Forever changed

f rHrNr MANv oF us BUSTNESS owNERS have been forever changed by the recesI-sion as to how we are running and will run our businesses in the future. A recent survey of small business owners suggested that two-thirds of us are thinking differently about how we operate.

As I wrote last month, we are in a highly interconnected global market where the slightest sneeze anywhere sends a panic signal around the world. Information is pushed out instantly, at the touch of a send button. Much of this information is without commentary, leaving plenty open to interpretation. Most of us have learned that nothing is predictable, and the business models we have used to great success may no longer be valid in today's revolution of change.

For those of us who are surviving. many are different from what we were three years ago when the recession kicked in. We have become leaner and meaner (and meaner maybe not in a good way), pragmatic, cynical, and yet still uncertain of what the future holds, particularly in our industry, which could well be among the last to recover from the effects of the recession.

I can well understand the temptation to hunker down and wait for the sun to shine again. Again, as I wrote earlier, at a time when the national and global psyche has changed due to factors out of our individual control, it is difficult to invest in new business opportunities-or even to get capital. But when competition fades and distribution strategies change, one man's bust is another man's gain. As someone told me recently, the sooner we all realize and accept that everything has changed, the faster we will look at our opportunities in a different light and the faster we will recover.

So accepting that today is a new day and believing in the 80/20 rule (that 807o will not change enough), what do you do to make yourself one of the 20Vo who will? I remind that you can never be satisfied with what you have achieved one day after you have achieved it. Take a moment to enjoy your achievements, but realize that tomorrow is another day. Sitting still should not be an option.

Instilling that thinking throughout your company is not easy, especially when many are burned out from the stresses of the past years and wary of change. As someone who has consulted for other businesses, I have learned that most companies lack a clear understanding of who they are, what they are, and where they are going. Business sort of just happens. When was the last time your company sat down and in a meaningful way rethought its vision and strategy for the future?

Each company must understand and restate why it exists. When your firm started, for example in 1982, there was a different reason for doing business than what exists today. Times change, as do the reasons you exist. What do you want to achieve-be a $50-million company, be the No. I in your region, or beat out XYZ Co.? Define how you will go about achieving those goals in clear, concise and actionable statements.

Next, what values do you expect throughout the organization? Yes, the old standards are still valid (integrity, respect, etc.), but you should also include ways to differentiate your service from everyone else.

Lastly, create or recreate your brand by also differentiating your company or products. A brand is not just a logo or ad campaign; it is about creating a plar form from which all marketing, communications and actions emanate. Everything you do afterwards either enhances or dilutes the brand. Understand what your customers think of you (something I can guarantee most of us are clueless about) and take actions that strenethen the brand.

Identifying what makes us tick provides the ammo to push forward and take us to a better place. There has never been a better time to begin the analysis. Good luck!

Alan Oakes, Publisher aioakes@aol.com

BPII Building Products lligest

www.building-products.com

A publication of Cutler Publishing 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan 0akes ajoakes@aol.com

Publisher Emeritus David Cutler

Director of Editorial & Production David Koenig dkoenig@building-products.com

Editor Karen Debats kdebats@building-products.com

Contributing Editors

Carla Waldemar, James Olsen, Jay Tompt

Advertising Sales Manager Chuck Casey ccasey@building-products.com

Administration Director/Secretary Marie Oakes mfpoakes@aol.com

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