Vlog #1 Transcript – view the video.
Embracing disruption in my small business
I’m Donald Page from Seamless CRM and I’m really out of my comfort zone. This is something new for me. It’s my first vlog. But being in a disrupted, unfamiliar space is now the new normal, and I wanted to share how I see it providing the impetus for novel solutions, even for me in my small business.
Disruption powers innovation
I’ve just read Matthew Syed’s article for the BBC in which he talks about the good that can emerge from an upside-down world. His premise is that when there are periods of upheaval and distress, we can emerge from them with a new mindset and novel solutions. Disruption is a force for innovation, and we should run with it to find our next generation of ideas.
A restaurant with no menus
And putting crazy and bizarre on the menu might just lead to something viable. Suppose you think about starting a restaurant without any menus – what might that look like? The chef might come out and announce what ingredients are available and you could design your own dish for them to cook. We used to have a great restaurant near us where the dishes were announced and paraded around by the chefs; so you got to pick from sight rather than from a menu – the theatre of it was all part of the experience; the food was scrumptious too.
A taxi firm with no vehicles
The point is not that every idea is a workable but that by disrupting conventional thought patterns you may discover a few workable, profitable gems. Imagine setting up a taxi firm without owning any vehicles? Bonkers right? But isn’t that what Uber has done?
Disruption in the education system due to Covid-19 special measures is no doubt pushing parents and children to find new ways of learning and entertaining. And perhaps challenging us to wonder how education might be delivered differently in the future, if it is proved that effective learning can take place online.
Learning to think creatively
One Mother challenged her 8-year old child to think – she was asked to go into a room and talk for a minute about the topic on the paper left for her. It took two or three goes but having dried up on the first attempt she was gradually able to build her confidence and competence to speak about tennis fluently for one minute. A new way of learning for her in a disrupted way and testament to the fact that practice and persistence in that space can be fruitful.
Embracing the hairy monster of change
All this is a challenge to me. I find it so easy to work with my clients; to think through how they can do things differently with their CRM tools to build their business, but I encounter the big, hairy, doubting imposter when I step along the path to change. So, in this disrupted world I must sidestep the naysayer and learn to explore new ideas and new ways of working.
I’ve started a vlog!
The first new solution for me is simple: broadcast what I have to share. I am a storyteller and I love to share those stories (about life, work, business) with my contacts, but I tend to do it one-to-one by phone. Whilst many of my clients, partners and potential customers are not working I don’t have the opportunity to speak to them, but they are probably on social media. And I know that video is a powerful medium for engagement. It’s just been one of those uncomfortable places I would not go and sit in.
So, this Vlog marks the first tempt to sit in that disruptive space and see what happens! If I can help you do that in your small business with my CRM expertise and as an Act! Software developer give me shout.
Read more from Matthew Syed
If you want to read Matthew Syed’s article here’s the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52094332. Matthew Syed is the author of Rebel Ideas: the Power of Diverse Thinking.
Thanks to those who have pushed me
And a big shout out to Pam Jones of Eight Interactive (www.eightinteractive.com) for supporting me in learning how to vlog and to my fellow director and wife, Carolyn, for booking me on Pam’s course and then telling me I was going!
Vlog #1 Transcript – view the video.
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