Any SME looking for an infusion of dynamic fun and?energy should walk into the offices of biz-group. It?s hard?to ignore the vivacious d?cor and the attentive reception?staff. SME Advisor met with their equally vibrant founding?personalities, Hazel Jackson and Hazel Cowling, and?discovered that this energetic appeal is definitely not?limited to their office walls?
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?Without passion, you don?t have energy, without energy you have nothing.? ? Donald Trump
?The intersection of doing something that you are good at and something that you are passionate about is bound to create a spark of energy and fun,? says Hazel Jackson. At biz-group, this is exactly the case.
The firm has created a niche for itself in the market with its training, business consultancy and personality development programmes. Yet it?s more than the sum of all the individual parts. It?s essentially a cross between a traditional management consultancy and a team building/ leadership firm ? a business that can leverage your growth on the path from startup, small to medium.
Having been in the business for around 20 years, the dynamic duo at biz-group have learnt that verve and vitality are important factors to incorporate within a business ? something that they have done with a good deal of success.
?The fun family feel is something that attracts people to your organisation and makes them want to stay with you,? says Hazel Cowling. While this approach is quite deeply applied within their team of employees ? apparent from their daily 9 am team huddle tradition ? it?s also something that has trickled down to their clients. ?Fortunately, we are now at a stage in the business where we can select clients that want this energy and vibe from us. We consistently get client feedback that reflects this,? explains Cowling.
Values
So, what?s the secret behind this approach? ?One of the main element was values. Our values are something that we hire on and fire on. They are something that align our goals in the same direction and create the family feel; giving the employees a clear framework in which to behave,? says Cowling. The company?s six values, listed across the office, are a constant reminder of what brings the firm together. ?We spend a significant amount of time in our business rewarding, creating experiences, storytelling and motivating based on these six values. We realise that you can train skills but not values,? adds Jackson.
The concept of ?corporate values? is often talked about and, for an SME owner, it is natural to wonder ? how important are values in the context of my business? Values form the core of an SME and are the DNA of the business. ?It doesn?t matter how small your business is, you have to set your values; each business should?have about five to six values. It is a very structured process.?
This process can be broken down into three key steps:
? Setting the values: Firms need to steer away from the stereotypical values such as ?integrity?, ?quality?, ?team work? and so on. ?We often see SMEs following the popular trends and aping the larger corporations. My advice to them is to keep their identity and be original ? while setting values or otherwise,? says Cowling. Values are ideally phrases and not individual words. Business owners need to uncover the commonly shared qualities across the organisation that essentially form the foundation of the business ? these evolve to become the values. ?Sustainable values are discovered not defined. They are already there, you just need to identify them,? adds Jackson.
? Validating the values: The values which are discovered should not be aspirational values ? they need to be realistic. ?It is important to validate them to see if they genuinely exist in the organisation and if they actually mean something to the employees,? says Jackson.
? Following the values: After the values are validated, the most crucial part is ensuring that they are implemented across all aspects of the business. ?We hire on them, fire on them, and also spend money on them,? says Jackson while Cowling adds, ?In fact, even as founders, we have to make sure that all our business decisions are aligned to our core values.?
Team management
While strong values have played a critical role in biz-group?s success, there is a lot more that has empowered the journey from a startup to a listing on the Dubai SME 100 ranking. What catalysed their growth? Jackson quickly replies, ?A lot of hard work and having fun while doing it alongside a team who was ready to do the same!? The duo attribute a substantial amount of their growth to a very talented team. ?We have built a team that allows us to step back as founders. We love to see our employees go out and perform ? sometimes better than us! Business owners and entrepreneurs have to invest in their team and give them the space to grow,? says Cowling. She relates this to the ?Rockefeller? phenomenon ? the oil billionaire who credited his success to the fact that he employed people smarter than him.
When asked to describe their company, Jackson says, ?At biz-group, we help you leverage your performance. Our three divisions are biz-strategy for business performance, biz-ability for people performance and biz-events for team performance. A combination of the three is what empowers an SME to accelerate performance and we apply this within our business as well.?
What is interesting, however, is that the founders apply these leadership, training and business development strategies first hand in their business. For instance, they have a dream book in the office where all employees record their dreams or wishes and, as a team, they try to help one another in fulfilling these. ?We are in the business to make an impact on people and it?s not just clients but our employees as well,? adds Jackson. With this example, there is an emphasis on the importance of nurturing employees and building a bond with them. ?It is vital to surround yourself with a team that wants to continually grow and push boundaries along with you,? says Cowling.
A strategic plan
Finally, one of the most powerful tools that has facilitated their business growth is their one page strategic plan ? an effective tool for SMEs. This business solution, in partnership with Verne Harnish, Founder of Gazelles Inc., is something they describe as the turning point of their business.
What is the one page strategic plan? ?This is a one page spread document with questions for an SME to answer which include their values, purpose, promise to their clients and what they want to achieve. This starts with a three year strategic plan which is further narrowed to a year, followed by a quarterly vision. The one page plan ties everything neatly together into one small document which is still immensely meaningful to the business. It also cascades down very well across the organisation,? explains Cowling.
Why is this important for an SME? ?This is essentially to discipline the undisciplined entrepreneur. It helps SMEs uncover their real potential and put things into perspective; they start thinking about key aspects like expansion plans or differentiating factors. Apart from offering this solution to SMEs, we actually apply this in our business too,? adds Jackson.
Another tool, supporting the strategic plan, is the ?SWOT? approach which the founders say they have now revised to ?SWT? ? strengths, weaknesses and trends. So how do they keep up with the market trends ? especially with the added responsibility of being a Dubai SME 100 ranked company? ?We are definitely nervous about the new rankings but in a positive way ? it reminds us to be competitive and non-complacent. It keeps us motivated and on the top of our game,? says Jackson.
Cowling adds, ?For instance, since being previously ranked on Dubai SME 100, we have constantly grown and evolved. We have introduced several new products, business simulations and business events. What?s more, our theme for this quarter is Innovation for growth!?
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Source: http://www.smeadvisor.com/2013/07/the-business-of-biz/
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