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We had to share this poem written by American writer Max Ehrmann. Introduced to the team here at nxo by our Chairman, Philip Dyer and read recently by our Managing Director, Cheryl Jones at a local group. It echoes many of our shared values and the nurturing culture at nxo and is as relevant and true today as it was when it was written. We hope you enjoy reading it.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story
Fail to plan, plan to fail.
As the saying goes; fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Preparedness through strategic planning is critical if a business is serious about growth. The financial waste associated with a scattergun approach towards your marketing could be remedied by setting clear goals and objectives and devising a marketing strategy that brings structure and a measurable return on your marketing investment. The money wasted on sporadic marketing could be put to such good use by understanding the most effective marketing activity to invest it in.
Structuring a marketing plan will help you see how realistic and achievable your wishes are; after all, goals without any kind of a plan to show how you will get there will remain exactly that – wishes.
A business, whatever the size doesn’t need to employ a marketing specialist to achieve marketing success, of course. A credible marketing consultant will mentor, advise and upskill so an organisation is able to manage much of the activity in-house if the capacity to do so is there. Marketing of any kind is not a black art as some would have us believe, and once it is de-mystified you are able to understand the options available and make the right decisions for your business.
In this ultra-connected world, social media represents one of the most vital marketing tools companies should use. Getting involved in social media and generating content is a crucial aspect of business survival and client attraction. Of course, this must be done in a professional manner. Posting and sharing relevant information with the aim of nurturing relations with current clients, and at the same time, having the potential to attract new leads, must be done with great attention and proficiency, otherwise, it can damage your company’s image.
nxo helps SMEs maintain contact with clients by engaging in social media and stimulating interest in your business. There are many platforms available for businesses: Facebook, the major social website for maintaining contact and communicating directly with clients; LinkedIn and Twitter, most useful for B2B marketing and building connections. The platforms that can support a company to promote its brand visually include Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat. Read more →
Following an invitation from NatWest Bank, a roundtable event took place at their Wigan Commercial Office on 6th July. 20 business leaders attended the event to hear Philip Dyer, founder and director of Healthy Leaders Ltd, talk about the importance of the health and wellbeing of an owner manager and the impact it has on the culture of an organisation.
The concept behind Healthy Leaders is to inspire entrepreneurs and organisational leaders to take control of their health and wellbeing to promote improved personal and team performance. Healthy Leaders provides practical know- how and guidance to demystify mental and physical wellbeing, resulting in increased levels of confidence, self-awareness and enhanced performance.
Are you a small business leader and do you find yourself struggling with recruitment? In 2016 58% of small business owners reported trying to hire staff in 2016, but 52% reported that they were unable to recruit, 48% said that it was a result of being unable to find the employees their business needs.
Fundamentally 60% of recruiters believe cultural fit is the most important factor when recruiting. So by ensuring that your company culture correctly engages with your current teams, culture can be the difference between attracting the right employees for your team and being unable to find any. Culture provides the anchor for your organisation.
A business’ culture is, to a certain extent, responsible for creating its brand image and identity, and many organisations are recognisable just by their culture. No two organisations ever have the same work culture, culture is the defining factor between organisations and makes organisations unique. But most importantly, culture is the factor that determines morale, recruitment, productivity and ultimately the bottom line of your business.
Common characteristics of successful workplace cultures include open communication, an apparent organisational mission, selective hiring, work-life flexibility and competitive pay. And not to forget, enjoyment and fun – in the hard-driving world of business it’s incredibly easy to overlook humanity. Really, culture is about choosing whether you want to be a business that benefits just you or if you want to create a business environment that’s good for all the stakeholders. Culture, after all, is everything. Read more →
nxo consultants Cheryl Jones and Debbie Smith were invited along to deliver a marketing workshop to over 40 delegates who attended WyredUp’s latest networking event in Fleetwood.
WyredUp is a business network set up by Wyre Council to help local businesses connect with each other and also gives the opportunity to showcase their company. Read more →
A healthy mind in a healthy body; if I heard my father say this to me once he said it a thousand times. Perhaps this is the route to my interest in personal well-being.
The expression is a truism for businesses too – the office of national statistics refers to start-up businesses as births and you may have already guessed what they call closing businesses – deaths!!
In my line of work, helping businesses to grow, the two things are intertwined; it is essential to gain an initial understanding of the health of the business I am working with:
Culture; customers; cash-flow; profit
It could just as easily be:
Weight; nutrition; blood pressure; activity
Each element has a unique impact on the well-being of the business or the person and cumulatively the impact can be profound – positively or negatively.
In a report published by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills it states that three quarters of small UK businesses report an ambition to grow. Interestingly amongst all the discussions held with the business owners it was common to find that ‘they saw no way forward and no viable alternative on particular issues’. Evidence was found that grouped together a ‘lack of faith that business improvements yielded demonstrable benefit’.
Preston based business consultancy nxo hosted an exclusive event attended by over 40 local businesses. The topic of the event, Practical Engagement for Profit, was delivered by Professor John Oliver OBE, former Chief Executive of Leyland Trucks who shared with the audience his wealth of experience in culture change and the impact of employee engagement on the bottom line.
A startling fact presented was that only 29% of the UK’s workforce is engaged, putting us ninth in the world’s leading economies. This means that 20 million UK workers are not actively engaged with their employers. Read more →
