How to re-shape and reinvent your business - A 3-part series

“With a strong ‘can do’ culture and a resilient type of mindset, a business and its’ employees can only reach greater heights.” - Jerome Cohen.

’Hustle’ is the most important word when you building a business you are not having a party, it’s about making sacrifices, pushing yourself beyond what you think you capable of achieving. You can’t just dream success. Success will not happen with one massive event. Everybody wants a shortcut but there is no magic formula; it’s all the small things we do every day that are compounding to success. A ‘hustle’ mindset will fast track the process.

’Value’ is the second most important word. We get paid to bring value to the marketplace. You can have more than you’ve got because you become more than you are. Our clients are the essential component, so as a business it’s key to provide them with fresh innovative solutions, added value and excellent service. Think of them as partners, find out what their tensions are.

’Resilience’ mixed with a positive attitude. Everything is way faster today, therefore there is way more competition but there are also a lot more opportunities. So you have got to focus on selling the problem you solve to a wider spectrum of potential leads. Opportunities are abundant, all you have to do is look for them but with that said, strong preparation/research is key before you start looking. Bottom line; if you don’t fail you’re not even trying.

’Be productive’ instead of being busy, don’t mistake movement for achievement. So, when you bring massive action to your plan, motivation will rise. Not the other way round.

’Proximity’ It’s key to grow your network via different platforms. As an example, social media/digital has become key in marketing and communication. It helps you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand, and boost your leads and sales. Stay close to your customer.

"A compelling future is the food on which our souls thrive." - Tony Robbins

“What we focus on is what we will feel." So, if we want to feel safe during times like these, we need to focus on the future. To do so we have to work on a road map and gain clarity on how to action it all as this crisis will pass.”

Jerome Cohen goes on to share the importance of mindset in times such as these.

We have to control the meaning of our environment to be able to control our emotions. If we see this situation as the end of it all, there will be a very different output emotionally than if we see it and feel it as a new beginning.

Businesses need to focus on what they have (instead of what’s missing), asking themselves: “What we can do right now with it?” and that’s how you inevitably move faster as a team, evolving for the greatest benefit of the business as a whole.

Offlimit Communications has seen its fair share of challenges as a business does, but has also managed to stay afloat and thrive in the toughest economic climates in the past. Here are some key takeaways from Jerome Cohen.

“Tell me about your failure… I will ask.”

In times of crisis like these, it’s a necessity to learn fast from our failure since it’s a key ingredient to success.

The question is how to keep improving and innovating but, what does innovating really mean? It's finding ways to add more value.

We only grow out of pain or pleasure so failure is part of the process. Failure will also bring clarity, and clarity is power! So many people fail not because they don’t have the ability, it's because they don’t have the courage to go through adversity.

The thing that destroys everything is to feel helplessness. You start to believe that the problem is permanent and that it’s impossible to solve. That happens when you feed your fear with limited belief until it fully developed into the wrong habit. But in reality, no problems are permanent. The best solution is gratitude; you can’t be grateful and helpless at the same time.

The take out is that resilience is key, “become one of the few who do versus the many who complain.” Focus on how to turn a negative situation into a positive one.

You have to crush any limitations and change your belief system to one that gets you the right skills.

“If I can’t then I must.”

The bottom line is that you need to stretch yourself and learn to be optimistic.

As previously said, any crisis comes with massive opportunities underneath it but you have to ask the right question, for example: “If your business could talk, what will it say?”

Get clear on what you really want and where you really are.

You have got to be very clear and detailed to stay focused on the end goal. Then you have to stay committed.

Where are we at > where do we want a be > what needs to be done to get there.

So, getting clarity and focusing on the future will create the right momentum which, in our current situation is absolutely key.

Where to next? First you have to know who is your ideal client, who will love your product and your innovation but most importantly you need to fall in love with your clients offering - that’s how you keep changing and adapting to their needs.

The second most critical aspect is to ‘add more value’ and having an ‘irresistible offer’.

Increase your client base by creating ‘raving fans’ and ‘sell the problem you solve not the product’. A satisfied customer is the best strategy of all.

Then, implement an aggressive new client acquisition plan to level up additional clients against the bigger ones. Do not stay dependent on anyone.

Lastly, it is key to seed a strong identity, a culture that fits your vision ie: the ways of working to uplift team spirit and awareness to one another. The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership - if everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.

In a nutshell, the comfort zone is the dead zone, good intentions are worthless unless they lead to good action. If you want a new year and a better business, you don’t need to start on 1 January, start today, get disciplined to shift everything else.

The secret of success is what we do daily and how we push ourselves.