The FIVE powerful and inspiring practices fuelling the fastest-growing businesses right now

I recently had the amazing privilege of being at a conference in Auckland, NZ run by a Kiwi business growth centre The Icehouse - put on primarily for their alumni which are primarily fast-growth Kiwi companies with annual revenue of $ 1 million and $50 million. Many of whom are making big waves on the global stage.

There were some powerful insights and lessons that emerged. And so I wanted to share some of those with you.

Because even if you take one of those and apply one aspect of it to your business and brand, it will be worth it.

As a society, we are facing some massive global challenges right now – especially in the social and environmental arenas.

Witnessing the sustainability solutions and problem-solving, the obsession to be a force for good, and the social and environmental impact these start-ups are having blew my mind.

And it’s not just talk or hollow optimism. These companies are walking the talk. Businesses which are growing on average 2.5x faster vs average kiwi business. The insights came from those who are leading these businesses and world-class thought leaders and entrepreneurs who are guiding them.

So the quality of information was second to none, tried and true - and all directly from the trenches! 

These are not new insights in and of themselves, but seeing the principles expressed in a different context brought home the ubiquitous nature of these in all industries and geographies right now.

Here are FIVE things I took away from this conference that I am applying to my own business and brand, and some insights around how you can too.

(Note: some of these were taken directly from what was said – others were gleaned by what I observed people “doing” during the event.)

Embrace Imperfection

In your Business: Things are moving so quickly, you’re not always going to get it right, so if you can get it pretty good, most of the time, you’ll keep taking action and move forward in a positive trajectory.

In your personal brand: Don’t worry about being polished and professional. That won’t endear you to anyone and they’ll just be put off because it looks like you’re trying to be “too perfect”. Just be you, in all your different expressions, embracing your imperfections because that’s what makes you “you” and therein is lies the beauty and relatability of your message.

Accept “uncertainty” as our modern way of life:

In your business: Despite the best planning and the deep knowledge you have about your industry there are going to be things that happen outside your industry that affect your business in ways you couldn’t comprehend. Change is inevitable in every industry, and it’s our choice whether to approach it with fear and hesitation - or with flexibility, seeing each new development as a portal of possibility.

In your personal brand: It’s ok to publicly change, develop and evolve – actually it’s inspiring, as people see you grow. When unusual circumstances or sudden unforeseen change lands in your world, instead of trying to “hold the line", observe it through the lens of “how does my brand need to adapt?” and “what creative opportunities is this situation presenting?”. There’s no question the need to adapt and evolve WILL come, it’s just going to be about what you do when it does - so approach it with curiosity and and experimentation mindset.

Everyone has a story – find it, share it.

In your business: Your staff, clients, suppliers, contractors, have way more experience and depth than you’re probably aware of. If you took the opportunity to really get to know their story you’ll be amazed at what you can learn about someone, and how much people appreciate the opportunity to share. Being “seen” and "heard" and understood is an expression of love and so as you do this in the pockets of your day for those you meet, and those around you, be prepared to be surprised at the richness and unforeseen "side benefits" that emerge.

In your personal brand: You can share other people’s inspiring stories, lifting them up this will reflect positively on you too. Just like that statement is true “you become like the five people you hand around most” so be considered and strategic around which stories you want to attach to your brand. But when you find your groove, it’ll become like second nature to turn everyday occurrences into content, and to reflect upon the stories of others and share them as a way to inspire others too.

Embrace your “personal purpose”.  (It matters more than ever)

In your business: Encourage your staff and teams to go through the process of articulating what makes them tick – even if they have nothing to do with marketing, branding and content in the organisation. Then help them look for the intersection points between their stated purpose and their current role, because those intersection points are the sweet spots for fulfilment at work, impact and leverage.

In your personal brand: When you are in touch with your personal purpose, it gives you drive and motivation beyond any other single action. It also helps you to focus your efforts on the right activities and avoid distraction! The ultimate goal is to embody your personal purpose, so that even if someone didn’t know what the stated purpose is, just through your energy they feel like they “know” you and sense how congruent your message and your life are. The ultimate end-game is to get those two so aligned that your purpose no longer even needs to be stated it just effuses out of everything you do.

Culture is “felt” not said.

In your business: What I experienced at this conference was every single team member giving it their 100%, being genuinely friendly, helpful and emitting a confident, warm and inclusive vibe. Their competence and dedication was palpable and while not a lot was said about the team, the way they carried themselves indicated that the team culture was so strong.

In your personal brand: What you stand for can very powerful be communicated completely non-verbally – through image, colour, music and short bursts of text. Jeff Bezos said “personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Your personal brand is a reflection of your own personal "culture" so to speak - and ultimately it's something people will "feel" as well. So allowing your competence to be mixed with warmth and whatever other attributes are unique and characteristic of you will result in people having a stronger emotional connection with your brand, even without you having to "say" much at all.

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Of course there were so many more, these were just a few of my cherry-picked personal favourites.

Do any of these resonate with you? If so, I’d love to hear!

Thanks for being part of my blog community and as always I hope you enjoyed this piece and look forward to popping back into your feed again soon.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.