Business News

Fri Apr 20

How to ensure your business stands out

Written by News Company

If you want to truly thrive in the competitive world of business, you will need to find creative ways to stand out from the crowd. Instead of falling in line with your industry peers, it is essential that you are forging your own path. Although this might feel like a risky maneuver, more often than not, taking risks is the best chance of securing unprecedented levels of success. That is why you should constantly strive to do something different. Below are three tips that will help you to make this happen.

Invest in your premises

If you are determined to take your business to the next level, it is vital that you invest in your premises. Failing to take this step will make it impossible for you to give your potential clients, investors, employees, and business partners a good first impression. That is why you need to ensure your company premises are clean, efficient, and attractive at all times. You also need be on the lookout for opportunities to stand out. For instance, you could work with an interior designer to update your aesthetic. While your competitors might opt for neutral colors and generic pieces of furniture, you could embrace a bold and creative interior. Another idea is to explore the benefits of VMS board hire, as this is a fantastic opportunity for your business to literally stand out. Instead of hoping that passersby will pay attention to your premises, you will be able to use attractive visuals to make sure they do.

Invest in your customer service

Along with investing in your premises, you should also be driving a lot of time, money, and effort, into improving your levels of customer service. High-quality customer service is the perfect way for you to stand out for all of the right reasons. You truly can’t put a price on word of mouth recommendations and genuine customer reviews, which is why you should work hard to achieve an edge on your industry peers. Perhaps you could make it a rule that your clients have the option of always dealing with the same employee every time they interact with your organization. Or, maybe you could set up a loyalty scheme that will reward customers who repeatedly provide you with sales. Whatever you decide, the most important thing is that you are giving your patrons something out of the ordinary to get excited about.

Invest in your customer feedback

Finally, you should invest in your customer feedback. In order to find out whether or not your business is having the desired impact, you will need to check in with your target audience on a regular basis. Not only is this a great way for you to identify any areas for improvement, but it is also the perfect chance for you to ask your clients why they chose your company over all of the other services available. If you receive the same answer every time, you will have identified your unique selling point. Consequently, you will have found the distinctive edge that you can push to the forefront of your marketing campaign, your employee training program, and your company ethos. Alternatively, if your customers are unsure about what it is you do differently, you will know that there is still plenty of changes to be made.

Wed Apr 18

Ian Darbyshire has helped resuscitate businesses all over the UK and Australia

Written by Rochelle Blanch

Company doctor turns his stethoscope from corporates to NFP’s in bid to save Australian wildlife

Formerly known as the company doctor, Ian Darbyshire has helped resuscitate businesses all over the UK and Australia from financial ruin. His expertise has, in some instances, helped him turn $60 million into $600 million. Ian is now using his business savvy skills to help Australian not-for-profit, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) become as impactful and effective as possible. FNPW collaborates with local project partners to protect Australia’s habitats and with Ian’s help has undertaken a review of its strategic direction and purpose.

Ian’s love of business began at an early age after he left school at 16. He worked for a number of corporations including Shell while studying biological science at university. After completing university Ian’s reputation began to spread and he was headhunted by various companies for managerial roles. This gave Ian the expertise and experience which eventually led him to start working as a company doctor.

As a company doctor Ian literally revived numerous companies. He bought one company for $1 after paying off their debts. Within three years he had turned the business around and sold it for $6.5 million. A year later he worked as a Managing Director with Connaught PLC that had an annual turnover of $60 million. Ian oversaw the growth of the family business from $60 million to a $600 million company. Ian’s career was booming however he yearned for a sea change for himself and his family.

Ian had been holidaying in Australia every year since he fell in love with the country 28 years ago. After speaking to his family, they decided that Australia was the right fit for their goals and lifestyle and a great place for their children to grow up. When Ian and his family moved to Adelaide he began working as the CEO for Rundle Mall Management Authority and acted as a chairperson at Murraylands Tourism Partnership. Adelaide suited Ian as he had always been a country boy at heart. He spent his time in the UK looking after their parcel of land and preserving the trees and animals living on their land. He carried on the tradition in Adelaide and continued helping with the environment and animals.

“Australia has everything that I’ve been passionate about all my life. One of the things we always loved about Australia was its wilderness and wildlife, however it’s not being looked after properly. I wanted to make a difference and educate the population. This is the lucky country, the country of dreams and opportunity and life, so we need to preserve it for as long as we can. We need to inspire people to be passionate and proud about what Australia has to offer, so they want to help,” says Ian.

This passion for Australia’s native wildlife and nature led Ian to apply for a position at FNPW and move to Sydney in early 2016.

“Australia’s flora and fauna is under threat and this is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to work at FNPW. As an entrepreneur and an innovative thinker I can see how businesses can grow, turn around and create more opportunities. This is normal. So why can’t we do that for the not-for-profit sector and transform to create more parks and save animals in Australia?” says Ian.

As CEO of FNPW for the last two years, Ian has been making headways in connecting Australia’s consumers, corporate division and the NFP together. He has implemented new growth strategies at FNPW and created a national partnership with Sealink (one of Australia’s largest tourism and transport companies). Ian’s vision for FNPW is to lead the way in Australian conservation, environment and education and disrupt these sectors in order to create positive change and create more awareness and more involvement with Australia’s national parks.

For more information visit, www.fnpw.org.au