FLUID BUSINESS THE MAGAZINE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS WINTER 2019
All Change, Please! MANAGING TEAM CHANGES
CHANGING YOUR MIND
PLANNING FOR CHANGE
ENSURING YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR PEOPLE
IS YOUR HEAD IN THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOUR CURRENT BUSINESS?
HOW TO GET READY & STAY FOCUSED DURING TIMES OF CHANGE
AUTUMN 2018
Use code WINTERMAGFREE valid until 31st March 2019Â
THE CHANGE ISSUE 04
14
Fluid Insider Find out what we've been up to over the last
Will your Business Deliver the Life you Want? Knowing what you want will help shape your
few months.
business
05
16
Coaches Q&A
The importance of the right mindset for
The coaches share their expert knowledge by answering our question of the issue!
08
Planning for your People
Where's Your Head At?
20
growth
A D A P T to The Levels How to ensure your business is ready to grow
Does your business have a plan for all your people? Find out why you need one
23
The Fluid Book Club Literary inspiration from the Fluid Business
10
Why Looks really are Important Why branding and marketing are so
Coaches
24
How will an ageing population affect business?
important & how you can manage a change of look
The Silver Tsunami
26
Surprising Stats A fun look at business related numbers
A note from... NATALIE HARIRAM Managing Director, Fluid Business Group
Welcome! Incredibly we're nearly at
In our 'All Change' issue we're
the end of January already but a
sharing ideas on how best to deal
quick (belated) Happy New Year
with some of the most common
from me.
change scenarios faced by business owners.
To kick off the new year we've made a change to the magazine
I'll leave you with this great quote
and issued our biggest ever edition. on change Many of us don't really like change
“Yesterday I was clever, so I
but adjustments of some kind are
wanted to change the world. Today
inevitable when running a business.
I am wise, so I am changing
It's how you chose to handle
myself.”
change that makes the biggest
― Rumi
difference.
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Fluid Insider A roundup of the last quarter and the latest news from Fluid HQ. The Fluid Team are well into the new year with various levels of commitment on the dry January and new exercise regime front! But at least we're trying to change our ways....
Being ready to change and prepared to grow your business is an exciting but potentially daunting time - check out Ray's article on P.20 to ensure you're able to A D A P T when the time comes.
Enjoy 2019 and embrace as much change as you can realistically manage!
New to Fluid? Visit fluidbusiness.co.uk for an explanation of the Levels Framework®
Highlights in this issue...
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Will your business deliver the life you want?
Where's your head at?
P.14
P.16
FBM Winter 2019
Coaches Q&A What's the biggest business change you've experienced & what did it teach you?
Ray Moore - Founder & Managing Coach
That’s a great question and got me thinking. The biggest impact on me personally hasn’t been technology or online trading, it was the year 1992. Now some of you may have been very young or even not born so let me give you a little background. I started my first business in 1988. The economy was booming following the Thatcher years. Business was buoyant. My company grew quickly and sales and profits allowed us to maintain the growth. With a wide spread of customers including Canary Wharf the future looked rosy. Unbelievably, Canary Wharf filed for bankruptcy in May 1992. That was bit of a shock but we could weather that storm. Then Black Wednesday hit in September 1992 when the UK was bumped out of the ERM and George Soros came close to breaking the Bank of England. Interest rates went from 10% to 15% in a matter of hours and the economy dived into the longest and hardest recession with over 3 million unemployed. My learnings are that I could only control those things that were within my circle of influence. It would have been so easy to focus on things that I could not change. I focused on what I could control and survived to build sustainable businesses. It was character building! In businesses even in those dark days the sun will still rise again. The economy will ebb and flow. It will recover. However, I am reminded again and again of what Thomas Schelling, Nobel laureate in economics in wrote in 1988, the year I suffered my entrepreneurial seizure. ‘It is the nature of human beings to forget that we keep forgetting’ And boy do we keep forgetting!
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Coaches Q&A Continued Andy Sleet - Business Coach
The biggest business change for me came when I left corporate life and got involved with coaching. I spent 25 years working in a Corporate environment, starting as an apprentice Engineer and working my way up the greasy pole to become a senior manager with what I believed to be an important role within the company. During this time I was focused on doing the right things and putting in maximum effort to enable my progression. Sure enough at each annual appraisal I was rewarded with a good review and reassurance that I was doing the right things. At the time my mood was mixed with elation as I got promoted, but also frustration as progress felt so slow. I was confused and at the time wasn't able to understand what was causing it however the reason for my feelings became clear the longer I spent in the coaching environment. The corporate organisation had grown large but some of the essential building blocks of Vision, Mission and Culture had not been put in place properly.
The main challenges start right from the top.
So on reflection what has it taught me?
The Leadership team must be aligned & communicate the same vision effectively through all levels of the organisation. It's usually clear why this vision is good for the company but needs to be communicated in a way that shows why it's good for the employees as well. If not presented as a 'Win - Win' why would any of the employees 'buy in' to it?
There needs to be some level of autonomy in the decision makers throughout the levels of the organisation. I had a handful of great bosses in my time in this environment and at my appraisals they would let me know how well I was doing & help with my development, however there was no real 'talent development' system within the organisation to allow the best to progress.
The overall Leader cannot just write down a few values on the wall to get ISO9001. This isn't a list of desired values, it must be demonstrated that leaders live the values first and then be the keepers of the culture for the rest of the organisation. Unfortunately, if the leader doesn't do this they have no hope that the rest of the business will.
It is important when recruiting that the HR process understands the need for VALUES first and makes sure that only people with values in line with those of the company get hired.
If the goal for the Business Owner is to grow their business, then it's imperative that these things are fixed first as a strong business can't be built on weak foundations!
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Coaches Q&A What's the biggest business change you've experienced & what did it teach you?
Peter Boolkah - Business Coach
The biggest change I've experienced was the challenge brought about by the 2008/09 recession.
Overnight the taps were turned off and nobody really knew what was really going on or how to deal with it. There was an expectation that it was just a blip and things would bounce back quickly, however that was not the case. Things just got worse and worse and many businesses failed to act fast enough to prevent irrevocable damage.
I saw three key issues that caused devastation for many industries;
> Credit lines were too lax and many companies failed to recovery monies owed to them. As we know, cash flow is vital to the survival of small businesses.
> Costs were not cut fast enough. Many companies tried to ride out the storm but did not have enough capital behind them to do so.
> Banks pulled facilities and put companies into liquidation overnight because they had no confidence in the businesses they had over lent to.
The reality is many companies had no frame of reference, were adopting poor practices and were not strong enough to survive the downturn.
As a result I now encourage all my clients to plan ahead, chase down debts promptly and have a cash reserve. Ideally, you should also have an emergency plan in case the worst does happen.
The question now remains with the next downturn approaching are companies better placed this time around?
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Does your business have a plan for its people? Peter Boolkah - The Transition Guy®
Do you really need a plan?
Make Hiring the Best Employees Your Top Priority
When it comes to maximising growth, companies typically have strategies in place for essential
Whether it's perfecting your management
areas like revenue and sales - but what about a
structure or identifying any department gaps
people plan? And more importantly, why does
internally which could help your business scale to
your business need one? Let’s find out...
its full potential; it’s worth remembering that people are THE lifeline when it comes to your
If we pinpoint some of the key strategies that
company’s development and future success
SMEs define as ‘game-changers’, above all most
rates.
business owners choose to focus the majority of time and effort on creating an airtight sales
So even if thinking outside the box sounds a little
pipeline, along with costing and profit margins.
daunting at first, change is extremely valuable in that it can allow you to plan ahead and remain
But in terms of structure, revenue is not what's
prepared. By pooling your resources together
posing a threat to today’s high-profiting
early on to identify which areas could use more
organisations. In fact, the common culprit for
manpower, ultimately this will save valuable time
where things can go south if not addressed is lack
for everybody as the rest of the business year
of time spent on the recruitment process.
pans out.
Simply put: Hiring the right people at the right time is an absolute must.
While a healthy revenue is crucial for any operation to build steady success, if you want to cut out the guesswork and focus on your
In many global surveys carried out the number one
it's far more effective to switch your attention to hiring the best calibre of employees in the first sales quarter rather than leaving recruitment until a
thing that is currently restricting revenue growth is
later date. So many companies hire at the last
people.
possible moment often robbing the company of
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company's long-term goals,
a resource that was much needed earlier on.
Still not convinced?
Organise Your Team and Set Long Term Goals So if you're experiencing consistent high profits but haven't done this next step already, it's a good idea to draw up an organisational
It pays to advertise any vacant roles early on in
chart that maps out your entire workforce
the year so that come Christmas time, your
structure and pinpoints exactly how your team
new team members will have passed their
will align with your long term business plan.
initial training period and can be fully qualified to enter the growth stage of helping you
By getting into the habit of referring to your
transition into the next quarter - with gusto!
organisational chart - one year, two years or even three years in advance - not only will this simple exercise allow you to gain valuable insight into what your people plan looks like
Recap: Top Tips for Creating an Effective People Plan
ahead of the upcoming sales year, it will also provide the necessary structure every company needs to be able to thrive. 1. Design an organisational chart that
Give Your New Recruits Time to Learn the Ropes
identifies any gaps in your company’s internal structure so you can advertise the most relevant jobs as soon as possible.
Although in an ideal world the hiring process runs like clockwork, that's not always the case with the addition of new recruits. There will inevitably be an adjustment period which can
2. Set a realistic time frame for how much time your management team will need to focus on the hiring and training stages.
take anywhere from 1-3 months for everybody to learn the ropes, pick up in-house systems and generally understand how things run in your company dynamic - so prepare to invest in the gift of time here. Also, remember that your entire team must work together to stay
3. Once you’ve defined a clear recruitment strategy, the third and most important point to acknowledge is the need to take ACTION, stay accountable and make these changes a reality.
productive and serve your business from a place of confidence and strength.
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Why looks really are important Branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room -Jeff Bezos, Amazon
Better to be looked over than over looked.
Marketing is your best asset for growing sales and generating loyalty, and covers advertising,
In our social media, selfie obsessed society
public relations, promotions, branding and sales.
looks seem to be gaining more importance – especially for your business. So why is it
It’s needed to create and maintain ever-present
important that your business carefully considers
relationships with customers. To be successful it
its marketing and branding strategies?
requires a carefully monitored and measured ongoing strategy.
Marketing is fundamentally a process of communication and education. We want to
It’s now even cheaper to talk to your customers
make sure that our ideal client knows who we
– social media platforms and email offer a
are and once they do we need to tell them why
budget friendly way of talking to potential and
we’re their best option. In order to buy into a
current customers. Regular efforts can help
product, service or idea your customers need to
spread the word not only to existing customers
have a good understanding of what it does,
but potential prospects too.
how it works and why they will benefit. The last
Now that customers want an immersive shopping
point may well be the most important one; with
experience social media makes it easier to tell
so much choice available the customer really is
your story and personalise it to different
king.
customer groups. Modern customers value experience and individuality over pricing so
Without marketing you may have the best
social media is a big win for SME’s with limited
product or service available but none of your
budgets.
potential customers will know about it.
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Marketing helps keep customers engaged
There are many strands to creating a solid
outside of your shop or office hours. Whilst how
brand including your offer, advertising,
you treat your customers during face-to-face
customer service, promotional merchandise,
situations is, of course, paramount marketing
reputation and logo. These elements combine
allows you to keep the conversation going long
to create a unique and (hopefully) attention-
after that interaction has finished. By forming
grabbing professional profile.
lasting relationships with your brand marketing helps generate loyalty and higher spend per
The benefits of a brand
head.
Ultimately marketing is vital because it helps sell your product or service. The bottom line of any business is to make money and marketing is an essential channel to reach that end goal.
Get Recognised & Create Trust It seems fairly obvious but one of the most important reasons for branding is because it’s how your company will get recognition and become known to your customers. Your logo needs to be easily memorable because it’s essentially the face of the company. A polished, professional image will give the impression of being an industry expert –
In todays competitive world you need to create fresh and engaging content to draw customers in and lead them to a purchase. Marketing
current and potential customers will feel that they can trust your business to deliver what they need.
helps sales and sales are the lifeblood of your business.
What about Branding?
Increase your Business Value A strongly established brand can increase a business’ value by giving the company more
Branding is a marketing practice whereby a company creates a name, emblem or design that is easily identifiable as belonging to them. In developing a brand personality you highlight why you’re the better option as well as giving an identity to a product or service, and
leverage in the industry and therefore making it easier for you to gain new customers. If you reach the point of wanting to sell your business an established brand is a more attractive investment opportunity for potential purchasers.
distinguish it from your competitors offering.
Branding is key because it helps your audience know what to expect from your business and creates a memorable impression for consumers. Your brand should be a true and accurate reflection of how you are as a business, what you offer and how you fulfil that offer. Getting this right is critical due to the overall impact it has on your business – it influences how customers perceive your company, it can raise awareness and drive new business.
Drive Employee Engagement Your brand can be used to increase team morale and loyalty because when staff can easily understand and identify with the brand they can get behind the ethos of your company and then share that with your customers. In branding your office you can create a sense of belonging, which has been linked to higher levels of employee satisfaction.
All key in meeting your goal of growing a profitable enterprise.
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Why change your look?
Some of the most likely reasons as to why you would want to rebrand are:
Your company is going to grow and evolve over time – you may add new products or services to your list, venture into new markets or work with different customers. Any of these changes will require you to
• To update the image of your company. It’s important to keep pace with customer demand for innovation
think about how well your brand fits its new environment.
• Give value and appeal to a set of new product launches
As a business owner, you might have your own reasons as to why you want to rebrand.
• Recover from a negative experience
However, it’s vital that you map out your motives and goals before starting to ensure there is no negative impact on your business. You want to aim for a seamless
• Highlight positive attributes after a period of internal change (partnership break /change of ownership)
transition from your old brand to your new one.
• Your target audience is changing
Having a clearly defined set of objectives will help you better prepare and allow you to keep focussed during the brand transition phase. But, you’ll need to proceed with caution, re-branding shouldn’t be undertaken lightly.
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• The competition is gaining market share
Things to consider when re-branding your business 1. Make sure you have a valid reason for changing Re-branding can be costly and time consuming so if it isn’t essential there may be easier ways to grow your business. Make sure you’re confident of the return on investment before committing to change.
2. Establish what actually needs to change Do you just need to re-fresh your logo or does your entire business need an update? If it’s the former it’s a much simpler exercise but if you’re going for a complete transformation you’ll need to include all your marketing materials, office, uniforms, social media pages, company name, photography and even your company’s working style.
3. Assess your re-branding budget Once you’ve defined your brand goals it’s a great idea to ensure that you can afford the changes within your budget. Don’t forget to include changes to new and current marketing materials.
4. Include your mission statement If you’re going for a complete company re-brand don’t forget to update your mission statement to ensure it accurately reflects your new goals and objectives. Ensure it’s positive and highlights the benefits of your business versus your competitors.
5. Get people involved- hold workshops to understand what needs to be done, where you need to go and how you’re going to get there. Before you finalise changes to your logo and promotional materials ensure that you’ve got input from your team, contractors and clients. This will help confirm that the changes you're making will be well received and allows you to make adjustments prior to the launch.
6. Check you’ve covered all the bases Double check your list of items that need to change – it’s easy to forget some of the smaller items when you’re focusing on such a big project. Name badges, complement slips and stationary are some of the things that can slip through the net.
7. Launch your new look Ensure your efforts in creating your new look don’t go unnoticed. Hold an event where you can promote your new image to new and existing customers. Cover the event on social media to raise awareness and educate people on the changes you’ve made.
Conclusion Re-branding your business can be a huge undertaking and there is a great deal involved but it’s also an exciting opportunity for change and to really embed your DNA in the look of your business. In order to successfully re-brand your business you’ll need to develop a new marketing strategy to ensure it aligns with your brand new look.
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Will Your Business Deliver The Life You Want? By Andy Sleet
So, what are you in business for?
This basically means how can I set up the business
This is the first question that I always ask any
to allow me to live the ideal life.
new client. The most common responses are:To make money Because I enjoy it, I'm certainly not ready to retire I don't know, I often ask myself the same question To grow the business Because I care about the people who work
Now if the ideal life is, I'd move up north and live off the vegetables I grow in the garden then I generally suggest to sell up now and go and do it as they can probably afford it. If however the ideal life is fast cars, holidays, big houses etc then I suggest we find out how much that costs and then set about building a business that will fund it.
for me and I feel responsible for them So what's the first step? This question is then generally followed up by a
If you had all the money in the world, what would you choose to do with your time? Once again the most common second one:-
answers are:Certainly never go into work again
An exercise that I did recently was to engage the services of a Personal Wealth Management company. What happens here is that I was encouraged to really define my ideal life via a series of well directed questions
The Key Questions
Go on an endless holiday No different, I love my work / business
How many holidays a year do you want at what value?
From my experience these two questions appear to be very difficult for most people to
Where do I want to live?
answer and that's probably most simply because they never ask themselves the question. Now I
What do I need to put aside for dependants?
always encourage Business Owners to envisage their 'ideal' life (What would they truly do if money was no object) and then view their business as the vehicle to help them get there.
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What are my annual living expenses?
When I completed this exercise I had to declare all
The last part is to systematically execute the
my assets and income streams, now and in the
business plan.
One of these numbers was the business that I run along with what my plans were for the business i.e. Do I want to sell it? When? How much for? Will I keep it and take a passive income from it? future.
This may all sound too simplistic and theoretical, I can hear the groans already from many of you because I've heard them many times over before, things like; *It's all very well for him over there to say that but in my industry it just doesn't work like that
Now all this information was put into a software program and it basically produced a personal
*You just can't get the good people to make all
cashflow forecast for the rest of my life (At this
that happen
point it became clear that I still had a way to go in producing cash to support my ideal life!!)
*HR laws won't let me do with my team what I want to do
Seriously though this was a very enlightening experience and quickly gave me an appreciation
*My customers would never deal with anyone
that with the right figure from the business at the
but me
right time I can have a lovely life without having to work like mad for the rest of my days. It instantly
*It's all too risky to change what I'm doing
gave me an objective to aim for, backed up with a real meaningful 'WHY' for me.
*I've tried all this before and it just doesn't work
I have carried out this exercise now with a few
All I can say visit our website and look at the
clients as well and they too have shared with me
testimonials. most of those business owners
how it has cleared the fog for them in their own
were like you a while back but now they have
businesses.
pushed through and made the changes in their organisations they have either achieved what
Armed with this information we are now in a position to start preparing the business. Therefore if we need a passive income,
they set out to do or are well on their way.
If you'd like to chat to any of the people who
what would the business need to be like to allow
have shared their story on the website, drop us
this return without me having to be there?
an email and we'll be able to put you in
Alternatively if the goal is to sell it, what would it
contact so you talk to them direct.
need to look like to be worth the figure I need? If however it is to hand it down to the next generation or allow a management buyout, what
So the moral of the story is.....
would it need to look like? To get these answers it
Decide what you want in your ideal personal
may be necessary to engage some external help
life and then set up you business to give you
to value you the business now.
that. And don't be afraid to make changes if that's
The next step along with producing a proper
what's needed to get you to your goal!
written business plan backed up with the financial numbers is to develop the strategy year by year of how we are going to get there. Now at this stage it is worth getting the business plan valued to ensure it will deliver the outcomes we need!
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Where's Your Head At?
Is your mind in the right place for your current business?
Taken from 'Can you step up to the growth challenge?' by Ray Moore
In your business it is really important that you focus
Of all the things holding you back, the biggest
on the fixed destination and know what it means to
culprit is everything going on in your own head. I
you to achieve that vision. Then you can build up
would go as far to say that probably as little as
the strategies and plans that will take you there,
20% of the issues restricting the growth of your
making sure you keep the route flexible so you can
business are hard issues (such as money or skills
overcome the obstacles that technology, the
gaps); the rest are all soft issues (the uncertainty,
economic environment and your competitors will
fears and comfort zone you’ve created in your
put in your way.
head). The first step to taking action is changing the mindset.
Keep the plans fluid but don’t lose sight of the ‘future history’ and you too will be able complete
In this article I’m going to help you get a clearer
your own mind boggling feat. Hopefully it is the kind
understanding of your role as the leader of your
of vision that will make you jump for joy!
company. We’ll be looking at how the way you position yourself in your company influences your
So, let’s start taking some action right now and get
behaviour, the behaviour of your team and impacts
working on the mindset changes you need to make
on your business
to start moving your business up the Levels.
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Firstly, let me remind you of the Levels Mindset model; Level 4
Level 3
Owner
Director
Transition
Take a long look in the mirror & then answer these questions Do you know your destination? Are you in the best place to have a clear view of it?
Manager
Are you investing the right balance of your
Level 2
time in managing the priorities of the Supervisor
Level 1
business?
Have you communicated these clearly to your Worker
team and aligned their goals to the priorities?
Are you keeping a watch out for the law of This is primarily about the mindset change needed to successfully and smoothly make the Transition from a Level 2 small business to a Level 3 medium-
vacuum and the persistent threat of productive avoidance?
sized business. The mindset change I’m talking about is learning to
Are you leading and inspiring by example? Is
take off the ‘supervisor hat’ and proportioning your
the hat you wear most often really the right
time to wearing the ‘manager hat’ instead.
fit?
So, how do you actually make that Transition?
First of all, forget about whatever official title you hold in the business. Making the switch from the Supervisor to Manager mindset isn’t about a change of title. It’s all about a change of perspective in you as the business owner.
When you can honestly answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions, the chances of your business making it up the Levels without falling out of balance will be much higher.
Your perspective of what is important will influence how you spend your time. That will affect how your
Faced with the daily pressures of business, the
business copes with change and subsequently will
priorities that get dealt with first are those that are
either drive or restrict growth.
considered to be urgent. All those competing issues are shouting ‘deal with me now’ and it is
The real key to successfully growing your business is
understandable that the one that screams the
completely tied up with where you position yourself
loudest gets the most attention.
within the company – how you choose to spend your time and how well you direct the team to that
It is very easy to focus our minds on the ‘to do’ list,
place they need to get to by setting the right
ticking off tasks with a great sense of self-
priorities. It is not just about standing at the front
satisfaction. This is the mindset we need when
and getting the most attention!
wearing either the Worker or Supervisor Hat.
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However, if the business owner stays too close to the coalface, they will be caught up in all the everyday stuff that sucks away their energy and
The result is a company where the strategies and plans are short-term, vague and not aligned to the End in Mind.
time. Very quickly they will lose focus of what is really important and the business will suffer.
Let’s look at what you can do to ensure you identify, set and align priorities in your company in
The problem is it is so much harder to focus on choosing the important things – the priorities for
a way that enables you to face the challenge of growth.
ourselves, our team and our business – where the gratification comes a lot later. This is the mindset we need when wearing the Manager, Director and Owner Hat.
Priority Timeframes So, we now know that, as the owner of a SME
This is how it should work in every business. The
going through the Transition from a small to
owners (shareholders) decide what the business
medium sized enterprise, you will juggle all five
will look like when it is finished. The owners entrust
Hats (roles) – Worker, Supervisor, Manager,
their vision to the Board of Directors to make it a
Director and Owner. In each role you will have to
reality.
manage your own priorities and those of others. Before we look at a model for setting and fulfilling
The Board of Directors align the strategic plan,
priorities that are aligned to your end- goal, it is
maybe a five year plan, that will set the direction
important to understand that the fundamental
of the company to achieve the owner’s objectives
difference between the ‘Hats’ you wear is one of
and receive the return they want.
timeframe.
The Managers then align the annual and monthly
From the ‘Worker’ to ‘Owner’ mindset, this is how
budgets, plans and forecasts (the milestones) to
the level at which you think affects the timeframe
achieve the goals set out in the strategic plan.
of the priorities you set (see table opposite).
They ensure the short-term priorities of the Supervisors and Workers are aligned to the
Remember that, while these different ways of
achievement of the daily and weekly goals.
thinking should fit with the job titles given to team members, this is not always the case. A worker in
So, all priorities, in effect, cascade down from the
title may well step up to take on a project
top and so are aligned to achieving the End in
requiring a monthly outlook. Equally, the owner of
Mind. Sounds easy when we say it like that
a business may well have set their mindset to
doesn’t it?
‘Supervisor’, keeping themselves in the thick of the business and ignoring all long-term planning. But
So why, in reality, it is so difficult in SMEs? In small
here’s the crucial point. Using your manager
and micro organisations (those employing less
mindset will help prepare you for the challenge of
than 50 people) the difference between the
growing your business.
proactive Owner, Director and Manager Hats are often indistinct and blurred. In reality, they are only rarely worn by the owner.
Unfortunately, the reactive Supervisor and Worker Hats often take precedence and, at best, the vision (the End in Mind) is only a thought, a dream.
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With the Manager Hat on, you can review how you and your team use your time and whether that is effective; you can start forecasting in preparation for the journey ahead; and you can break that down into plans, milestones & a schedule of activity that is aligned to meeting the key priorities across the whole business.
Yes, you may still have to wear the Worker and
However, if you want to grow your
Supervisor Hat for a while yet, but now is the time to be measured for that Manager’s Hat so it feels and looks natural.
Let me put it another way. By wearing that Manager’s Hat, you’ll be in a position where you can take a view of your business challenges from 1,000 feet up!
business, you have to wear the management hat.
That means being focused on your vision; ensuring priorities are set at every level of leadership across your business; motivating and involving your team to help you; staying in position and constantly questioning if what you are doing is the
Changing your mindset is ultimately your choice
best use of your time.
and I’ve got no desire to force anyone’s hand.
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A D A P T to The Levels By Ray Moore
In my first book, ‘Can Your Business Step Up to the
In nature, the transition process of a butterfly
Growth Challenge’ I introduced The Levels which
has been the result of miniscule chance
charts the growth pattern of a business as it
changes of evolution. This type of evolutionary
transforms from a start up business to a medium
transformation is passive and the reaction to
sized business and beyond.
external environmental change and can lead to evolutionary cul-de-sacs.
The Levels explains why business growth is not in a straight line but is more like a series of steps, The
In business, leaving transition to chance can
Levels. The initial business transitions from one
achieve an evolutionary transformation from a
level to the next may not cause major discomfort
small business into a medium business but this
but the biggest and by way the hardest transition
will be too slow in a rapidly changing
is from a small, Level 2 business employing around
environment leaving the business vulnerable.
35 people as it transforms into a medium, Level 3 business employing over 50.
Rather than relying on evolutionary transformation business owners must proactively
In this article I am going to look in a little more
ADAPT and plan in advance if they are going to
depth at the transition process in business.
scale their business. The business must remain
A transition is the process or period of change
flexible to cope with further changes and
that produces a marked change in form, nature, or
seamlessly transition through the Levels until the
appearance i.e. a transformation.
transformation from a small to a medium sized business or beyond is complete.
In nature the chrysalis is the transitional stage which transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly.
Here are the five steps that allow a business to
Similarly, in business the transitional stage
ADAPT
between a Level 2 and Level 3 business allows the transformed business to achieve balanced growth to Level 4 employing over 100 people and beyond.
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Awareness
Transformation
It is essential that the business owner and their
Finally, quick and seamless transitions will
team are aware of the business challenges and
maintain the momentum of change to transform
how the business processes, systems and team
the enterprise envisaged to achieve the End in
must change and develop to meet those
Mind.
challenges.
Destination A clear vision of what the finished transformed business must be to achieve the desired end goal
Adaptability is the key to long term success!
for the business. Knowing the direction of the business will maintain confidence during the
In my first book Can Your Business Step Up to
successive transitions to keep the business on
the Growth Challenge (first published 2010) I
track and not get lulled into one of those cul-de-
look at how every SME will experience four
sacs.
transitions to natural Levels or plateaus.
Activity FREE copy of Can Your Business
Timely and consistent execution of the plans will
To obtain a
ensure the transitions are seamless and complete.
Step Up to the Growth Challenge to understand
Maintaining the momentum of change will support
how to use the Levels Framework to transition
the business and team through their journey.
your business to the next Level email as at hello@fluidbusiness.co.uk
Prod Use external accountability (a Business Coach) to professionally prod all the team, including the
Also, complete The Levels Assessment® to get
owner, to meet their goals and targets to keep the
your personalised Levels Framework® to start
transformation on track. The momentum of
your business transformation. Visit
transition can quickly grind to a halt as the day to
fluidbusinessacademy.com for more details
day challenges make evolution and that waiting cul-de-sac seem an attractive alternative
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If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself Henry Ford Collaboration means more business for everyone.
We own all the IP associated with our simple, yet
It also gets you more of the right kind of business,
highly effective online training courses meaning
because as you prove your expertise, prospects
we can re-package the Fluid Business Academy
make their decisions more quickly.
with your Company branding! You can then
It helps you know what to say when people ask “so, what do you do?”, and they don’t just want to know that you are an accountant. Telling them that you do accounting for dentists, or for landlords, or creative agencies, encourages them
present this to your clients as your own business growth training package. Make 2019 the year you emerge as a truly collaborative organisation, with more to offer than your competitors.
to say “Oh – I am one of those! How can you help me?”
There comes a point when their passion, hard work and experience won’t take your clients
And when it comes to collaboration, if you get to the point where you are only working with a certain market or markets, you have the opportunity to get and receive business in a way you never imagined.
The majority of SME owners would love to expand their business but don't necessarily know where to begin - it can be a daunting prospect stepping out of your comfort zone and onto the path of the unknown!
At Fluid Business Group we've recognised the need to help business owners grow their enterprise by creating a series of online resources that guide clients through business growth in a practical, realistic and useful way.
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FBM Winter 2019
business to the next level – that’s where Fluid Business Academy is your best partner for genuine business growth. Get some time back let us take care of the coaching so you can focus on your core business.
Like to know more? Email us at hello@fluidbusiness.co.uk
The Fluid Business Book Club Looking for some literary inspiration?
This issues top picks from the coaches
Ray
Damaged Goods Oliver Shah
Andy
Peter
Sales EQ Jeb Blount
Good to Great Jim Collins
A brilliant insight into the workings of
An easy read packed with simple to
building an empire built on sand.
implement ideas that will help improve
NB: 18 certificate.
any salesman's conversion rate
Reads like a novel and full of reasons why some make it and others don't
Do not read if easily offended
The Deals That Made The World Jacques Peretti
Psychology of Persuasion Robert Cialdini
An evil book! It’s not for everyone but
Great book which shows it’s not
it’s hugely thought-provoking. Much of
necessarily just what you say but how
the world around us is shaped by
you say it
private negotiations and business
Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography Guillem Balague A fantastic philosophy to building teams and getting the best out of people - absolutely ace!
deals few of us know anything about
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FBM Winter 2019
The Silver Tsunami By Ray Moore
How will an ageing population impact the business community? Undoubtably there will be many forces that will
Globally, by 2050 the number of people 60 and
impact the economy and therefore business over
over is projected to more than double.
the coming years.
One of the largest effects will be the impact of
Yes, it’s a global trend not just a local problem.
our ageing population. However, is the gloomy outlook based on facts or However, the SME business community has not yet
opinions. Unfortunately, economists use the
truly fully grasped the unprecedented ways that
dependency ratio to predict the trend. This is the
ageing will change the employment rules of our
ratio between the number of people typically not
businesses.
working (under 15 and over 65 years old) in the population divided by the number of working age
There has been much talk about the Baby Boomer
people.
Generation and the impact of The Silver Tsunami but generally the news coverage has been
Today’s older adults are generally healthier than
negative and focuses on the predicted funding
past generations and are changing the nature of
crisis of providing health and care to the elderly.
their retirement as they continue to learn, work
Initially, when we look at the statistics, they are
and contribute. In the workplace their talents can
potentially frightening.
complement younger workers.
In the UK by next year, 2020, people aged over 50 will comprise almost a third of the working age population.
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The gloomy statistical trend takes no account of the desire for the older generation to have an active lifestyle and stay productive and continue to work. This desire will be magnified as pension underfunding forces the retirement age ever upward.
As owners of small business, we must recognise and be prepared for the transformation in the workforce. Soon your workforce could cover five generations from teenagers to 80 plus.
Are you and your business ready to adapt to this massive demographic transformation?The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees because of their age and there is no upper limit to unfair dismissal and redundancy.
However, whatever the age of the employee, employers can discuss their future aims and aspirations which can help identify their training and development needs.
The employment market is currently in transition from the ‘old job for life’ to career variety and flexibility. This trend is due to continue and future changes in computing and AI will undoubtedly bring further challenges in the future.
As business owners we must be ever adaptable and be aware of what is happening in the environment around us.
Our ageing workforce is a trend that will impact us all. It cannot be ignored.
It is time for the discussion to become more vocal.
Is it as a threat or an opportunity?
The choice is ours.
Let us know what you think and the plans you have in place by commenting on our blog post - fluidbusiness.co.uk/blog Editors Note: Ray has reached the milestone of official retirement age!!
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Surprising Stats UK businesses exporting abroad increased by 6.6% to 235,800 in 2017
The internet has 4.2 billion users
The number of SME companies exporting abroad increased by 6.6% to 232,000 (9.8% of all SMEs) As of November 2018, total worldwide population is 7.6 billion
Number of Users Facebook: 2.072 billion Google+: 111 million Instagram: 1bn
54 per cent of SMEs thought Brexit would have no impact on their business with 27 per cent anticipating a detrimental effect and 8 per cent a positive benefit. (The other 11 per cent of SMEs were uncertain).
LinkedIn: 562 million
81% of all small and medium businesses use some kind of social platform 26|
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There are 3.03 billion active social media users On average, people have 5.54 social media accounts
Sources: Annual Business Survey by Office for National Statistics (ONS), Brandwatch.com 121 Amazing Social Media Statistics and Facts by Kit Smith. Enterprise Research Centre State of Small Business Britain Report 2018
A fun look at numbers in business
Unlocking Success for Small Business Owners
From The Levels AssessmentÂŽ to business growth strategies and training for your team we're with you at every step of your enterprise growth journey
Unlock your growth potential at www.fluidbusinessacademy.com
Ray Moore
STAY FOCUSED YET FLEXIBLE GEORGE'S PURSUIT ACROSS THE PERILOUS OCEAN A tale of a business adventure from start up to financial freedom
and fluidbusiness.co.uk