Purpose and goals

One of the biggest challenges I faced when first launching ViXUS Communications was trying to be everything to everybody. By that I mean that regardless of the requested project, if it was even remotely related to communications services, the answer was always yes.

Graphic design? Yes!
Grant Writing? Yes!
Fundraising Strategies? Yes!

Now the challenge did not arise from my inability to do these things but in the fact that some of the projects I took on steered me away from the original purpose and vision I had for the company. What’s more, once I began fielding client requests, I realized that there were some elements that I hadn’t completely thought through. For example, was I just going to assist clients with developing public relations and marketing strategies or would I actually be involved in the execution as well? Should I get into the business of training clients on how to take on their own PR initiatives or should they plan to have me serve as their primary PR service provider? Hmmm…… these are questions that will arise when you decide to just “fall into” a business as I did the first time around.

And while there is something to be said for being flexible to the direction of the market, there is a lot more to be said for having a solid business plan in place and executing an effective marketing strategy to support your business goals. The lesson: Write a business plan and stick to it! Not that it has to be written in stone, a business plan should be a living document. However, it should also be used as a firm guide for what you want your business to be.

In re-establishing my business as The Harmon Group, I have found a great deal of benefit in taking the time to be purposeful in my business plan. I have also found it incredibly helpful to use a SWOT analysis to determine where I can be most effective as a service provider to my clients. Using these tools allowed me to fully asses the purpose behind my business and to determine what my ultimate goals were beyond the basic mission statement of the company.

To help ensure that you learn from my mistakes, I've provided these helpful tools in The Harmon Group Tool Kit. And you can be sure that as we make this journey together, I'll share all the tools I develop and come across along the way.

So while we're sharing, are there any helpful tools and tips that you've come across in business? We'd love to know. Til Next time...

In the Time it Takes to Make a Baby

It’s been just a little over nine months since my last contribution to the blogosphere and while I’m not hearing the pitter patter of little feet, I can’t ignore the wails of a neglected project that has gone without nourishment for far too long. So in the spirit of rebirth (and because nobody could seem to figure out what ViXUS was supposed to mean) I’ve renamed the business and once again taken up the task of forging my own way out of the rat race and making my mark as an entrepreneur… btw ViXUS simply means Superior Communications!

To be sure, although I hadn’t blogged much in the past nine or so months, I have been taking on jobs and working, just not with the same fervor. So in an effort to bring things back up to speed, a quick list of the highlights includes:

• A well received presentation to a group of business owners and professionals
• A slew of free consultations that were often more trouble than they were worth (look for a future post on this)
• Lesson upon lesson on setting and sticking to your rates… still an on-going challenge
• A major project that went belly up (Also a future post on picking and knowing your clients)
• A business growth class chock full of resources
• and a whole lot of stop and go and stop and go…

But more than anything, the past few months have allowed me to cultivate and renew relationships and figure out some direction for the business. As I noted in my last post, success is often determined by who you know just as much as what you know. I’ve been blessed enough to get to know some amazing people who have served as sounding boards, road maps, and GPS systems. In fact, it is thanks to them that I’ve been inspired to pick back up and go for the gold once more. In particular, a girlfriend of mine who operates her firm full time recently told me, “This is not for the faint hearted” and to date that’s proven ever so true. So like a mother in labor, I’ll brace myself for what’s to come, knowing that the end result will be well worth any bit of pain endured.

Here we go again, wish me luck!