‘Resurgence’ is the new video podcast for entrepreneurs, business owners and organisational leaders that are looking to thrive, not just survive, at the end of the current crisis. In this series, we are bringing you interviews with some of our top business and organisational leaders and looking at what they’ve done so far, how they are preparing for the future and how they are looking to turn this crisis into something positive for the people they serve.
In our latest interview, we talk to award-winning entrepreneur, investor and current chairman of 4icg Brian Williamson. In an incredibly wide-ranging interview, Brian goes into business pivots, gap-funding, talking to investors, post-work environments, re-imagining business propositions, leading during challenging times and how calm seas never made a good sailor. In his talk ’necessity, the mother of all invention’ he explains how the current crisis can potentially be the starting point of something great for entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders. A great 35 minute watch for anybody looking to thrive.
The series is brought to you by Glasgow-based design and branding agency – the loft.
Important Messages
These are some of the key messages from the interview.
Necessity is the mother of all invention
Narrow The Chasm – when looking for gap funding
Present the light at the end of the tunnel when talking to banks.
Your exec summary has to set someone on fire.
Investors don’t have time to read 38 pages – but they may do – if the exec summary is exciting enough.
The exec summary should be the most exciting part to read and rest of plan is validation of that summary.
People want to be fired up by the business opportunity and the person’s passion.
You have to be objective driven with remote working.
Involve employees with the objective of the business and how they fit in.
We want the output, but we tend to measure the input.
Being output driven is where we want to be. We’ll have more output-focussed minds which is what we want.
We’ve been trained to being input managers.
You’re really solving your customer’s problem or helping them to grasp an opportunity. You have to put yourself in their shoes.
You have to understand the challenges of the market.
If you can understand the market, you can shape a solution.
You need to understand the market and that means finding out what people want.
There is nothing better than 10,000 people telling you what they want.
Calm seas never made a skilled sailor.
I’ve been through 5 recessions and many company challenges, in each one, I’ve come out stronger on the other side. There is a great amount of learning to come from this.
Out of the crisis comes solutions – to new problems.
Your business can be part of that solution.
That’s where the opportunity lies – there are more problems than we can shake a stick at right now.
Interview tic-toc
0 Mins | Introduction of LOFCAST and Brian Williamson by Benedetto
2 Mins | Working from home, 2-3 times greater productivity. Geting used to issues with businesses and support. Whats coming out the other end?
3 Mins | Incredible 4icg Pivot – fast action, 24/7 response, morphing premises to safe working environments, shielding vulnerable people (Incredible speed.)
5 mins | Importance of extending cash runways to de-stress yourself and establishing control. How long can I last and create choices.
7 mins | Asking for increased credit terms.
8:30 Mins | Rotating staff to make ‘furlough’ more effective.
10 mins | Success in apply for CIBLs Loans, keep the bank informed of what you’re doing during bad times and present GAP funding appropriately. (Narrow The Chasm.)
11:30 Mins | Banks are reasonable people, but present light at the end of the tunnel
13 Mins | Present the business plan as a story, vision is all-important, it has to be exciting. 14 Mins, Summary has to be exciting with business plans, regardless of the current climate.
14:30 mins | Importance of telling the story in technical and human manner. People waant to be fired up by business opportunity and person’s passion for the business.
16 mins | Other big moves – implementing remote working for other companies. Being objective driven when managing staff. Harder but possibly more effective.
17 mins | Radicalised thinking post-virus, working with London investors chasing him as opposed to him chasing them, speed of movement is now truly remarkable.
18:30 mins | 4icg’s 4-day work-week, negotiating terms with unions in the past, importance of genuine productivity,
19:30 mins | Empowering employees in where they fit in and to communicating the difference they can make.
20 mins | Importance of focussing on output as opposed to the input. Importance of being output driven
21 mins | Are we really being productive or just being busy? Input managers and possibilities of being more output-focussed.
22 mins | 4icg’s legendary pivot for small business’s looking to digitise their offering, back to basic principes – you’re basically solving your customer’s problem.
23 mins | Understanding the market and shaping a solution, how restaurants have successfully pivoted,
24 mins | Helping restaurants re-bound after COVID-19, 4icg’s new product offering
25 mins | Advice to pubs/restaurants and travel agents – planning when the future is so uncertain.
27 mins | Likelihood of more localised holidays for citizens, people want to travel somewhere with their own transport,
28 mins | Travel industry needs to understand the client’s needs now, package holidays,
30 mins | Updated safety and security for health and beauty salons,
31 mins | Making clients feel comfortable, Peer-to-peer learning with the IOD.
32:30 mins | Roosevelt quote – calm seas never made a skilled sailor, being through 5 recessions and challenging times with clients, comes out stronger every time.
33 mins | Always come out stronger on the other side, reflect on what’s happening in society, hackathons to stimulate creative thinking, innovative products to deal with COVD challenges.
34:30 mins | Your business can become a solution to that problem.
35 mins | Ideal environment to find creative solutions to these problems.