Hit The Ground Running!

The Wake-Up Call We All Needed

I've just come away from one of the most thought-provoking business talks I've ever attended. Martin Norbury had the whole room captivated, and his timing couldn't have been better.

Here we are, with only about thirty working days left of 2024 (if you exclude Fridays!), and he's delivered exactly the wake-up call many of us needed.

You know those moments when someone says something that makes the whole room go quiet?

Well, Martin had one of those when he asked, "Are you running a 10-year-old business, or have you been running a 1-year-old business for 10 years?" The uncomfortable shuffling in seats said it all.

We all knew exactly what he meant - most of us are stuck in a cycle, repeating the same year over and over again, just with different dates on the calendar.

The Mirror of Truth

This reminded me of Einstein's famous quote about insanity - doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results.

But Martin took this further.

He challenged us to try something: Every night before bed, look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Was today any different than yesterday?"

It's simple but powerful. Not just about whether you were busy or made money, but whether you actually moved your business forward.

Understanding Blue Ocean Strategy

The real game-changer came when Martin discussed the Blue Ocean Strategy.

He illustrated this brilliantly with a story about a fish and chip shop that really brought it home.

Imagine the first fish and chip shop opening in a town - queues down the street, business booming, everything's great.

This is a perfect example of a Blue Ocean - where you're operating in uncontested market space, making the competition irrelevant.

When Blue Turns to Red

But here's what happens next, and this is where it gets interesting.

Success attracts competition.

A second shop opens, then a third, then a fourth. Initially, there's enough demand for everyone.

But eventually, something shifts. Those clear blue waters become red with competition.

Those queues disappear, and suddenly you're in what strategy experts call the "Red Ocean" - where businesses fight over the same customers, leading to increasingly cutthroat competition.

The problem isn't just the competition itself. It's what it does to your thinking.

You become reactive instead of proactive.

You start watching your competitors more than your customers.

And inevitably, someone starts the price war.

Before you know it, everyone's racing to the bottom, offering discounts, cutting corners, and wondering where all the profit went.

The Three Choices Every Business Faces

Martin shared a powerful quote from Tom, the CEO of Acer: "In a mature market, you have three options: Get Big, Get Specialised, or Get Out." Simple as that. But the real opportunity, as the Blue Ocean Strategy teaches us, lies in creating new market space where you can thrive without direct competition.

A Story of Transformation

Martin then shared his own story, and this was fascinating. He used to run a computer business, selling systems through magazines.

At first, he was making 40% margins in his own Blue Ocean.

But as the market matured and competition grew, those margins shrank to 10%. Sound familiar? I saw lots of nodding heads in the room at this point.

Creating Your Own Blue Ocean

Instead of joining the race to the bottom, Martin did something different.

He noticed that some of their bespoke computer systems, designed for specific purposes, were delivering 50% margins. That was his lightbulb moment.

They shifted focus, specialising in specific software products and consultancy.

The result? He sold the business for ￡5.1 million a few years later.

The Masterplan Approach

This aligns perfectly with what we teach in The Masterplan Programme.

Just like the Blue Ocean Strategy, The Masterplan is about finding and creating uncontested market spaces where your business can thrive.

It's about making systematic changes that transform your business step by step.

We work with businesses to help them identify their own Blue Ocean opportunities and create structured paths to achieve them.

The transformation wasn't revolutionary - it was evolutionary.

Martin outlined three key principles that mirror our Masterplan methodology: First, creating your own Blue Ocean by solving problems differently. Second, becoming proactive rather than reactive. And third - focusing on margin, not just revenue.

Breaking Free from the Struggle

What really struck me was when Martin talked about businesses becoming "addicted to their struggle."

He described how so many of us get caught in this cycle where we're just riding the market waves - when it's up, we sell more; when it's down, we sell less.

But we're never really in control.

This is exactly why Entrepreneur Circle created The Masterplan - for EC Coaches, like me, to help business owners break free from this cycle.

Your Path Forward

The good news is, it doesn't have to be this way.

As Martin explained, and as we teach in The Masterplan, change isn't about completely revolutionising your business overnight.

It's about evolution, making conscious decisions to do things differently, step by step. It's about choosing not to repeat that same year again.

Ready to Make 2025 Different?

After hearing Martin's talk, I couldn't help but think about how many local businesses could benefit from this perspective.

That's why I'd love to continue this conversation with you. If these insights have resonated with you like they did with me, let's grab a virtual coffee and talk about your business.

Whether you're stuck in a Red Ocean, looking to create your own Blue Ocean, or just wanting to make sure 2025 isn't a repeat of 2024, I'd love to help you map out a strategy to hit the ground running.

Book a free 30-minute virtual coffee chat with me, and let's explore how we can make your business evolution happen.

After all, as Martin so powerfully demonstrated, and as we prove every day in The Masterplan Programme, it's not about working harder - it's about working differently.

Best wishes,

Jamie

P.S. Tonight, try Martin's mirror challenge. Ask yourself if today was any different than yesterday. Then let's talk about making tomorrow count.