In all of the entrepreneurial guides you can find on in podcasts, in textbook guides, on YouTube videos as well as blogs like ours, you probably haven’t heard much of ‘the connection attitude.’ This is because business advice is often centralized around what the entrepreneur can do to influence their own action. This is important, but it can be a limited picture to some degree. You need to keep in mind that a business doesn’t operate on its own terms, completely self-sufficient. If that were the case, then appealing to customers and placing any investment in a marketing budget would be considered a complete waste of time and funding. The truth is that even the biggest institutions rest on more variables than they care to admit.
This ‘connection attitude’ is important to foster in the young entrepreneur. We’d like to explore how this can benefit the budding entrepreneur, and how they can foster it in their business ambitions. For someone just starting out, this could be the piece of advice they truly need.
Without further ado:
Craft A Working Environment
A firm with a great working environment can seem like they were lucky in choosing the right staff members to employ. You may feel that the staff totally comprise the mood in the office, and hopefully, if you interview correctly, it will improve within your firm naturally. This is true to a point, but as an employer, you should be aware of what you can do to improve this yourself.
The first place to start is by drawing up a company policy. If you haven’t the means to create an HR department just yet, you should make the employees know that you are a source of confidential advice and someone they are able to quietly voice grievances too. You must have a harassment clause in your policy, as well as bullying. Have a zero tolerance policy to staff members causing social chaos in the office in any form. Explicitly state this in the contract of those you hire. If a situation does crop up, judge it respectively and with a degree of respect for the part.
Treat your employees as if they have a massive value to you and your firm (they do,) and little by little your workers will feel fundamentally connected and identified with the fabric of the firm. This ‘connection’ mindset can help in a plethora of ways, but starting everyone on the same page like this helps them feel as though they’re on the same team. Connect your employees together as much as possible, through staff training, adventure team building days, and socializing together as much as is necessary. As your staff list grows, this might become more difficult, but you should always keep the close connection of your employees together for increased effectiveness, optimal working returns, and a generally pleasant atmosphere.
Digital Same Page
Make sure that everyone is operating within the same parameters from a digital perspective. Not only does that allow for increased compatibility between program suites (such as Adobe or Microsoft,) but it allows everyone to work from the same platform and stay able to communicate about their digital projects with more clarity. You’re less likely to run into problems this way.
Make sure that all the staff have access to fundamentally important IT support if they face any issues, and always stay up to date on the digital grievances your staff are facing. It will help you enact future solutions, getting the whole team updated and up to speed on the latest programs. When people are all familiar with a digital workspace like the suites mentioned, they are more likely to spend time working on the tasks and less time trying to troubleshoot IT issues.
Consumers
Those businesses which champion the consumer are often looked at with reverence. It’s amazing that most firms either do not understand or willfully ignore this. Many business leaders often separate themselves from their consumers, in that they feel if their operation is good enough and they market effectively, customers will be found far and wide in limitless reserve. The fact of the matter is that thanks to the internet, people are having a harder time justifying the cost of a product/service which hasn’t undergone strict consumer reviews online. As a new firm, it can be hard to try and gain relevance outside of the ground won by a promotional campaign.
For this reason, pursuing a ‘lifetime relationship’ with your consumers instead of a quick sale can be a great way to connect more with your audience and retain business. You can achieve this in multiple different ways. Many firms, especially technological firms but also stretching all the way to food services, are beginning to offer ‘subscription based’ offerings. This will allow for a steady monthly drip feed of your product/service for an all-inclusive monthly payment. Depending on the nature of your product this may or may not be suitable, but if it is you have a fantastic initial method of building a base.
Offer these people promotions, gift them free small gifts, and continually keep them updated on the progress of the company through a mailing list or simple small flyer with their physical product. This will help them feel connected to the story of your company and are much more likely to identify with it. This way, consumers potentially become part of your audience for life, not just for a moment.
Conventions
If you have neglected to head to a convention thus far, maybe it’s time to reconsider. These industry-specific events often have an entry fee, but viewing the lectures, talks and networking seminars can help you glean valuable insight into where your industry is headed. It can help you understand how best to progress forward around the shifting consumer expectations of the modern world, while also networking and connecting with the best minds of your industry. Whether you’re looking for some wonderful advice, a handy tidbit of insight or a lifelong business partner, be sure to connect and make yourself available here. Whether you’re new to the world of event planning, or if you’re already a seasoned pro, I recommend reading the Event Manager’s Guide to Planning an Event from The Photo Team.
With these tips, the connection mindset is yours, as well as all the prosperity it can offer.
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