BUSINESS
GROW YOUR BUSINESS
By Lana Ziskind
Lana Ziskind was born in Johannesburg, and moved to London 21 years ago. She currently lives in Hendon with her 6 children and their dog. She has had a very full career, including studying interior design, teaching aerobics, and working as a talent scout and casting agent. When she moved to London, she found the latter to be non-conducive to a Jewish lifestyle, and began working at ‘Rocket’, where she has gleaned over 20 years of experience in building businesses and brands. She currently holds the position of Account Director and works with the likes of Disney, Warner Brothers, Platform 9 ¾, Hard Rock café and Deliveroo.
Growing your business or building a brand is SO hard, especially in today’s world where we are so reliant on social media, algorithms and influencers. Don’t get me wrong - I love social media, it is the most incredible advertising and shopping experience. Gone are the high streets with gorgeous window displays and beautifully dressed mannequins - show me a well photographed blueberry muffin and I’m sold! I can buy a new bag without leaving my front room. But you can’t rely on social media alone to grow your business. Whilst running your own business may be hard, tiring and lonely, here are a few tips which I have learned along the way.
BRANDING According to Wikipedia, a brand is ‘A name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.’
create your brand strategy to position yourself accordingly, and lastly you must constantly manage everything that influences this positioning.
Branding is important because not only is it what makes a memorable impression on consumers, but it allows your customers and clients to know what to expect from your company. It is a way of distinguishing yourself from competitors and clarifying what it is you offer and what makes you the better choice. Your brand is built to be a true representation of who you are as a business, and how you wish to be perceived.
Branding is absolutely critical to a business because of the overall impact it makes on your company. It changes how people view you company, it can drive new business and increase brand value – but it can also do the opposite if done wrongly or not at all.
There is a structured process to branding. You must first identify who or what you want to be to your customers, then
DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN Develop short-term goals: quarterly, semi-annual, or annual, and create a plan that will help you reach those goals, which should be realistic and achievable. Make sure you also work with the ability to stop, pivot and change direction. Make sure your plan considers the resources you may need: cash, people, equipment, inventory, and additional operating costs, and check with yourself that the end result will be a service or product that customers are looking for. Set the metrics you will use to monitor your progress towards attaining that goal and adjust your plans as needed based on how close or how far you are from your goal. If you aren't meeting your goal, determine why you are not meeting it. Is it a lack of resources? Is marketing not working? Are you targeting the right customer segment? And lastly, KNOW YOUR NUMBERS! What are your costs and expenses? The cost of your time? (Yes, your time is valuable too.) What are your margins and profits? Your suppliers and lead times? Know them inside out.
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