the think tank:
business development

for best results, make the right start in business

A while back we had a client approach us who wanted help in launching their business with a website, because they felt that was what everyone else was doing. They had no logo, no business identity, no business plan, and no real idea of how to build their brand. What they did have, however, was a great idea.

This type of scenario is like trying to sell a product that has no packaging. While you might sell something, it would be an uphill battle from day one.

Unfortunately, many people start business like this, doing what they think is right because they have a great idea or are a skilled tradesperson. The truth of the matter is that this is not enough to start a business, you have to begin to think like a business owner rather than a worker.

"The E Myth Revisited", by Michael Gerber, is a book we often recommend to people starting out and to small business owners. It encourages you to think of your business as a product or a franchise that you will one day sell to someone else for a profit. While you may never sell your business, you'll certainly think differently if you design it to be sold....

In fact you'll probably start asking questions of yourself like:

• How do we get the business working without us?
• What will make our business appealing enough for someone to buy it?
• How would we design our business if it was going to become a franchise?

You may be thinking it's way too early to start with questions like this. We would suggest that if your business is going to have a good chance of succeeding, you have to start with the end in mind. Picture what you want your business to be and start heading for that from day one. This is the essence of a business plan.

Back to our client, we discussed these ideas with them and asked them to read the book. Our ethos is that we would rather point our clients in another direction than do a job that may fail. Therefore we suggested that if they wanted to consider a more strategic start to their business, we would help in every way we could.

We are happy to report that the client came back to us two weeks later with a whole new outlook on how to start their business. The great news is that one week prior to this article they finally launched their business with a great deal of industry support because they packaged themselves correctly.

Click here to see their logo design
Click here to see their stationery design

If there are any books that you would like recommend as a help for business development or practice, we invite you to post them in the comments for this blog.