A week of Planning and Strategy and spending time with awesome people.

This week has been all about working ON the business. I know its a phase banded about so much, but it really is so important to keep driving us forward and achieving our goals. One thing I would note, I absolutely LOVE being back in an office. My Productivity has gone through the roof! Here's what I got up to.

The Business of Birthday Bliss: Lessons from a Seven-a-Side Soccer Party

Last weekend, my son's 8th birthday party at Ballerz in Bluewater transformed from a simple celebration into a masterclass in customer experience.

For football-mad kids like my son, this wasn't just a party—it was an immersive soccer dream. The event was meticulously crafted: a skills warmup, a dramatic tunnel walk to Champions League music, an intense 7-a-side match (Go Spurs!), electronic skill challenges, and even a professional highlight video.

What Businesses Can Learn

Beyond the birthday joy, this experience crystallised a critical business insight: exceptional customer experience sells itself. From impeccable service to thoughtful branding, from high-quality production to parent-friendly amenities, Ballerz demonstrated how attention to detail creates memorable moments.

Key takeaways for businesses:

• Craft an experience, not just a service
• Pay attention to every touchpoint
• Create moments that customers will want to share

Next week, I'm challenging myself and my team to reimagine our customer journey. Because when you nail the experience, customers become your most powerful marketing tool.

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New Book I've been reading "Buy Back Your Time"?

https://amzn.eu/d/igzlog1

Core Message: Entrepreneurs should delegate low-value tasks to focus on high-impact work.

Main Strategies:

• Identify tasks below your hourly value
• Create clear, repeatable processes
• Use technology for automation
• Train and hire effectively
• Prioritise personal growth and deep work

I highly recommend it!?

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Diving into Strategic Growth at F12: This week, I was back at F12 for the 4th year F12 is Paul Avins business Mastermind, focusing intently this week on Planning and Strategy. Our in-depth sessions explored strategy, setting goals, customer journeys, profiling techniques, and core values messaging.

As Napoleon Hill highlighted in "Think and Grow Rich", masterminds are powerful because they create a "collective intelligence" where individual minds synergise, multiplying each participant's potential beyond what they could achieve individually.

From this I focus on comprehensive personal and professional development through strategic planning and self-evaluation. My approach centers on 4 key areas Fundermentals:

1. Strategy: Developing clear, actionable plans
2. Team: Building and supporting collaborative relationships
3. Tools and Systems: Implementing effective processes
4. Coaching: Continuous personal and professional growth

A critical part of my planning involves revisiting quarterly goals using the WOOP framework (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan). This method helps me:

• Clearly define my desired wishes
• Visualise successful outcomes
• Identify potential obstacles
• Create strategic plans to overcome challenges

WOOP Goal Setting Framework

Wish

A compelling, meaningful goal that represents your deepest desire. For a business context, this might be a significant strategic objective that truly motivates you and your team.

Business Example: Expanding the company's market share in the sustainable technology sector by 25% within the next 18 months.

Outcome

A vivid mental simulation of successfully achieving the goal. This involves imagining the specific benefits and positive emotions associated with reaching your objective.

Business Visualisation: Picture the company receiving industry awards, celebrating with the team, seeing increased revenue, and gaining recognition as a leader in sustainable technology innovation.

Obstacle

Honestly identifying the most significant internal barriers that could prevent you from achieving the goal. These are typically mental obstacles like self-doubt, procrastination, or ingrained work habits.

Business Obstacles:

• Fear of taking risks in a competitive market
• Internal resistance to changing established business processes
• Lack of confidence in the team's ability to implement new strategies

Plan

Developing specific implementation strategies to overcome identified obstacles. This involves creating implementation intentions – precise "if-then" plans that link potential obstacles with concrete actions.

Business Implementation Plan:

• If team members express doubt about the new strategy, then schedule individual coaching sessions to build confidence
• If market resistance occurs, then conduct comprehensive market research to validate and refine the approach
• If internal processes slow down implementation, then create a dedicated cross-functional team with clear accountability

By systematically working through the WOOP framework, businesses can transform aspirational goals into actionable, achievable strategies with a clear path to success.?

You should give it a try personally!?

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Today to finish off the week I had a Strategy Session for Custom Workspace , a new division of AGL that's about to Launch buttoning down our Lead Strategy, Social Media Plan and Post Enquiry Automations, I’m so buzzing to get this off the ground and show you all.?

While I was doing all of this, the team delivered 42 jobs for our fantastic clients

Now time for a relaxing weekend with my Family, ready to go again next week!

Have a good one all.