My Mission To Help SMEs
On this day in 2011, I made good on my decision to set up my own business by registering Geeforce Ltd with Companies House.
After three decades of working in the media industry for newspapers, magazines, radio and television, I wanted to prove that I could build a business that did the things I’d always done working in media – help SMEs to grow.
Whilst I did work in the national arena, dealing with the biggest media agencies whose clients included the Central Office of Information, BT, and The National Lottery, I’d always loved working with ‘local’ clients. Those businesses that usually traded within the local area to the newspaper, magazine or radio station that employed me.
The thing is, when working with small to medium sized businesses, they knew which media channels were working. They tended to monitor things more closely and knew when they received an order or a booking from a particular source.
During my time in commercial radio, I set up two small stations, Ten 17 in Harlow and TLR in Thanet. Both stations had a clear vision to become part of the fabric of the communities to which they broadcast, providing great entertainment, local news and travel to listeners and a channel for local businesses to reach those listeners.
The idea with G Force Communications (later e business coaching), was to work with SME business owners and managers to build better businesses. Businesses that were fit for purpose. Businesses that knew who their target markets were and how they could most satisfy their needs and wants.
Over the last nine years I have helped more than 200 businesses to grow, often through a process of identifying the clients they want to work with, producing marketing campaigns that sold the benefits they provide and using the right channels to reach each target market.
Once they started to see results from these campaigns, we would start the process of putting together systems, processes and position agreements to employ people to fill the roles that needed filling, allowing the business owner or senior managers to continue building the business.
I believe that marketing focused business will always out-perform sales focused businesses. What do I mean by this? Its easier to get someone to buy what you know they need or want than it is to sell them something you think they want.
This year, I decided to invest in becoming a certified Business Made Simple coach. Business Made Simple is the brainchild of Donald Miller, the best-selling author of Building a Story Brand and Marketing Made Simple.
Everything we do with a client is based around a story – a story that is centred around the clients, customers, or patients of the business. Once you know the client’s story, you can put them at the centre of your own story and that of your business.
Our process starts with a ‘Business MRI’ to quickly assess your business and identify those areas that need immediate attention.
When all the parts of your business are healthy and work together, they fuel profitable, sustainable growth. Just like a human body, a business needs all its parts to work together.
We then work with our client to implement the frameworks that will attend to those parts of their business that need attention and they’ll start to see much better results.
In addition, Business Made Simple allows me to provide some excellent support to clients between sessions with hours of video, workbooks and frameworks to guide them through the work they’ll be doing following each session.
So, the first nine years have been good. With the support and backing of Business Made Simple I expect the next nine years to be fantastic.
