Managing Director Glen Lowes has spent years building his Complete One empire into the success it is today and has spoken to BrandMag about the biggest challenges every startup faces and the best approaches to responding to them in order to reach the top.
Who said business was easy? Even the most successful of brands had to overcome barriers before they became global successes. As a new business owner, it’s so easy to get bogged down feeling that you’re the only one having a tough time that you fail to recognise that your competition is probably going through the exact same problems. Launching a new business is always going to come with its obstacles, but it’s how you respond to these challenges that makes all the difference.
Managing Director Glen Lowes of face-to-face marketing firm Complete One was formerly a construction worker that was affected by the recession. He went in search of a new career opportunity and found a valuable opportunity in the sales and marketing industry. By having a student mentality, perseverance and commitment he acquired the fundamental skills and knowledge that allowed him to open his own company, Complete One just 12 months later.
6 years on, Complete One is now one of the fastest growing sales and marketing agencies in the North East of England. After a hugely successful start in Newcastle, the firm’s continued increasing success enabled them to expand their market reach over the years to now having offices also in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sheffield. The firm is also currently on track to achieving their goal for 2016 which is to break the £1million turnover barrier. We have experienced huge success over the years, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t come with its struggles. The journey to success is always the hardest, but for every hurdle, you overcome it makes you stronger,” states Glen Lowes.
Glen Lowes has shared the three most influential attributes that he believes have been crucial to his success at Complete One. Perseverance: In business, there is no simple plan to follow. Things change all the time and it’s likely that most things don’t come out as anticipated, so having the perseverance to find another solution and carry on is essential. Don’t give up when things get tough!
I don’t think I’d be where I am today without these characteristics.
Mindset: The first part of achieving success is believing that you can. You need to learn to develop a positive mindset and remove any negative thoughts, fears and limiting beliefs, as positivity helps set you up for success.
Risk-taking: Success is all about how you respond to the obstacles. Having the ability to take risks and identify opportunities is going to help propel you forward.
As you can see, everyone experiences bumps in the road as a new startup, but they won’t last forever. Take Glen Lowes advice; with the perseverance to keep going, a positive attitude and the confidence to go beyond your comfort zone, you’ll smash through the restricting walls and you’ll soon be back on track to surviving your first year in business.
Hiring new talent
It’s all well at good at the beginning to take on all business responsibilities to save costs but the reality is it’s impossible to do everything yourself. From creating products and managing finances to building an online presence, there’s far too much for one person to handle. So if you’re looking to grow your business, it’s going to require people power. But finding the right fit for your company can be difficult, after all it’s your baby and you need people that will help make the business prosper, not hinder it. Plus you’ve got all the extras that come with increasing a workforce such as salaries, training, resources etc. It’s a lot to think about, so make sure you’re financially stable and have a sufficient amount of work to outsource before bringing new people on board.
Managing cash flow
Businesses shouldn’t solely be focused on making a profit, after all consumers are much more likely to buy from you if you can offer something of value. However, we’d be lying if we said increasing profits wasn’t important, after all making money is the backbone to any thriving business. However, it’s not uncommon for new businesses to run into issues outside of their control when it comes to managing cash flow such as clients stalling payments, unexpected outgoings and outstanding bills. The good thing to know is that there are many solutions that have been designed to help businesses achieve better budgeting and invoicing; the key is finding one that fits your business.
Staying motivated
As a new business you’ve got the passion and motivation to work until 4 in the morning as you’re in the middle of launching something truly unique; but as the weeks go on and fatigue starts settling in, tiredness can lead to irritability and this is when rash decisions are made that could have a detrimental impact on your business. Create a work pace that works for you, remember to take regular breaks to avoid burn out and never lose sight of the reason you started the business in the first place.
