By Prudence Mafuta Persson
Have you ever wondered why some companies are more successful than others? Have you ever been in a position
where you feel like all your best business ideas brought to
the market are shutdown quickly – and even though
everyone thought your idea was cool, nobody really 'needed'
it or was willing to pay for it?
Four years ago, I started my first company. I did not only
have a business idea, I had the capital to kickstart
operations, which I borrowed from my husband. I quickly
setup an office in Lusaka, hired 5 employees, bought a
company car. I hoped things would turn out smoothly. They
didn’t. I had no proper plan of execution, goals or targets.
Soon, I was out of money and had to shut down the
company for a while but things changed for the better once I
followed the steps I now share with you below.
Besides managing my own business, I have consulted for small and large companies, my biggest
contract so far being with a leading Swedish company with
over 300 employees in 6 countries, sales in 60 countries and
a turnover of 700million Kwacha.
My events started off with 12 exhibitors, 30delegates to 70
exhibitors and 450 delegates as of 2017.
I understand that running a profitable business is easier said
than done. Theoretically, it’s simple, and the Internet has
made it possible to connect with customers all day. But
maybe you’ve tried reaching out to customers through social
media, sent them emails, letters and maybe even spent
hours having meetings with them, but at the end of the day,
you still feel frustrated and feel like it’s just not working. So
why isn’t it easy?
In my case, I needed a system to grow business consistently
and keep cash flow steady. I have since found a unique sales
and marketing system that I call the "Flight Effect" which has
helped me generate over 100 thousand kwacha in revenue
within 6 weeks. Well that’s great and all, but four years ago,
the only thing I had going was hope, believing that somehow
customers would see the value in what I was selling and
would come and buy. Eventually, I had to specialize my
business to suit the market I was operating in. I will share
details of the flight effect in my next post so please watch
out for that.
Back to the story, it dawned on me that it’s not about what
solutions you think are necessary - it’s about what problems
you can solve. And when you look around, there are
problems everywhere. This is true for every business -
whether you’re a catering business, makeup artist,
photographer, event planner, bank, comedian, construction
company, travel agency, farmer, private hospital, hotel etc.
What will make customers buy from you is your ability to
solve their problem.
I realized that no one cared about my fancy office, or
credentials or the fact that I had a masters degree, or even
that I didn't have experience or clients - all they cared about
was that I could solve the problem. And they were willing to
pay for it. Am still growing and learning because business is
not a straight road, there are curves, turns and potholes.
The fact that I also operate in a European market with high
taxes and high prices on goods and services means I have to
work twice as much to keep up with the bills.
I decided to share my story because I constantly see brilliant
ideas going down the drain. Companies are struggling to
keep up with the industry. Talented people struggling to find
customers or generate enough support for their projects. I
made many mistakes, you don't have to because you can
learn from me and grow your business. The fact is that the
Internet has made it so much easier to reach new
customers, but has also made competition tougher. The
consumer is more exposed, and is demanding better
products and services. With so many companies selling the
same things and doing the same stuff, finding the best,
trusted and efficient vendors has become a daunting task in
many instances.
So how can you set yourself above the competition and do
profitable business in 2018? Here are my top 3 rules:
1. Committment
You won’t do anything unless you do it. It’s dumb, but it’s
true. The reality is that anyone can be an entrepreneur in
2018, but only people that decide to commit 100% will
make it through the tough and good times.
2. Getting Help
Invest time and resources into learning industry trends.
Make it a point to learn something new about your industry
every single day. Also, find a mentor, someone you look up
to business-wise and trust can give you truthful advise even
when it’s not what you want to hear.
3. Being Honest
People do business with people they trust. Remember that it
takes years to build credibility but it only takes seconds to
destroy. You need “evangelists”, customers who can
recommend you to the world. It won’t happen if you have no
integrity.
If you’re ready to grow your business into a successful
company in 2018, drop me your email in the comments or
inbox to book a 'free' 30minute call with me. I will be happy
to help as many business people as possible. I will call you
via Skype or WhatsApp and together we will go through your
business plan, where you are and where you want to be. I
will help you set your business goals, targets and show you
how to execute them to start attracting more customers.
Please share and let’s get more people onboard. I can only
take a few meetings each week so book your time today!
See you on the other side.
______________
About the Author:
Prudence Mafuta Persson is the Founder and CEO of 3 companies. PMP Innovations, an events company in Zambia and Industry Frontiers, a Sweden based
consultancy that helps companies find business opportunities in African markets. In 2018, she has started her 3rd company TripsBanken Zambia, helping one million
Zambians book a holiday trip within Zambia by 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment