Fresh perspective key to running businesses
A County Wexford business growth and life coach is urging people to embrace the opportunities being closed can bring, including through reassessing their business plans.
Jo Flood ran Creacon Lodge Hotel for 17 years and has the business bug in her blood. ‘I have a passion for helping business owners reach their full potential, both in their business and personal life,’ Jo said.
She said she looks back on her time in business with great joy and wonderful memories of building a very successful business from a simple B&B to a busy restaurant with elegant accommodation.
‘ The key to the success of this business was building a team of amazing staff who worked together with a very clear objective. You can’t do it all on your own. If you are working alone it is vital that you are interacting with other like-minded people to spark ideas and stay motivated.’
Jo sold the business in 2006 to focus on her family and during that time she studied for a degree in Business Management, a coaching diploma and most recently a Post Grad in Enterprise and Innovation in Trinity College.
‘I was so fortunate to study with an amazing group of like-minded people and learn all the latest and greatest thinking relating to business development and particularly around a growth mindset which is very appropriate and necessary right now for business owners.’
Jo’s business model is offering a renewed sense of passion for a business and motivation to take action which, she says, always results in a massive increase in productivity, profits and a sense of achievement. She believes courage, resilience, calm and a sense of hope are a necessity moving forward.
Here she gives her assessment of how businesses can adapt and grow during an ‘overwhelming’ 2021.
What happens when you’re facing a big challenge? What happens when you’re receiving criticism? What happens when you see someone doing better than you? How do you respond?
Developing a growth mindset is a life-long journey and a vital one to work on right now. However, talking growth mindset talk without action will not change anything.
The current pandemic has led to massive stress and worry, overwhelm, fear and exhaustion for a lot of business owners. For some, their business is booming, others have pivoted and a lot of small businesses are currently closed. After the initial shock and three lockdowns later, we’ve had to endure an awful lot for almost a year now.
The move to online has proven to be an enormous challenge for many business owners who traditionally multi-task and do the main bulk of the everyday running of a business themselves and have had to upskill and learn new ways of connecting with their customers. It can all feel totally overwhelming as well as very uncomfortable, particularly on social media where video is king.
Connecting with the customer even if a business is closed is really important.
Consistently keeping in contact via social media will reap rewards when business returns to the new normal. Keeping the business brand fresh in the mind of the customer will pay off. Every cloud has a silver lining and now is the perfect opportunity for businesses to take stock of their current strategy. No matter what business you’re operating, change is definitely part of the strategy going forward and thinking outside the box is crucial for survival. Having support can generate new ideas and creativity and a renewed sense of optimism.
As a business coach working with business owners I see a huge amount of stress and anxiety about the future and without a clear pathway ahead, it can be overwhelming. Doing nothing is not an option. Covid and Zoom has shown you can reach a global audience. Most businesses never had that before.
Creating a vision for the year ahead is something I believe sets a marker for success and this includes both business and personal goals. It’s even more important than ever now. Having an accountability partner increases your chances of succeeding with your goals by over 85 percent. It’s an investment worth making.
The value of investing in yourself as a business owner is underestimated and overlooked, yet it is a vital part of business and personal growth. We invest in modernising buildings and systems and learning new skills, but often forget about one of the critical components of the business; namely the owner.
You can contact Jo on 087 2240135 or www.wecoachpeople.com or on linkedin.
EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING AND NOW IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESSES TO TAKE STOCK OF THEIR CURRENT STRATEGY