2017: PNG Businesses, it's time to go digital or go home

*Edit: Title changed

2017 has certainly been a year full of fantastic learning opportunities, meeting so many incredibly talented people and figuring out how to navigate and meander through a whole lot of unknown territory with our new business, VERGE.

I wear a few different professional hats during business hours, but when deciding to commit to building VERGE and really get it off the ground, I must've somehow selectively forgot how intense establishing a new business can be. I've been through these trenches before - and it's a lot of hard slogging; long hours and late nights tossing/turning at some seemingly important but unresolved matter that no-one else in the team can deal with.

But those professional issues weren't the major balancing challenge - this was the first time doing this not only as a happily married woman, but also as a dedicated young mum with a toddler daughter in tow who's been developing her sense of independence faster than I envisaged would be the case.

On that note, I'm incredibly fortunate and eternally grateful to have such a supportive family network and community who come together and help make rearing my daughter a seamless possibility in parallel to building a new business venture and meeting other professional obligations. It truly does take a village to raise a child in a wholesome way and I have the utmost respect and admiration for those parents out there holding down a plethora of responsibilities and raising a child on their own.

So at the end of our first few months in operation, where are we at with VERGE?

Well, am really pleased that we've landed and secured a handful of great clients who have invested their trust with us. The current timing of the PNG market, its need and the generally held perception of the importance of digital marketing services and effective communications is great for us.

As our initial market research found (talking to Managing Directors, General Managers and similar senior-decision making staff in various businesses) the Papua New Guinea business community has historically, by and large not 'needed' to think so strategically about a quality digital footprint within their marketing plan. Heck, I've come to learn there are businesses out there turning over millions of Kina that don't have a marketing or communications plan at all - it's been sufficient to stumble through it year on year. Essentially though, traditional media is still king in this part of the world - and so VERGE has also needed to include these skills/services in our proposals to provide solutions that really matter to our clients. But, the tide is changing.

In the last month alone, I've been directly contacted by a couple of prospective clients with well-established industry brands trying to figure out how to deal with intense (and sensationalised) negative online reviews or blogs that may have partially inaccurate or distorted information that the online audience shares with such speed and passion - that it's costing more than just money - it's essentially out to destroy personal reputations and brands that have been built over years, sometimes decades. Notably, the instigator tends to be anonymous and therefore, rather ironically goes to great lengths to keep it that way.

Unfortunately, if the first time any 'established' brand (business or individual) is thinking of stepping into the online domain is to respond to negative reviews... then we're immediately fighting against the odds.

Historically devious individuals and businesses in PNG have enjoyed the cloak that the barriers to fluid information flow have afforded to them. So it should not be so surprising that in these infant years of the digital age proliferating in PNG - that the pendulum has swung hard to the other end and the general population's scrutiny can be lightning-fast, highly emotional and at times unforgiving.

But this 'potentially negative' online machinery controlled by the market is not the reason to 'avoid' establishing a well-thought out digital presence that compliments traditional media channels. In fact, it's actually the best reason why businesses SHOULD be getting ahead of the curve and developing an engaging relationship with the online community sooner rather than later.

My recommendation to any businesses or professionals out there in PNG who are still wondering whether or not they ought to professionally engage and invest in the digital space is to simply consider one question:

What would it cost you personally/your business if someone else (with malicious intent) decides to control your brand's story online?

So it's relatively easy to appreciate why this is so important no matter how big or small you are.

For the smaller players in the market, like the entrepreneurs, micro and startup folks - the social media space is your golden ticket to driving community awareness about your business in such a powerful way that you can even attract international interest if you do it effectively. The early-adopters of this technology are already reaping rewards of market brand awareness and inherent support/encouragement by the mass audience.

It's an enormous opportunity that shouldn't be ignored. Hence, as much as I can, it's such a pleasure to spend some free time at the Womens' Business and Resource Centre in Hohola, Port Moresby to help budding entrepreneurs and SME owners learn some of the basics in getting themselves setup.

From these sessions and by meeting many young, enthusiastic self-starters some of whom are dabbling with the online opportunities - I've learnt what resilience and innovation can mean for PNG's onward development. Further, it's inspiring to think what digital technology can do to catapult desirable results and leapfrog learning curves.

No wonder then, the official theme for APEC 2018 which is to be hosted by Papua New Guinea is "Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future". Indeed, APEC's ongoing agenda covers three broad areas:

• Improving Connectivity, and Deepening Regional Economic Integration;
• Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth; and,
• Strengthening Economic Growth through Structural Reform.

With the multiple hats I wear, which also relate to solar and renewable energy as well the digital realm - these are very relevant topics of influence in my professional spheres. So it will be fascinating to observe what the outcomes from these meetings and the international dialogue will bring.

With that in mind, we look back at 2017 and I'm very grateful to our current clients for giving us the opportunity and to those individuals and businesses that have supported us in other ways during our foundation year. We're very fortunate that at this early stage of our business cycle, we haven't had chase client interest - especially since the current economic climate in PNG has been so tough and where so many businesses are rationalising and forced to make hard decisions. But we do look forward earnestly to 2018 and what lies ahead for VERGE.

In the meantime, it's now high time for a short pause (of a few weeks!), deep reflection, sipping on kulau as much as I can possibly do that and a whole lot of quality family time during this festive season.

Thank you for reading and may you have a safe and prosperous holiday season!