Latest News and Updates From Ross

Moving Down To Level 2

Now that we’re out of lockdown, we’re reconnecting  with clients to see what support we can offer as we move to Level 2. Obviously, business has been impacted significantly by the Covid-19 crisis, but there are opportunities for operations that reorient strategies based on the new environment. Part of this involves smart planning for the new normal we face post-restrictions.

Here’s a quick list of the services we’re currently offering:

• Authentic, Collective Leadership: Getting all the heads of your organisation facing the same way, communicating effectively, and committed to the same things (values, vision, operating principles, strategy and critical action plans), accepting responsibility and driving business growth. We also offer Executive Performance Coaching & Consultancy programmes.
• Efficient and Effective Business Management: Clarifying performance goals and measures, core functions, procedures, resource management, talent deployment, teams and communication, and aligning balance sheets and management accounts with these vital success factors.
• Top Line Performance Consultancy: Growing and sustaining the top line, controlling gross margin, selecting and guiding high-performing sales professionals. We also provide High Performance Sales Coaching.
• Principled, Interest-based Negotiation: upskilling supply chain, key account sales, and operations management teams to optimise margins throughout the business.
• Resilient Minds: Maintaining optimistic, confident and realistic thinking throughout the company, especially during extra-challenging times

We’d also love to hear  your point of view on things as you look ahead to this new normal. Get in touch if you’d like to share your views and experiences.

Remember, you can always connect with us and stay updated with new resources and content on our LinkedIn page, as well as our Facebook Page.

Be smart and succeed.

Cheers, Ross.

Time to Change Our Scarcity Mentality?

My parents grew up in a ‘depression’ and experienced real hardship ?. Afterwards, they and most others looked for jobs that provided security in wages and salaries but some took healthy risks and did their own thing. These few developed iconic Kiwi businesses that have thrived until today. The difference between these two groups? The ‘risk-takers’ and ‘gamblers’ were bold; they saw a world of abundance and invested while the majority kept a ‘SCARCITY MENTALITY’.

When the environment is tough and you have to tighten your belt at home, don’t make the mistake of also tightening your belt the same way in the business. If you do this, you can threaten the very life of your operation – profitability ?.  Sure, you need to ‘trim off the fat’, but then channel any cost savings back into the business in essential areas that will develop your sales revenue and maintain healthy cash flow.

In this way you can really help your business to thrive, even in difficult circumstances, and succeed through this challenge where others fail. Get in touch on 021 1528 400 if you need assistance with this. Cheers, Ross.

Check out our special Business Resource Centre set up especially to provide tips and tools for business during the Covid-19 Crisis.

3 Steps for Moving Forward

Many of you have had to press pause on your day-to-day business operations during the lockdown. Now is a key time to get advice on development and start planning business strategy moving forward.

• Seek advice based on profit and loss statements from the last financial year. We’ve shown businesses that by adding 5% to their top line (sales), they can add 80 % to their net profit (bottom line). One business we advised added $1m in sales to their top line, which resulted in $350,000 more in profit?.

 

• Discover strategies to focus business promotion and marketing. If you’re not constantly reaching new customers (especially during the current downturn), your hard work in the business will be for nothing.

 

• Look at your top line and factor in direct costs. Most SMB owner/operators don’t know how to read profit and loss statements. We have the skills to do this and pass on this knowledge. Once business people learn how to read financial documents, they can analyse their balance sheets to find where the growth opportunities really are.

It’s a tough time, but also a time of real opportunity for business – contact me on 021 1528 400 or let’s set up a zoom meeting if you need help to grow.

Cheers, Ross

 

Break Up Your Business Issues and Build a Plan

When I’m working with businesses our first step is to strip down their operation to find the true value proposition for a business. Next we’ve got to innovatively and creatively think about how they can take this advantage to market.

One silver lining of this crisis is that business people now have the time to do this sort of thinking and put some energy into the fundamental forward planning every business needs.

This can seem like a big job at first, but it is manageable if you are able to break up the issues facing your business and then build a step-by-step plan to tackle these. This plan must be practical and actionable, otherwise it’s just activity for activity’s sake.

A Time To Identify Your True Value…

A lot of business people I’m talking to at the moment are in a bit of a state of shock. It’s not surprising considering the impact the lockdown is having on their lives and businesses.

At Growing Organisations we try to take these people from this state of shock or despair to a place where they can feel confident that they have a plan to move forward through the current crisis. Thankfully after a good conversation, where we focus on identifying the true value proposition for their business and creating a step-by-step plan based on this, most people’s mood dramatically improves.