Building a Team that Works

An entrepreneur has no choice but to depend on the hard work of others alongside their own tiresome efforts. So there is always the question 'Who do I need on my team?' burning in the mind of the business owner.

This would be my business' hierarchy if I started my own business. Essentially you need 5 persons.

The Owner: manager and ultimate decision-maker of all. This person should be in charge of all matters to a certain degree and in the same breath be knowledgeable of all aspects of the business to prevent persons in leadership positions abusing their privileges and other works from performing poorly.

The Personal Assistant to the owner: a person who does as the name suggests but works in support of the business more so than the owner.

The Manager: supervisor who manages staff and day to day relations of the entire business. Managerial functions are common is most places, I would use that as a template for further specifications.

The Labourer: general staff that are expendable but better if they are diligent and/or extremely useful. A business should always be able to maintain a certain level of flexibility, aside from business plans expendable persons are necessary components because of this.

The Financier: someone in control of finances. I am not a financial mind I would need someone trustworthy and dependable for this position. Their control would be monitored by both the Personal Assistant and the Manager and then if necessary the Owner to prevent possible theft and/or any other foreseeable fiscal problem.

All these positions would rely on each other for the business to function to the best of its ability so team work and communication would have to be stressed.

If I can think of anything that could possibly be closer to ideal I'll tell you but this is pretty much it.

Ideas and Proper Communication

In class myself and a few other group members got assigned a 'creative' presentation on the entrepreneurial themes that we could get from watching a movie focused on entrepreneurs. We chose the movie Hustle & Flow and prepared a short skit that had a unique idea. We all felt confident that the idea would get across but by the end of the presentation it seemed (well, based on our audience's response) that they way in which we communicated the ideas weren't clear enough for most. That's when I realised that no matter how good the idea, no matter the preparation that goes into the completion of something, proper or improper communication can change the game.

The best presentation was promised a prize, which meant we were all doing our best to get the top spot. The team that ended up winning was the one that stuck to the simplest idea. Concepts were easy to pick up and I guess that's what made it better. So despite my hard work going to waste I learnt less is more, simple is sometimes best and proper communication is a card best kept in your pocket.

Attributes of Successful Entrepreneurs

So we got an outline in class of the top 20 attributes of successful entrepreneurs. The list goes as follows:
1. resourceful, 2. purposeful, 3. focused, 4. risk-taking, 5. problem-solving, 6. salesmanship oriented, 7. visionary, 8. optimistic, 9. leadership-oriented, 10. ambitious, 11. innovative, 12. integrity-based, 13. adaptable, 14. communicative, 15. self motivated, 16. strategic, 17. team-oriented, 18. determined, 19. curious and 20. balanced.

I agree with most of the above being necessary attributes but would insist on re-ordering them if it is that the list is assembled in terms of importance. My number one would have to be visionary.

If I were to ask myself what makes the common man different from the entrepreneur it would have to be that one man had incite, an imagined concept that he ran with and the other didn't join the race. Ask yourself what good is a blind man in a fight? And what is the world of business if not a battlefield?

On to my number two, ambitious. Ambition can also be a separating factor between ordinary men and great men. With ambition comes determination, comes a desired purpose. When you give yourself a goal you have something to work towards. If you're ambitious the goal can be far out of your reach but you'd overextend yourself and plot and plan and work hard until you could achieve it. That mentality is only useful in business. Being weak and flaky can achieve nothing in comparison to being passionate and fuelled by ambition.

Number three would be innovative/adaptable. I join the two because I strongly believe they cannot be apart in business, specifically for young businesses. Innovation can drive a product far beyond ordinary standards and make it more attractive to its target audience. In the same breath business innovation should be led by a certain amount of adaptability. Your innovative tactics cannot be the same as your competitors, they need to be bigger or quite simply better. Globalization leads to a great mosh pit of ideas converging on the internet, your tactics may be ones many have seen before and have at that point been overplayed. A true test of a stable business or a strong business mind is the ability to adapt to suit your market/target audience.

Four pushes focused back just a notch down the line. Focus is a critical element of any task that any person expects to successfully begin or complete. A paper cannot be written if you cannot align your thoughts. A talk cannot happen if you do not know what the conversation should achieve.

I didn't see any reason to separate the rest of the numbered attributes because I believe they closely link themselves with the others. Vision is birthed from a certain level of curiosity. A person can be pushed to become resourceful if they have enough ambition and ambition drives determination. In order to be communicative and team-oriented you would need focus. A common goal that all team members to latch on to, that all persons of the team can be held accountable to. And so on.

Success hinges on willingness to achieve great things. To all entrepreneurs out there or persons still at the drawing board take a look at these qualities and strive for them if you find yourself lacking.

Each one Reach one Ladder of Business

There are some business persons who after having made it forget all those little things that used to matter. Like the fact that some people in the heated pursuit of their dreams live hand to mouth for lengthy stretches of time. Then there are some who don't.

I was watching Conan O'Brien last night and he has this segment that introduces young, up and coming comedians to his studio audience and the wider television following of his show. And I couldn't help but think this was Conan's effort to invest in his field. An effort that makes him one of an impassioned yet smart few who realise that those small time investments pay off.

I had spoke about establishing connections before and this strikes me as that and a devious little marketing tool wrapped up in one package. In the event that these persons do go on to 'do big things' and 'make a name for themselves' after their feature on the show they would always remember Conan's effort as an integral part of their rise to stardom, which secures Conan as a business contact. Also, because the comedians that feature in that segment are always changing and because they are all 'up and coming' they can take it upon themselves to raise awareness of their stint on the show and in doing so bring a whole new set of persons to Conan's show.

I am happy to see it in areas that are known for small time ventures, like the arts or other such neglected industries. But this scheme is also employed by bigger businesses for strategic reasons like tax benefits. In Jamaica telecommunications giant Digicel is known for its community outreach program. It will sponsor several small time events for inner city communities, for children's homes and establishments of that nature all in an effort to push their brand and service. The same goes for Scotiabank, Courts and other big name business conglomerates.

So here's my word of advice, if you're an up and coming business person do your best to position yourself in the way of schemes like these. Rely on these stable contacts to introduce you to where you want to be, to your target audience and then go to work on making sure they never forget your name. Be an opportunist!!

The Importance of Timely Marketting

Myself and a few other members of the Springvale Enterprise were at a Culinary Event earlier this month. The aim of the night was to do a push promotion minus actual sales of the products. Which, I will admit, didn't entirely make sense to me. The event was at the Pegasus. Furthermore the ticket price was JA$3500. I have always thought that you should capitalise on any chance to sell your product. So it only seemed right to bring products to sell to persons who were willing to pay JA$3500 for one event. After all our product is sold at just about JA$300 a pop, it should have been an easy sell to that crowd. But since with every event in life you learn a few new tricks, I thought I'd share what I learnt there.

Time and Place is key!
The event had several prominent members of Jamaica's Culinary Field in one place. All eager to provide samples of their respective products, exchange business cards and mingle. Making it the perfect environ for connections to be made. Better yet for an up and coming brand like Springvale.
Successful business ventures will thrive on marketing strategies. However every business cannot be all about immediate sales and profits. Some marketing schemes should be centred around building connections. For start-up businesses this is a tip that should not be taken lightly.
Your product or service is new on the market, young in comparison to several others who have had more time to build a communications network, stable customer backing and other necessary elements. Which means you will need to build yourself a communications network, stable customer backing. This takes time but it always worthwhile and should be a very pressing concern for all new business owners.
For all you know several doors can open from one conversation at such an event.

Spend money, Make money!
Sometimes business rewards come fast on the heels of persons who understand that money has to be spent to make a profit. There are always aspects of your business that you should be prepared to splurge on. Advertising most often always falls in that bracket and this event was one such time.

Fun fact: In these scenarios compliments can take you far. So can a smile and a cheery persona. Do your best to prepare all of these for a quaint pitch of your product or service to be all the more effective in its delivery.

Our Observer Feature

I remember gushing about my brand new business affiliation and its products. Well this is more gushing. Today we were featured in the Jamaica Observer as a nominee for the Jamaica Food Awards!! I'm happy to see a brand I am standing behind get such a warm review. I'm especially happy that more word about our product is hitting the 'ear ways '.

Take a gander at the article: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/food/New-Food-Items---Week-4_14130784. It features two other business ventures that have recieved the same honour.

Until next time, visit our website (www.springvaleproducts.com) if you're interested in taking a peak before you hit the supermarket in earnest search of our delicious treats.

Hustle & Flow Movie Review

I'm doing an entrepreneurial class because I'm clearly looking at all available angles here. So we were told to assemble a group and the first assignment was to do a movie review of an entrepreneurial themed movie.  My group picked Hustle & Flow and I'm not sure about how many people have watched Hustle & Flow but it's a remarkable movie about a man who dares to reach for a dream. And I wanted to share that assignment and hope that something special can be communicated. 

Here it is:

The movie entitled “Hustle and Flow” is a movie that possesses several entrepreneurial themes. But it is more than that. We understand the movie to be much deeper than what initially meets the eye. “[Hustle and Flow]...is not just about a pimp trying to become a rapper, but the saga of a man trying to make a better way of life.” (Words of Terrance Howard in an interview). It is then, the story about a pimp with a dream.

    The main character DJay (Terrance Howard) is pimp and a drug dealer from Memphis, Tennessee. His love for music is reignited when he obtains a mini-piano from a druggie outside a strip-club in exchange for a small amount of drugs. The rest of the movie chronicles his journey towards a better life. One in which he intends to use music, his rejuvenated passion, focus and motivation to pave a new path for himself and those around him. He re-unites with a childhood friend ‘Key’ (Anthony Anderson), who is now a sound technician. The pair, along with a Caucasian sound mixer named Shelby (Dj Qualls), begin to make music together. In doing so they show the audience that networking and being team oriented are very important aspects of being a successful entrepreneur.

The movie uses DJay’s businesses to establish a unique family-based support system for his dream but in doing so does not fail to highlight the realistic support structure of any given entrepreneurial endeavor - that is the summed up in the three “F’s” of a business model. Nola (Taryn Manning) is a prostitute that DJay ‘pimps out’, her role in his life is not unlike that of a dutiful Friend who also doubles as financial backing. Paula Jai Parker or the character Lexus, a stripper that DJay manages, does her part to signify the role of the Fool when she shows how little she thinks of his dream and its possible success. DJay’s Family is fully embodied by the soft spoken but ever encouraging character that is Shug (Taraji Penda Henson). Shug’s character goes beyond the importance of money, to show the audience the significance of emotional encouragement behind all the other very physical factors that are a large part of building a business.

Djay is also a known drug dealer; a skill that comes in handy when he is offered the opportunity to have an audience with rapper, ‘Skinny Black’ (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges). In these scenes we can see where communication is key, we can see resourcefulness and sheer determination presenting itself. It must also be noted that all the jobs that are associated with Djay all share one common attribute and that is a high level of risk-taking.

DJay is definitely an entrepreneur exhibiting numerous attributes that qualify him as such. He shows resourcefulness and innovation when he and Key use cup holders to soundproof a room in his house in an effort to craft a make-shift studio. He  is most definitely a salesman and a great negotiator, which can be seen in the scenes when his has to “sell” himself and his music to Skinny Black. Also in the scene where he is unable to afford a studio quality microphone and he arranges for Nola to ‘entertain’ the store owner in exchange for this expensive piece of equipment. His leadership qualities presents themselves when Nola shows just how upset she was about the situation that occurred with the store owner, he puts her unease to rest and reassures her to continue her part in getting the work done. He showcases his ability with problem solving when he persuades his neighbours with some of Memphis’s finest herbs to turn down their music so he can start a recording session. This communicative and persuasive ability is exemplified numerous times throughout the movie as DJay’s strongest asset.

However, DJay is not the only character who shows true entrepreneurial spirit. He refers to Nola as his primary investor as she becomes the backbone of his finances. Towards the end of the movie when she promises to be “in charge” and is able to get DJay’s music on the radio all by herself while he is incarcerated, she presents exemplary leadership skills. Key and Shelby both come to prioritize the music production process over their own jobs. Key even jeopardizes his marriage to pursue this passion, reinforcing the attribute of risk-taking.

The title of the movie itself is significant. Hustle -“all day, every day”, a continuous effort that is symbolic of a take no prisoners approach to development. Flow - “wisdom and patience” which is seen as a counterpoint of hustle and is also symbolic of strategy. It is therefore evident that the movie highlights many entrepreneurial themes. As even its title shows one has to be adaptable, strategic, team-oriented purposeful and most importantly determined and self motivated.

In conclusion, our opinion of “Hustle and Flow” is that it is a very good example of an entrepreneurial activity as it highlights very significant and important aspects, concepts and themes of entrepreneurship. Whether it be legal or illegal it also teaches individuals to go into business for themselves not entirely for the money but for the passion, the love of the craft or service, for the dream.