By Grant Maxwell, director EightyOneM - Starting a business today feels much more complicated than ever. Obviously you need to create an offer that is compelling to your customers, and be careful with money. And that’s not easy, given over 90% of businesses fail in their first 2 years.
But the added complexity comes from the wider considerations that all modern businesses need to incorporate into their model. The biggest of these surely being an active contributor to the solution for global warming, rather than adding to the problem.
But there is also the need to be a good corporate citizen, by giving back to the communities we serve. Not just because our customers increasingly demand it, but also because of how it makes us feel to have this sense of purpose.
When I started my business last year, I felt excited by the freedom to express my desire to do all these things through my business. But I also felt overwhelmed at the prospect of juggling all the balls. Eventually I realized that they aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. There are many ways that you achieve multiple goals at once. Simplifying life is the key to success. As soon as you view the world around you through this lens, you see new opportunities.
I’m in advertising - a world that has become incredibly complex in the last decade or two thanks to the power of digital media. But when I realized that we are still communicating with humans who mostly communicate through sight, sound, sometimes touch and even smell, then it became a far simpler way to approach each task.
Another example has been gift cards through the Good Registry, which help me simplify my giving aspirations and acknowledge clients, while also giving back to my community in a carbon friendly way.
Now if anyone can help me figure out how to simplify parenting two teenagers I’m all ears!
* EightyOne is Wellington's largest independent creative agency. Grant Maxwell is Director of EightyOneM, their media strategy arm.
Comments