and Eiza.
$4,000 + GST
Flights not included.
Included
- Apartment for five nights
- All ground transfers
- Three hosted dinners
- Daily breakfast and lunch
- Team lunch for you plus six team members
- Drinks at Electric Garden
- Revel VIP table
- Two days of photography
- Local SIM
- Hosts on call
Not included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Optional weekend tail
The honest bit
Yes, you could book this yourself.
You could book an apartment, make a restaurant list and organise a car. You could also do that next month, like you meant to do last month.
The nine other founders are the part you cannot book. Neither are Julius and Eiza, who know why the team lunch matters and when to call it a night.
Businesses already running Philippine teams with Team Up Now
Legacy PilatesReconnected MarketingCore StoryThe Brand AidGunther Consulting
Questions people actually ask
We will give you a straight answer.
Do I actually get work done?
Yes. The days are yours and the Wi-Fi is fine. Australian hours overlap neatly enough with Manila, and the itinerary leaves room for real work rather than pretending you are on holiday.
What if I do not have a team in the Philippines yet?
You can still come. Tell us where you are at in the form and we will make sure the week is useful. You will meet founders who already have teams and see how the relationship works in real life.
Is $4,000 not a lot when I could book this myself?
You could. You have not, or you would not be reading this. The nine other founders, the hosted introductions, the team lunch and the people who know Manila are the part you cannot book from Australia.
What are the apartments like?
You stay at Park Suites in Uptown BGC. It is serviced-apartment accommodation, not a resort. You get a proper base for working, sleeping and recovering from the occasional late night.
How much of the week is scheduled?
The useful bits are scheduled: arrivals, team meetings, meals, the roundtable and a couple of nights out. Your working days are still yours. We do not fill every gap to justify the price.
What happens if I need to leave early?
Tell Julius or Eiza as soon as you know. We will help with the practical bits and adjust what we can. Flights and unused parts of the stay are your responsibility.
Is it safe?
We keep the group in familiar parts of Makati, BGC and Forbes Town, use arranged transfers, and have a local host with you. Use the same judgement you would use in any big city. Eiza is the person to call if something feels off.
Optional weekend
Stay on for El Nido or Siargao.
Friday is the end of the hosted week. We can point you in the right direction for a weekend, but the flights and bookings are yours.
10 seats. That is the whole room.
Dates are set from the month overlap in expressions of interest. We are not pretending confirmed dates or seat bookings exist before we have spoken to you.
Expression of interest
Come meet your team.
Tell us a little about you and the team you have in the Philippines. We will share dates and a deposit link within two business days.