It was more than that actually, it was more like the goals and values we each held and once shared; were now polar opposites. The very premise that the business was built on - good customer service, responsiveness, helping people make their dreams come true, making the process simple and easy - well what I observed was the very opposite of this.
And more, decisions were being made without my input or worse despite my input but contrary to what I could ever agree to! Decisions that were plainly non-commercial & were proven in time to be wrong. And guess who's back pocket feels the cost of bad decisions when you're in business? And who's butt is in the proverbial sling if things are not done right?
This just wasn't going to do any more, I have to uphold the values I got into this business for - its who I am.
So I took the very brave move to step out of the business and make something new - something I could really love and be passionate about and that upheld all of the core principles that I hold dear.
I also decided to take stock, and this is where the good bit begins.
When you "start agan", when it all falls to pieces and you have nothing left but to start again - it's an absolute blessing! There's nothing to conform to, noone to please but yourself, and it's a creation from scratch rather than a clumsy evolution of tired old systems.
My plan was to continue in the same line of work but with a much more personal focus, it had to be the right thing for my wonderful clients - and it had to be the right thing for me.
The first thing I did was review every single feature of the business from IT to processes to accounting and planning and even the kind of stationary I wanted to use moving forward.
Every single system and process was reviewed, and because it's all new I had the luxury of choosing the right option from the start. I didn't have to agonise over throwing away a system I had paid good money for in order to use whatever new fabulous system was around - I just did it!
EMAIL SYSTEM: It kills me to consider how much money I have spent in business setting up, maintaining, updating and trouble shooting a Microsoft Exchange server system, and yet, I couldn't live without the benefits of having this type of technology - it's not just the convenience of everything in one spot, it's the security aspect too where I can delegate access to my whereabouts and keep everyone safe and in the loop.
I wanted an exchange system, but I wanted something more flexible and that wasn't going to cost so much money to keep running!
I turned to Google Apps, and with just a few tips from a very lovely client I had a dedicated server system with all of the same functionality and flexibility - with a microsoft comparable set of office applications - for about the price of a night out at the movies per year.
Better still I'm not maintaining the hardware of a server in my office, nor is my internet access absolutely critical to the whole thing working - it's hosted by Google, and lets face it, if Google's servers go down we're all in strife!
BACKUP: The other major issue with small business is backing up the data safely, securely and reliably. MS exchange has a feature to look after this but it doesn't jump up and take home your drive for you on alternate days. It relies on human intervention - and one thing I am all about is reliability by automation!
It also struck home that even having removable drives alternately taken offsite overnight is great but no guarantee. In 2011 a local (to me) business burnt down on a busy evening when the premises were full of people - including the owner who was eating dinner with his family at the time. An awful tragedy and thank heavens noone was hurt.
Now I don't know what backup systems this business has but it occurred to me that if I'm eating in my restaurant I probably don't have my handbag with me.
And if my restaurant catches alight around me and I have family and staff on premises - my first thought is not going to be about grabbing the drive from my handbag where it was ready to come home with me.
So when the dust settles, whats the chances my two backup drives - and my original system - are all molten plastic in a puddle and I have nothing left?
My new backup has to be online, has to be automatic and of course it has to be safe and secure, here's where google drive comes to the rescue! And the price? Included in my $50 annual google apps user fee. Perfect.
SYSTEMS: Since this IT stuff is really happening, and, my google drive is accessible (securely) anywhere in the world and the paper based file on my desk is not - I took my entire workflow online. Our aggregator (think group of brokers); Connective, provides us with fantastic software to automate so many of the necessary processes, and holds my CRM, database, tracking notes etc it makes sense to align the processes and workflows to this new e-world. The software also interacts with email so anything I email can be zipped over to the CRM in 2 clicks, and, it keeps a permanent electronic trail of what was sent/said by whom and when. Oh, and it's available on my ipad too - so with an ipad, my google drive and/or "LogMeIn" and Mercury (database) I can work anywhere I want on any file I want and access any document I want! My mobile business really just jumped up a level.
I now scan in every single document I receive immediately that I receive it. I hold only the originals required by law and everything else is scanned, shredded and recycled on the spot! I make annotations on the documents with a full version of Adobe Acrobat which allows me to add notes to any PDF. All of my forms are electronic and for any given file I am printing at most 5 sheets of paper (except NAB - come one NAB walk towards the light!). As much as can be emailed to me is emailed - think 300 page building contracts! Faxes are received and sent via my computer. Even note paper I scribble on with workings is scanned in at the time and destroyed, and if it can be recorded electronically rather than scribbled - it is! Tracking notes are therefore, recorded (a bad habit of mine if I had to go find the file to write it down is that I kinda... ummm.. wouldn't!), available to everyone looking at the file, and safely and securely stored. It's just too easy!
This also means I am no longer faced with a pile of paper to scan in one go at the end of a file - something I am sure I would never have "gotten around to doing", and storage is no issue at all with nearly nothing in any file they combined take up almost no space at all.
PROCESSES Of course, the very best businesses - and I plan for mine to be one of these - are reliable and repeatable, it's the essence of their success. It comes down to a consistent service and I reckon this comes down to checklists and ensuring the same steps are taken with every single file. It has to save time "thinking and remembering" too, and of course makes sure nothing is missed. I created all new processes based on all of the above revolutions, and made them into automatic tasks in my software and a single page form for appointments. Everything I did, from handing over business cards to typing in the data was reviewed, critiqued and improved, and I am saving hours and hours and kicking far more goals.
This applied to my electronic as well as my physical processes and also a bit to my mental state, if I am going to be very honest!
ACCOUNTING: There's really one standout winner in accounting in Australian small businesses - MYOB - but each year they release a new update at a cost of just under $400 and it's necessary to keep up with tax changes so out goes more hard earned dollars. Guess what - there's an online version of this too, and the subscription is cheaper than the annual update cost, it's a no brainer. Better yet - included in this subscription is interaction with my bank account - importing all of my transactions and auto matching whatever it possibly can, imagine the time savings now! I am told there's a reduced feature set and that's the reason for the cost difference but other than a few missing reports I can't see the difference - and there's plenty enough reporting to satisfy me left in there, including a really well formatted BAS report.
MARKETING: This is where the fun starts! Inarguably my former business was named with "what was left" after a late night brain storming session and it wasn't setting anyone's world on fire. Same with the logo - never ever liked it and therefore it was never anything I was passionate about. Passionate about the workings of the business, the staff, the job we did - sure, but the brand? Nope. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent getting the name out there but the trouble was it was the same as everyone else's name, it didn't stand for anything different, it wasn't different.
From the beginning Two Red Shoes was about me. Self indulgent? Maybe. But it has to be that way. I had to own it, I had to take charge and I had to come to the table in order to provide the very best solution for my clients.
For me to love something it has to be different - I never have been a sheep!
I don't think the same way as other people - I never have.
I wear red shoes - often. I love them, I love shoes - I am unapologetic! I have a huge rack of shoes and there are some waiting patiently for space (and some I have never worn, I'll admit that). I like handbags too but that doesn't have the same ring. I am a frugal shopper, a bargain hunter and a good budgeter and I'm not spending a fortune on these shoes (or anything else frivolous), but neither am I going to chose the black ones over the red!
For my business to stand out it had to present itself as different, and I believe it is different. I have had just as many repeat customers and referalls from people I have been honest with and said no to as I do with those I actually get to work with. The right answer for the client is the right answer and I won't line my pockets by giving them something they don't want or maybe don't even need. Secret of my success? Maybe so, and it's non-negotiable. The female aspect? I believe so.
So again I sat down to review. Who is my perfect customer? Who did I want to work with, and who did I not? What does this person think, feel, act and like? I hope they have a personality and think a little differently, like I do. I hope they're looking for someone who can be compassionate about their needs. I hope they want someone to help them and care about the result. I do. And I want them to be excited about their destination.
I thought I would create a brand which was uniquely a bit girly - not too girly to alienate the gents - but girly enough to stand out from the crowd and immediately be obvious it's a female at the helm - if that's what you're looking for. The name came first, the tag line was the husband's contribution, the logo was easy!
The marketing is even easier still because it has personality! Taking a photo of my red shoes on a golf course - done! Did I get a lot of attention doing it - yes! Did I see something about it on Facebook a week later? You bet! Do I get recognised in shoe shops now - funnily enough I do! Do I get people sending me inspirational pictures and sayings to do with shoes, and therefore do I know they're going to remember me and what I do - you bet. Do I think they're a little bit invested in the brand - well maybe I do... a little!
And when I walk in the door - you know the first thing they do is look for the shoes and call their friends over to talk about why. I have to - have to - be wearing fancy shoes, preferably red - it's a burden I am happy to carry :).
Everything from searching down a brand of champers for my gift packs with a red shoe on the label to aligning with businesses who have a similar attitude is easier when you know who you are and who your brand is and that it stands for something.
And as much as it was designed to appeal to women, I find that men generally respond equally well. I don't know of anyone I have alienated with my brand - probably because they're not going to ring me up to say so - and enough people respond favourably that I am happy I have done the right thing.
WEBSITE: The website again is a bit of a passion. I wanted to be able to customise and update at will - I'm one of those that doesn't sleep a lot and I don't watch TV so it's a bit like a hobby to fiddle with things online at all times of the day and night.
I have previously paid a fortune for a CMS (content management system) based website that I could update myself and while it was good I found it was also more than I needed.
I actually run two websites - one of which (www.tworedshoes.com.au) I have done completely myself on a WIX platform, and I love the versatility it offers. I can add all kinds of modules and play around with layout / content any time I like; and the cost $10/month! At this rate it will take me 16 years to have spent more than I have previously spent on a custom design website, and you can bet the other would have needed money spent on it again well within that timeframe. Is it the very best format a website can be in - possibly not, but it reflects everything I want it to be, and if that's the point of Two Red Shoes then it's a job well done.
For the other (www.homeloancomparison.com.au) I engaged a fantastic, understanding, clever and creative designer to create a CMS based website with all the bells and whistles for less than a quarter of what I had previously spent on a similar kind of site. This site had to have more "professionalism" in it's layout and feel and therefore I needed to engage a professional. We're just beginning with this site & even if I spend many many more hours more working with Neil I am still ahead of the game. While I am on the subject can I sneak in a recommendation? Neil at Blue Tongue Designs - look him up!
LOCATION, BUDGET, PHONE LINES, METHODOLOGY ALL THE REST
It was all brand new, all undecided so I made the most of all of recreating all of it. Better phone providers, better smart number, better smart number hosts, better insurances, better way of working, the lot.
WAS ANYTHING KEPT? Yes. The best bits, the bits that worked. The connections I had made with wonderful suppliers like Ablaze Consulting and Orangewalk Promotions, FFCLAW are invaluable to me now and then. If I'd had the opportunity I'd have kept some of the staff as well - completely changed the way we worked - but all the same....but the opportunity isn't there so it's a review on this front too.
So the upshot - it's a terrible daunting feeling to walk away from 10 years of business, at times I felt physically ill at the thought of it and it took me a long time to come around to thinking of selling out rather than doing the buying but it was absolutely the right decision. And I am absolutely sure that the opportunity to create my new business, an authentic, real, genuine reflection of the way I want to work and the way I think is a humongous blessing. The result is... I love this I own this, I am passionate about the brand and the personality of the brand, passionate about the work and the people. I am refreshed and renewed and I am winning.
REPOSTED FROM: http://tworedshoesmortgagebroker.blogspot.com/2013/03/when-it-all-falls-down-reinvent.html
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