You know the saying, ‘it can be tough at the top’. When you own a business, making all the decisions, being responsible for everything, yet wondering if you are making the right decisions – adding value. Plus, this situation can be worsened when you feel on your own with no-one to talk to.
This case study is told by Chris Shaw, who describes his business and how he felt before and after I started working with him and his team. I helped (some might say ‘coached’) Chris, but he still made the decisions and took the actions, so he should be applauded for developing his business. He now feels good from adding value to his business and life. Let Chris say it in his words:
From Photography to CGI
The business produces imagery for the Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom (KBB) market and had made the move from Photography to CGI, which is a very different process. We had purchased a new studio building 18 months previously. We were unable to increase turnover and had employed two new members of staff without benefiting from any extra revenues. The team seemed to be on a downward spiral with unhappy confused employees. We were also finding it very difficult to win new clients even though the quality of our work was good. We were also trying different directions where we had no experience to find extra work.
I was confused and worried as there seemed to be a difficult road ahead with no obvious route to success. I was also struggling to stay within my overdraft facility.
A new focus
We started working with the Peter and the Value Builder system and a low score to start with. Peter interviewed each member of staff in confidence and managed to put together a picture of where things were going well and where the root of our problems lay. He held meetings with all employees and discussed the direction we should go. Peter helped us put improved processes in place by analysing the CGI process. He defined my role including a change to sales as I knew about the business. I knew our customers and after over 15 years in the KBB market I knew where to look for new work. Peter took me through the Growth Quad options and it became very clear that offering CGI imagery to the Home furniture market was a good extension from the KBB market.
The result – adding value
I noticed that my employees were happier and enthusiastic about the business. Also, they were keen to help and liked been involved in Peter’s meetings and plans. We very quickly began to win new work looking for growth in the area we knew best (KBB) and gradually working outwards from there but not trying to venture into areas where we had little experience.
We completed a Net Promoter Score exercise with our customers. The business got a tremendous 80 plus really appreciative feedback from our clients. Just check out our website for those really positive comments – www.overviewstudios.co.uk.
In conclusion, I no longer struggle financially from month to month without the need for our overdraft facility. Today I enjoy the work we undertake and I have a very high-quality enthusiastic team working for me. Our turnover has doubled and we have created three new positions within the business.