Business creativity – There’s Snow Business like show business
Business creativity
The only time you should “pivot” is when you learn something so significant about your product, customer, or problem, that you have to make a substantive change to your business, so I am not suggesting that this is necessarily the case in your case, but it might be.
It might be that you just need to tweak a few things and be creative. Let me explain.
But before I do I want to saying sorry for the cheesy title there and for the fact that it may just sound like I am messing around a bit.
But, joking aside this is very serious. Why?
Because, recently in my home town of Bristol in the United Kingdom we experienced a flurry of snow. Now flurry sounds kind of weak, and well, it kind of was. In the sense that, it only lasted for a few days. BUT, here’s the point, many businesses closed down at that time. Everyone panicked. That’s right, they couldn’t handle coping with the snow and many people couldn’t travel to their jobs, so it brought somewhat of a standstill to business in the area.
Now, to me this is a bit lame. Why? Because I believe that, we should be able to work with all kinds of weather. And let’s face it, it wasn’t end of the world weather.
Sure, there are only certain resources available to clear up snow and it’s not that common here, so there isn’t much invested in this area, however – my point is that there should be ways in which work and business can continue no matter what because, the money lost across these several days ran into billions of Pounds, So, what could have been done?
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Remote working? Better transport? Better snow clearing tools?
My point is, many businesses lost revenue for several days because they couldn’t operate – whilst others thrived.
So – how did some of them thrive?
They simply took advantage of the weather – and they did this by ensuring they would still be able to operate in business whilst their competition wasn’t as they prepared for the event. They ensured that they were able to be active regardless of anything else. So, they were creative and were able to work to make sales regardless of the weather, and they got the lions share of the market.
Of course, this doesn’t relate to all businesses, but it relates to certain types of businesses.
Namely the on street establishments where customers cannot get to them and the food delivery businesses were also affected. Their revenue and ability to serve day to day was compromised, so the key point here is BE PREPARED! No matter what business you are running or thinking of running, it pays literally to consider all things.
On a particular snowy cold day I ordered Greek take out food because 1) I was feeling lazy and 2) I personally was busy so I needed convenience. This was fulfilled and they kindly got food to me pretty quickly. This was an exception to the standard though throughout that period.
Now, most of the giant supermarkets couldn’t get deliveries to their super stores, so they failed the majority of customers and this meant that stock ran low all because in the UK we don’t have enough resources to deal with this kind of situation.
"Creativity is one of the last remaining legal ways of gaining an unfair advantage over the competition". Ed McCabe
I managed to receive my take away food from small business owner about 2 miles away and they were determined to deliver their food whatever the weather – and I love that kind of determination! Whilst I fully appreciate that some businesses simply didn’t have the right set up in place, it made many business owners think about their ways of selling and delivery.
A huge supermarket won’t go out of business overnight necessarily from a snowy week, but a small business might struggle especially if the bad weather is on going. So there HAS TO BE a distinct creative edge to smaller business owners in many ways, as this kind of necessity means that we have to think differently. As for the super stores not having sufficient stock in place, they may lose some loyalty from dependent shoppers?
What if the bad weather was more permanent? What would sellers do then?
Business creativity – There’s Snow Business like show business
If the demand is there, we need to think about how we will deliver on that.
That’s the real lesson here!
A handful of smaller businesses were able to cash in as they needed to survive and they thought differently – whilst others didn’t, and many of the bigger businesses just couldn’t get truck loads of goods to their stores. This was another reminder that, as a small business owner I have to do DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO RUN A BUSINESS and make it work. We cannot all afford to fall apart when the weather changes.
My Small business personally runs from a laptop and with me consulting from anywhere, so this is a great example of the age which we live in, and so regardless of what is going on around me, I can still get stuff done. This is something else to consider when looking at starting a Small business. Considering all the angles is the key to having an edge over competition.
Business creativity
So, I guess there are several lessons here.
1 – Small Business owners need to take advantage of every opportunity presented and think of how to deal with the possibility of bad weather and other potential obstacles.
2- The type of business you run can make a huge difference in what income you make and how you make it.
3- We can all learn and get better from lessons in ALL BUSINESS – and we can adjust and tweak what we do in order to thrive no matter what is going on.
4- What is your creative advantage and are you using it?
Now that third point has several factors to it…
It may not be about snow, in your case – the snow probably has nothing to do with your own ability to sell, but this just means that we can take lessons and plan for the worst.
And, we can always learn from every business – not just in our niche area, but in all kinds of businesses, and we can also look at where businesses DO thrive, so we can see what they are doing in their strategy. This way, you and I may take advantage of this and lead.
So, start by looking at your systems, processes and structure and look at how you can ensure you dominate.
This could include areas such as trends, buyer behaviors, offers, delivering value, technology and so on. We can learn and grow ‘always’ and we can brave the storms and brave the changing climate of business. In my 15+ years of running several small businesses both online and offline, one of the greatest things I have learned is that, I needed to be open to change and I needed to look at the defining principles for success IN ALL BUSINESS.
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We know that change is always occurring and if we want to stay in business, sometimes we have to change what we do.
This is not to say that we have to be totally different or wacky just to survive from our original concept, nor do we need to run an entirely different model, it means that we really need to be open and flexible but also have that edge when changes require us to be. This may mean that we need to consider a pivot; and it is a powerful principle in business which is worth mastering, as one day you may just need it.
Pivoting seems to be a kind of buzzword lately which refers to a significant business change and this could mean small tweak to major changes. A pivot usually helps a business to recover from a tougher period, or even survive after experiencing more stiff competition or other factors that make the original business model unsustainable.
Meet Tony below who runs a famous Oyster Bar Restaurant in Grand Central Station in NY.
I was on a world trip and stopped by to check out his bounty, and oh boy were they sweet and juicy. With so many varieties of Oyster there we were spoiled for choice and flavor. I asked Tony what it took to deliver fresh fish and Oysters every day to hungry and expectant customers and he said ‘the secret to my success is I put my customers first and I will do whatever it takes to get that fresh produce to these folks every day no matter what the weather.
Well, well! It looks like Tony get’s it! He knows that he has to get the product there very early in the morning.
And as you may know, in New York the weather can get pretty bad and affect our ability to function.
Tony said ‘the weather never stops me as I always have back up plans’. So you see, Tony knows that his primary objective is his customers.
Business creativity
Business creativity – There’s Snow Business like show business
The terrible truth is – I have known several people go out of business through being stubborn.
That’s right, just because they couldn’t be open to making small tweaks or small changes they lost their businesses, but I find that kind of mad. After all, if you are truly passionate about what you do then surely you will do whatever it takes to stay in business and want to serve those hungry customers no?
What I teach with my clients is that – we must be open and flexible as our goal is to deliver and make money whilst serving a hungry market. If we have to tweak, test, or even transform what we do then we do it.
What I hope you can take from this is; we have to sometimes look beyond our little sweet business and look beyond the every day tasks to see what is going on. Whilst we cannot prepare for everything and risk is common, we can take advantage of the various factors and changes that ‘will and do’ happen.
If you are struggling in your small business right now ‘or’ if you are just starting out, then perhaps you need to now consider what you can do that may help you when others may suffer?
What may need tweaking to ensure you still make sales whilst others feel the struggle?
Whilst others complain about the weather, worry about changes and fret over uncertainties in the climate, YOU can be taking advantage of this in some way. You might start by asking more questions; ask your current customers what they want, create surveys, do polls, questionnaires etc. often and find out what they want, as they are paying you after all, and look to over deliver, be creative and stand out and this will help you down the road.
Perhaps you are not leveraging the full value out of what you sell?
You may be able to create more income by selling a variety of goods/services or by changing the pricing a little? Most businesses miss out on the money they can make because they become too short sighted with their core role. And whilst we should have a core role in our strength area, there is no harm in thinking differently than 80% of people.
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Business creativity – There’s Snow Business like show business
If you are not making the kind of impact you feel you deserve by now and have been struggling for too long ‘or’ you are not reaching your revenue goals and are just scraping by, then by all means get in touch @ www.GregDeTisi.com and I will be more than happy to look at your Small business and give you an honest free review and some suggestions on what you may want to look at changing. And also in what areas may be worth tweaking in order for you to start increasing your profits and sales. Let’s face it – business is about selling great products and services (end of) and when we can bring the right kind of value we will sell more than most.
What could be stopping you making the kind of sales you really need?
It could be that your products are not up to scratch, or that you have too many or too little? It could be that you are selling the wrong things, or for too little or for too much. There are any number of things that could contributing to your sales and bottom line so, be prepared to be open minded if we do talk as I will be brutally honest. After all, you want a thriving business that you can be passionate about running right? You want a venture that you can enjoy running day to day and that can help you and your family to sustain yourselves for many years to come right?
Of course you do!
If you want you can contact me at Greg De Tisi Coaching and feel free to connect @ www.GregDeTisi.com I will be more than happy to help you
Also, I do have a self study course for those who are not sure which area they wish to start a business in.
This is designed to help you discover your passions and develop them into a new career or small business. If you would like to learn how to make $10k per month from your own small business from home then go to THIS LINK AND CHECK OUT MY PASSION DEVELOPMENT COURSE HERE
Business creativity
So, why do so many businesses suffer and even fail?
Did you know that, the reason 8 out of 10 businesses fail is because they don’t know what their customers really want or why. They go about creating a beautiful looking business and products/services based around their passions but not based around the passions of their buyers.
If you are just starting out and want free tips sent right to your inbox then grab the book on the right as there are many tips in there I wish I knew over 15 years ago!
But, having learned and grown my Small business I now am able to help you avoid those pitfalls.
You will discover how to start a business whilst in a job and how to find what people actually want rather than what you think they want. Very important.
As you probably know, you have got to work your business effectively, give it 110%, and take the action required daily to see growth and those desired results.
FINAL TIP: You have to be able to do whatever it takes to make your business work. You are the answer and you will get challenges, but successful business owners win as they don’t quit when challenges arise. I have coached hundreds of people globally and one of the greatest blockages to their own success is not being willing to go the extra mile.
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"A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts". - Richard Branson
As always I wish you all the very best
Greg
CREATE A SOLID BUSINESS PLAN WITH ME HERE
TRY MY $10k PM PASSION TO PROFIT SELF STUDY HERE
Business creativity
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