Why I Do What I Do…My philosophy in business

My philosophy in business

I thought it would be good to talk about my philosophy in business.

I like helping people. Not in any altruistic way – I’m not sure I believe in altruism, and people pay me good money for my business advice, but it makes me happy to see the results when I help clients work out a plan and then they put it into action.

I like the results

I love it when someone phones me up and they’ve shaken hands on a 12k deal I helped them to put together (this happened last week).

I jump up and down when I see a business with a spanky looking new website which I’ve helped them to commission – especially when it reflects the brand and positioning I’ve worked out for them. I smile inside when I see a client take a holiday for the first time in years, knowing that they can afford both the time and the money to go on holiday because I’ve helped them. Like most people, it makes me feel good to make a difference in the world. I can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but this is my contribution to making things just that little bit better.

That’s one part of my philosophy in business, get to make the world a little bit of a better place by helping people to make money and have fun.

I like using my brain

I enjoy the intellectual challenge of working out the complex factors which determine business success. Working with a dozen client companies at a time often feels like I’m playing 12 simultaneous games of chess. Luckily, I have time between clients to work out my next moves in advance. I’ve spent the last 22 years in business, so I’ve had the chance to put in some serious practice, which in turn informs my philosophy in business.

I’m a voracious reader, so I’ve been able to absorb the knowledge of all the business and marketing theorists who have come before me, including all those complicated theories in my MBA. In short, I’ve done at least 10,000 hours of practice in working on business issues. 10,000 hours is the amount Malcolm Gladwell says that you need to get to be really, really good at anything… so I should be well on my way with business. I’ll never be a concert pianist though.

Freedom

My philosophy in business is that you should be able to make decent money and have fun. That’s why my company is called The Joy of Business. It makes me happy when I see my clients get more freedom as a result of the work we do together. When people start to get better sales and to enjoy some financial freedom, that puts a smile on my face.

When I see clients looking happier and healthier because they’re not worrying about cash flow issues and are in control of their business, that makes me feel good. And when I work with social enterprises and charities and see them develop successful trading arms which generate unrestricted finance for them to do good works, I feel a warm glow.

Healthy businesses mean freedom for the business owners (and their staff) and the world could do with a little more freedom.

This is my way of doing my bit.

My opinions are definitely part of my philosophy in business

The last reason I do what I do is a little more selfish. I’ve got a lot of opinions about business – you’ll see that if you read my blog.

I believe that business is a force for good in the world, I think that it’s better (and more effective) to build sales through building relationships, and I think there’s no point in behaving unethically in business as it will come back and bite you in the bum later on. There’s lots more… read the blog. My work as President at the Chamber of Commerce in Brighton and my work with Joy of Business clients means that I get to use these opinions and put them into practice.

If you want a business advisor who will always agree with you and merely reflect your own thoughts, you don’t want to work with me.

But if you want someone who will come up with new ideas, give you food for thought about what other people are doing, while listening intently to what you really want to do… then you might want to have a coffee and a chat.