“Charlotte, I Need To Talk To You …”

“We’ve launched, bought, started up … a new branch, division, product, so exciting but can we talk about a plan to execute and implement it?”

I love the clients I work with. I love their energy, ideas and enthusiasm for stepping outside the box and creating business opportunities through clever ideas. We work together to discuss and create a framework of accountability, and to complete the due diligence. Sounds a little dry when it’s expressed that way, but working together to convert an idea into a realistic and profitable strategy is what I do, what I love to do.

Sometimes the concepts are brilliant! I’ve seen amazing businesses start from a brief idea and explode into extraordinary enterprises driven by enthusiasm, energy and a bit of luck. The recent Spark Festival is a great example of an idea executed with great structure and planning. There are so many opportunities for us to be brave and take advantage of a young business world open to suggestions.

Sometimes they’re not successful, which is disappointing, but this is where true character is demonstrated by resilience and reflection. Admitting mistakes and acknowledging lack of due diligence is not a “bad thing”, more a “learning thing”.
The lesson here is that due diligence and planning are a must. At some point, it is critical to reflect on the path you wish to tread. Whether it will be solo or as a team, long term or short term, and how you measure your progress. Individuals rarely succeed on their own. They have ideas and a supportive team to execute, so good leadership is also a requirement. True entrepreneurs like Richard Branson (Virgin), Ros Moriarty (Balarinji and The Moriarty Foundation) and Melanie Perkins (Canva) all talk about teams, communication and the critical nature of the plan. “It’s really important that the entire team has buy-in about our vision and what we’re trying to achieve as a company,” Perkins said. Ros Moriarty has always, “led from behind, as people take accountability and are invested to find the leadership within themselves”.

In conclusion, innovation and entrepreneurship are qualities that are valued in today’s market, it’s what you do next that is equally important.