The Post

Digital threat: ‘Evolve or die’

- CHLOE WINTER

An aspiring musician turned businessma­n is urging firms struggling with the digital revolution to get up to speed before it’s too late.

Kevin Fitzsimons, who spent his younger years touring with a band in Ireland (paid in Guinness), believes Kiwi businesses are at risk of missing the boat.

To combat that, he moved back to Wellington to set up Element Digital Consulting to help businesses become digital-savvy.

‘‘The big boys are coming – we’ve seen Amazon announcing that they’re moving into Australia and a lot of retailers will be very worried about that. They should be. And that’s just one example.

‘‘Some New Zealand businesses are doing digital well, but I think our geographic­al isolation means businesses sometimes do not feel the sense of urgency that businesses in other parts of the world are responding to.’’

Fitzsimons started the company about two years ago, after deciding his music career wasn’t going to work.

He moved from Ireland to London and began working with a big digital agency, before starting his own consultanc­y company.

‘‘I happened to get to the UK at the same time the first big wave of social media for business was really breaking ... and it was fairly clear that this trend was not going to go away – in fact it was more than a trend, it was changing the way we were communicat­ing, and quite quickly.’’

As a result, businesses needed to focus on getting up to speed, as doing nothing would have dire consequenc­es for the organisati­on and the country’s economy, said Fitzsimons.

‘‘The world has changed. There are very definite economic arguments for businesses to be digitally savvy. It’s a question of evolution – businesses must adapt or die.’’

The biggest challenge running a consultanc­y company was the lack of education, meaning Fitzsimons had to spend time helping businesses understand why digital strategies were important for the company’s future.

‘‘It’s really important for businesses to understand that digital is a lot more than a Facebook page or a website, so it’s caused a fundamenta­l shift in our culture and the way that people live and work,’’ he said.

Businesses had to get used to working without the full picture.

‘‘Businesses need to become accustomed to the idea of using the minimum informatio­n they need to move forward rather than waiting till they know 90 per cent,’’ Fitzsimons said.

‘‘By then it is likely to be too late – the digital world will have moved on.’’

The company’s clients include Spark and Callaghan Innovation.

 ?? PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAXNZ ?? Kevin Fitzsimons, founder of Element Digital Consulting, says businesses have to get used to making decisions without all the informatio­n.
PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAXNZ Kevin Fitzsimons, founder of Element Digital Consulting, says businesses have to get used to making decisions without all the informatio­n.

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