What defines your business?

Would you like to take your business to the next level, but are unsure how best to do this?

If you want some fresh ideas and tested frameworks that can help you improve your company for the future, I have created this newsletter for you.

It is often the case that you cannot move beyond your current targets, because your methodology has not changed. What got you here most probably won’t get you there. Therefore, I encourage ambitious leaders to rethink their growth, so they can explore exciting new possibilities.

This isn’t about quick fixes. I want to guide you towards sustainable success, but to do this you have to get better before you can get bigger.

What defines your business?

?

How would you describe your business’s identity?

Each organisation has its own methods and idiosyncrasies that define its day-to-day work. Whilst the price of your offering or the wages you pay are important factors for people looking to interact with your company, these are not the only considerations.

Differentiating yourself by how cheap you are, or how much you pay, is generally an unsustainable option for small-to-medium sized businesses. Even larger organisations will need substantial resources, or an exclusive means of production/delivery to make this work.?

What makes your company different is how you do things. Make your approach resonate with your target audience and you are off to a winner.

?

A limiting mindset – Making it up as you go along

Review the following:

?

Your vision – Why? Where do you want to take your business? What goals are you hoping to achieve? These are your motivations that should push not just you, but everyone working within your organisation forward.

Your mission – What? Now you know where you want to go, you have to decide the means by which you get there. What activities are going to progress you and how can these be made as effective as possible?

Your values – How? What are the fundamental attitudes that you want to instil in your business? This could be offering particularly exemplary client support, or being environmentally conscious. These are the rules you won’t break.

?

These are the building blocks for how your company functions. If you are dissatisfied with one of these aspects, determine specific and practical actions you can take to change this. This might come from conversations with your colleagues, or an external advisor, if you’re uncertain of the best path forward.

?

A missing element – Organisational core

The commitments you make to your vision, mission and values represent your organisational core. To ensure that your company resonates best with the people you aim to interact with, whether this is your clients, employees, or partners, is to build your organisational core with them.

What do your customers desire that none of your competitors provide? What career progression and training programmes does your business have? What would make your partners offer a more efficient (possibly cheaper) contribution?

It’s easy to become too introspective when developing your organisation, particularly if the targets are set by too few people. Sit down with your key stakeholder groups and ask them what they would want from their ideal company. Some of their suggestions won’t fit your business’s ethos, or simply won’t be attainable, but if you can match as many of their needs and wants as possible, you’re giving your organisation the best possible opportunity to succeed.

?

A different perspective – Shout it out loud

Once you’ve settled on your defining why, what and how, in line with your stakeholders’ requirements, you must decide how to communicate them. Fail to demonstrate what makes your business unique and you will have no competitive advantage. Therefore, the content you produce should be tailored to express these aspects in the most engaging way possible.

As the influence of the internet and social media continues to expand, marketing is a developing concern. As well as this, your advertising endeavours might reach beyond the web to leaflet campaigns or tactically positioned signage.

Your first question when deciding what marketing avenue to prioritise should be: ‘Where do our ideal clients/customers/partner spend time?’

For example, LinkedIn is a significant platform for professional businesses, such as consultancy firms, but is going to be less relevant to a local bakery. Decide where your resources are best invested. This doesn’t have to be an immediate, conclusive action; try different marketing methods out and see what brings in the most desirable results.

If you’re not sure what really defines your organisational identity, the chances are that your stakeholders will also be puzzled, inside or outside your company. Know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there; everything else rests on this.?

If you know anyone might benefit from the content of this article, please share it with them and encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter. My aim is to help as many people create the businesses they have always wanted.?

Hello, I’m Nick Cramp. I’ve been working as business owner and coach now for around three decades.

During this time, it often occurred to me that many leaders feel unfulfilled by their work, which seemed a pity given the amount of time and effort they have invested. I wanted to change this, so have created and collected a selection of the best strategies for business improvement.

My main mantra is that an organisation must get better before bigger. The reason for this is that without the optimal people, processes and systems, you have no springboard to reach that next level and cope.

In 2021, I published my book Better before Bigger – Rethinking Business Success, which alongside my coaching and courses, outlines a holistic approach to running a thriving company.

I want to guide ambitious leaders towards the best practices and results, so their reality can align with their ambitions. ?

?

Book a FREE, no commitment Introductory Call with me if you are interested in discussing whether I may have the solutions to your challenges. ?

Check out my website if you would like to find out more about me and the services I offer.

Take the Next Level Scorecard for a more insightful perspective of your company, to inform future decision-making.

Follow this link to my book if you are interested in finding a practical guide to taking your business to the next level.

?

#betterbeforebigger #businesstransformation #inspirationalleadership #mindset