Kaibizzen

In the 1920’s, Post was the category leader in the ready-to-eat cereal game.⠀⁠ By the turn of the 1930’s, Kellogg’s was moving in and creating competition in the market.⠀⁠ At the time, breakfast cereal was still a relatively new concept.⠀⁠ People didn’t really understand ‘ready-made’ cereal.⠀⁠ At the time people were eating oatmeal, cream of wheat, and sometimes even salted meat and pickles for breakfast — which was wreaking havoc on their digestive systems.⠀⁠ So, when the Great Depression hit, no one had the playbook for how to continue growing consumer demand when community confidence (and resources) were drying up.⠀ Post did what most do when presented with uncertainty - they ruthlessly cut expenses, and pulled back on marketing. But, you can’t cost cut your way to success. On the other side, Kelloggs doubled its investment into marketing, research and development, while aggressively pushing their new offering - Rice Krispies. Within a few years, even as the rest of the economy was hurting, Kellogg’s profits had risen almost 30 percent and it had become what it remains today… The market leader. Here’s the even bigger point to drive home. Because of that single proactive decision back in the 1930’s - and the increased market position, it has lead to, not millions, but billions, of increased sales over the past 90 years. Fast forward to today, and Kelloggs have some of the most iconic cereals and breakfast foods - many of which have fond memories in our yesteryears. Coco Pops, Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Special K, All Bran, Mini Wheats, Eggos, Pop Tarts to name a few. Post has one brand I can recognise; Raisin Bran, which isn’t even available in Australia. When the going gets tough, take a step back and realign your strategy - hard times create some of the biggest opportunities, and some of the most iconic companies currently leading their markets, were born from periods of market decline. Food for thought.⠀⁠

It’s no secret that general customer confidence is waning, and the cost of living pressures continue to rise. If people, in general, are feeling it, they’re holding their dollars tighter to their chest, which has a myriad of trickle-down effects on everyone's business. No matter what industry we’re in, we all work with people at the end of the day, and it would be foolish of us not to address the elephant in the room. You only have to turn on the news for 5 minutes to hear the hysteria, and when in these emotional and reactive states, we often look to slash costs in several areas, with three of the key ones being. > Business Development Marketing and growth focussed activities > Team Number of team members, quality of team members, support positions, and promotional opportunities > Education Training programs, courses, subsidies However, when we think deeper, what three areas, when done right, serve to get businesses through plateaus? > Business Development Continuing to plant seeds, grow connections, and harvest the good relationships you have built into convertible sales. > Team Ensuring your best team members are focussed on their highest-value opportunities, not absorbing too much of the wrong tasks. > Education Discovering new perspectives, and ways of problem solving to open up even more opportunities This isn’t to say we mindlessly keep spending, or don’t look to reallocate funds to provide a better return on investment - the key focus here is not to mindlessly cut costs without sense checking the potential negative impact it could have, and the further away it can take you from your goals. Look at the purpose of WHY you are spending, and WHO you are working with to help you move towards where you want to be. More millionaires are made in tough economic times rather than good times. The majority of people buy into the hysteria and retreat, whereas the bold ones use the opportunity to capture their clients and increase their market share. Downturns therefore can present incredible opportunities to retain key talent, get rid of seatwarmers and approach your business with a greater focus, intent and purpose. Keep your eyes out for a future post about the simple decision that created a gap worth billions of dollars between Kelloggs and Post after the Great Depression.

Business is a game of people. Get to a place of understanding, align to the same north star, and hold each other accountable to shared goals and deliverables and the heavy lifting is basically done. If only it were that easy. The thing is business has never been easy, but it can be much simpler than we make it out to be. When working with our team and clients, the foundation of how we understand each other, and our preferred communication styles can make a stark difference in the accomplishment of individual and shared goals. We’ve all been in environments where the common goal is pushed aside for the ego of one person, or the competing egos of many. In those situations no one benefits. As business leaders, we must make a commitment to understanding human behaviour, and to be effective at what we do, we need to understand the nuances of the people we are working with. This is why we use the DISC profile with all of our clients, so they can have the opportunity to understand their own behavioural and communication preferences, their teams and their clients, and how to navigate and adapt to the differences between them. When using the DISC profile, we have a better understanding of self, a better understanding of our team and our clients and why they do and say the things they do, and in doing so we discover how to match preferred styles so everyone gets as much out of the relationship as they can. When there is a common language and understanding between all parties, everyone is able to get on the same page at a greater pace, and ultimately, everybody is in a better position to win, and to profit.

We believe a business is simply a reflection of the business owner. While we are proudly positioned as business coaches, our process is entirely based around the business owner becoming who they need to be to build the business that will facilitate the life they desire. It’s not simply about checking boxes and ticking goals, that happens too, but it’s a byproduct of the process of becoming the person you need to be to achieve those goals. That’s why we focus on the person first - when you rise to the level of the person you were always meant to be, and becoming the best version of yourself, your business will show up as the best version of itself too.

𝐁𝐄, 𝐃𝐎, 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 | The difference between living as a victim, and becoming a victor that leads a Position of Choice lifestyle. When it comes to achieving goals, and moving forward in life - there are three paths that people tend to take in viewing their ability to impact true positive change for the business and life they want. 𝟏. 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 - 𝐃𝐨 - 𝐁𝐞 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑚 𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 “When I HAVE enough time, money and support, then I’ll DO the things I’ve always wanted to, and then I’ll BE happy and successful" The issue with this order of events is that they're focussed on the external 'HAVE" to change so they can move ahead, and by doing so, their hands are off the wheel in controlling their direction. They are unable to find any happiness in contentment in their current scenario, and feel happiness is always out of reach. 𝟐. 𝐃𝐨 - 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 - 𝐁𝐞 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑦. The worker is entirely focussed on DOING more to HAVE more - they are busy being busy, not realising life is passing them by. In this frame of mind - the more they DO, the more they HAVE, and the more they have, the happier they’ll BE. The problem is that these types are addicted to the do, and there is never enough to still be done. The more they have, the more there is to lose, because they identify so much with the do. The accumulation of things eventually has diminishing returns - they will never be satisfied, so the BEING happy and content never truly arrives. 𝟑. 𝐁𝐞 - 𝐃𝐨 - 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝐸𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 The winner orients their life quite differently: BE DO HAVE The perspective is entirely focussed on controlling the controllables around who they have to BE to attain the outcomes they want. What would that kind of person be doing, how would they be operating, and what would they value? Once we get clear on the life we want to live - we need to ask ourselves, what habits do we need to create to become the person that would live that life? We will only achieve goals that are in line with what is truly important to us. When you focus on the BE, and embody the BE - the rest takes care of itself. So, I’ll leave you with this - who do you need to be, to have the the life that you want? Then, what do you need your business to do to facilitate that?

Don’t sprint in the wrong direction. Now that we are heading into the back third of the calendar year, it’s important that we don’t get swept up in the energetic lift that seems to happen in periods of review, and realignment. While harnessing this energy can be a great thing, one of the worst things people can do is emphatically sprint in the wrong direction. For some of us, the clock ticking over to the financial year was the closing of a chapter, and the opening of a new and exciting quarter, brimming with possibility and a clarify of focus in terms of what should be done, and what will be accomplished. For most business owners, they may have some goals written down, yet their action is to just put their heads back down and keep on dealing with work that keeps them busy, but doesn’t necessarily move them forward. 88% of people fail their New Years Resolutions, and we believe that 100% of them were surface level promises that they never intended to keep, otherwise they would have started well before January 1. The new financial year represents the same. We’re over a month in to FY24-25, which we felt was timely for this conversation, as many have already abandoned their set goals and become swept up with being 'busy' on many of the wrong things. Here’s a few questions for reflection, so you can follow with effective action. If you’re struggling to find the answers, or the next steps - you know where to find us.

In today’s business environment - the most successful businesses have multiple layers of advisory. As business coaches we play an important role in connecting these relationships and driving accountable action. Over the last 20+ years we have continued to cultivate strong strategic relationships with service oriented advisors focussed on Performance, Profitability, People, and Purpose. This includes accountants, bookkeepers, human resources, recruitment, marketing, branding, commercial law, financial planning, and so much more. Hoffman Kelly Accountants & Business Advisors continue to be a valued relationship and resource for us and our clients. Their commitment to understanding the numbers beyond simply tax and compliance, and more from a growth mindset and advisory standpoint has been truly invaluable, and what separates them from the pack.

We’re heading into 8th month of 2024 now, and as business owners it’s extremely hard to slow down and celebrate the little wins along the way. These are the moments we need to reconnect and remind us why we started, and why we’re still at it 20+ years later - to live a position of choice of lifestyle, and be more of our true selves. 1. We’ve spent more time on our farm in Maleny and rehabilitated so much of the property over the last three years. We have even more freedom to do what we’d like to do. 2. We’ve upped the ante with our own coach and invested more time and money than we’ve ever invested before In doing so, we have intentionally created a business that facilitates the lifestyle we want to live - it works FOR US. That’s all we’ve wanted for ourselves, and for our clients - whatever their version of that is - we help them discover it and actualise it.

Is your business working for you OR are you working for it? We’ve talked to hundreds of business owners that lament their business is really just a series of compromises with long hours of work taking them away from their family, and stress and lack of sleep robbing them of their presence and involvement when they’re away from the office - it’s all consuming. Because of this, it’s so hard for business owners to even imagine what the lifestyle they originally envisioned when starting their business is even possible anymore. However, regaining clarity on that is exactly where to start. That’s why we focus our clients on detailing their Position of Choice lifestyle in incredible detail so it has meaning and becomes a non-negotiable commitment for them. Once that is clear, we identify the passive and active income required from the business to form that lifestyle. Lastly, we reverse engineer to identify what your business needs to look like and what profit is required to cash flow your requirement to allow you to live that lifestyle. It sounds simple on paper, and in theory, it is. But in actuality, it requires deep commitment, reflection, and accountability to see it through. That’s where the true value of a coach comes in.