I enjoyed a coffee a business director last week and was asked for a few generic bits of advice. There’s a number of areas I enjoyed exploring with him, but I thought you’d appreciate a blog that came off the back of that conversation.
We have signs from some people that the recession is coming to an end. We have murmurs from others that we are in a ‘W’ recession and that we haven’t seen the worst of it yet. Whichever version of the story you think is accurate, there is one question that we must grapple with during these troublesome times. How do you maintain a sense of focus, motivation, and a dash of hope when all around seems so turbulent?
What does it mean for an organisation to have hope? Is it blind optimism based in unrealistic dreams or is it the fuel that keeps the engine burning? It is a well known fact that during a recession the most innovative organisations are born. Why, some may ask? Simply put, when you’re back is against the wall you are forced to find more imaginative and creative ways to make things work. Whether this is in technology, software, construction practices, or a business that takes care of the needs of pets (!), there are many opportunities to let the creative juices flow.
So what are some of the ways to keep hope alive? Firstly, I would say it is essential to resharpen and refocus your business, eliminating any potential areas for stress. Time and energy levels are short and you don’t want to waste any unnecessary emotions on the bits of the business that drag you down. So, during this time of resharpening it is important to ask why you set up the business in the first place? Was it to give you greater flexibility? Or, to give you a larger level of financial security? Did you see a gap in the market you could launch into? The crucial thing is, are you still in it for your original goals or has running a business slowly dragged you down? Cut off the dross, get rid of the time wasting, and make sure you love what you do again.
Secondly, allow space for creativity. In many ways it is a survival of the fittest, and at this time more than any other you need to be that lean, mean, fighting machine. Therefore, make sure that your creativity is given the space to come into the forefront. Reading books, listening to podcasts, attending conferences…simply put do anything that helps you to think differently. A particular favour of mine, that I strongly recommend, is to learn about something that has no direct impact on your own business. It might be that you are an accountant and could spend a couple of hours looking into construction practices, or you run a nursery and would benefit from seeing how a car dealership works. By exposing yourself to different business models it opens up your mind to different ways of thinking and you might just find some important new ideas coming from this.
Finally, find the one thing that you are great at, set yourself goals that are both realistic and stretching and work towards those. Don’t get distracted by lots of administrational time drainers, but go after the sales. Work hard to get them in and reward yourself each time that you do. Become a sharp shooter to one specific goal. This sense of success and hitting those targets will give you the momentum you need to push out into other areas and maybe to launch new products. And without generating the finances your energies will be drained by spending excessive time managing your cash flow.
So in order to keep the winter blues away, keep the spring in your step, and to allow your business to be successful I hope you’re successful in resharpening and refocusing, and allowing creativity in to deliver on your one specific goal.
Keep warm 
Filed under: Launch
What a glorious night! A great turn out, a great launch, a lot of action and Freedoma has take off.
Dough was the venue to kick things off and it’s such a lovely space. Great eating area, decent drinks and a lovely place to kick back and dance. Best pizza place in Manchester some could argue. It was good to get things going with a little presentation on what Freedoma is all about. Our resident big heart mascot was there to bask it up. It was great to meet some of the infamous Freedoma faithful, along with those who are new to catching the bug. All in all, we’re not sure exactly where this will all go, but it’s a fun project and we’re learning along the way. A few of the little throw away badges seem to have been hugely popular! Lovely…..
More entertainment followed. ONITZHEAD did a blinding performance with their head turning sounds, dirty guitars, getting people dancing and moving around. They clearly went down well at the launch and won a whole bunch of new fans that night. They’re giving away one of their tracks ‘Sister, Brother, Music, Lover’ for anyone who signs up to their mailing list at www.onitzhead.com. Beautiful to have them down performing to celebrate with us.
Homecut followed and to be honest, they were outstanding. A seriously talented 6 piece band, fronted by Testament. Their recent single ‘I don’t even know’ featuring Corinne Bailey Rae, is genious! Homecut are one of the freshest and newest sounds on the street, and they were on people’s lips: it seems as though everyone in the toilets were saying- oh my word these guys are amazing. We are outstandingly proud to say that you saw them here first; they’re below the radar and we hope that their sound will reach the audience that will love it up all the way. Word is growing fast and some very cool people are getting involved in the sound. Spread the love about their single and watch a video of it here. Beautiful!
Rev Juggla continued to get the dancefloor dancing till late with his mash up of Reggae and old school classics. People seemed to forget it was midweek, dancing and giving it aplenty. Plates of delicious Dough pizza were being eaten all night, as people munched and drank to their hearts content. With lots of friendly people around; those who came down by themselves, quickly made friends. The Freedoma family is growing, and growing nicely! It’s been great to celebrate the launch of what was a fun little project, but now seems to be gathering a whole load more momentum. Wootang!
Thanks so much for everyone that came down! If you missed it, register at Freedoma.com so we’re sure we’re to let you know about the next one.
