A personal story of how focusing on our original dream transformed our business
Many entrepreneurs start their businesses with a vision of what they want to achieve, but along the way they get distracted by other opportunities or challenges. They end up offering too many services, spreading themselves too thin, and losing sight of their core value proposition. This is what happened to us, until we decided to go back to our roots and focus on our core business: Project Management.
Less is More
When we started our business, we offered 15 different services, ranging from WHS to business development to system auditing. Our business card was literally covered with a list of dot points about all we had on offer. We thought that by offering more, we would attract more customers and generate more revenue. But we were wrong. We spent three years floundering with no clear processes, small staff, and low-quality jobs that had little room for profit. We were constantly chasing new clients, but we had few loyal clients or referrals. We were working hard, but not smart.
Defining our Value Proposition
One day, we decided to take a step back and ask ourselves: what was our original dream? Why did we start this business in the first place? The answer was clear: we wanted to be exceptional Project Managers building regional capacity and professionalism. We wanted to help our clients plan, execute, and deliver complex and challenging projects, using our skills, experience, and creativity. We wanted to be the experts in our field, not the jack-of-all-trades. We wanted to do what we loved and what we were good at.
We made a decision that at the time felt right but also a little risky: we dropped all the other services and focused on Project Management. We redesigned our business card, our website, and our marketing materials to reflect our new identity. We started to be clear when talking to clients about what we did, rather than rambling on about a long list of services. We started to target the clients who needed our specific expertise and who valued our work. We started to get some significant-sized projects that challenged us and rewarded us. We built processes and systems to support project management. We hired the staff we needed. Our profit increased. Our reputation grew. Our business took off.
Defining our core business was one of the smartest decisions we made for our business. It helped us to streamline our operations, improve our quality, and increase our client satisfaction. It also helped us to enjoy our work more, as we were doing what we were passionate about. By focusing on our core business, we were able to drive our success and achieve our vision.
If you are looking for a good Project Manager who can oversee your build, Lyons Project Management can help you out. We have the experience and expertise to help you achieve your building goals.