Spin cleaning?

See what we did there?

It is a time of year where many of you may be clearing out your wardrobes, garages, living spaces and closets. It may well be Summer (ha! for those of you in the UK) but the urge to start afresh, de-clutter and feel the benefit of a new seasonal start is nothing short of infectious.

game of thrones

Ebay offered free listings this weekend past in an effort to kick start us into action, but perhaps it is not only in the home that the urge for cleaning out arises.

A re-brand, a new list of services, a new website and new business cards are more prevalent this time of year than any other (Maybe January is the time to think about it, April the time to do!). Management teams look to bolster 2nd Quarters, notoriously hard in a retail environment with little to drive sales aside from the promise of better weather and the general good-will feeling the Sun brings with it.

Can you put a positive spin on Spring & Summer? Does your business need a fresh start? Want to get that project off the ground?

You know who to call if so.

 

It’s never too late!

Reading through the inspirational story of Wigan Athletic Chairman Dave Whelan gave everyone in the office a warm fuzzy feeling. Boy done good, overcame adversity, great attitude and all the things that make the man so likeable!

dave whelan

What makes it all the more inspirational is the fact his first career didn’t work out, and not down to him either, a freak accident changed everything. He admits it didn’t change the way he felt, and that football was his first love and would have chosen that over his business success. However, from adversity many a success story has been born.

This weekend Dave returns to Wembley stadium with his team, to the very spot where his first career was ended many years ago, hundreds of millions of pounds better off, but still reeling from losing out in that F.A Cup final!

So, if you have that idea, that desire to try out something for yourself. Go for it. It’s never too late and you have the ability to change circumstances in your favour. If you want a hand to get things going, we can help. Just make sure you’re up for it because we definitely are!

Fergie-time to go

So its happened. The day that football fans around the World thought would never come, Sir Alex Ferguson has retired. He will step down after 26 seasons at Manchester United at the end of the season.

fergie time

Questions?

  • Can an organisations dominance in its chosen field be judged on management alone?
  • Can said organisation plan for succession in such unique circumstances?
  • Are the assets that make up the organisation able to co-exist without the previous management in place?
  • Who would want to take on the role?

What do you think? Let us know by commenting below…

Why outsource?

If you are thinking of outsourcing your business development, marketing or social media, we’d love to say “look no further!”. Seriously, stop. Look no further.

marketing strategy

You may also be asking why outsource? Well here are some reasons our clients use us;

  • Experience – no training needed, we can take a brief and work to it, or design one for you.
  • Projects – You may not want the risk of a full time employee/s for one project, it may be experimental or a one off, if it goes well you can expand on it, and it will allow your existing staff to concentrate on more regular things
  • Expertise – It may just be that we have more expertise in certain areas than your existing team – Social media is one of our plus points, we have run lots of lovely campaigns, perhaps you are interested in that?
  • Reach – We have a few contacts around the way, from different backgrounds. If you want to see what we can do for you, maybe it’s worth a chat.

Chat to us today… or tomorrow, we’ll be here.

Brand Board 2013

Yo, so, we have had some good early responses to our request for Brand thoughts from our friends and followers. Check them out HERE. We will be updating daily as you send in your thoughts and ideas.

brand board

Comment on our Facebook page, comment on the Brand Board Page or email us, we’d love to hear your thoughts and we will feature every one in our report and on our pages. We especially want to hear from new business owners and operators who feel their brand is worth shouting about!

Are the brands you know and admire future proofed?

Consistency of Management

So Manchester United have won their 20th top flight title. An amazing achievement no doubt for the players, the fans will be overjoyed to get ‘their’ Premier League Trophy back but what about the Manager. Sir Alex Ferguson has been at Old Trafford since 1986 and appears to have the same drive and determination today that he had 20 years ago.

sir alex ferguson

Although he is at the head of an extremely able ship, the club he runs has changed enormously in his time there, yet the one consistent thing is his presence. Changes of ownership, league, fan base, stadium, training facilities and not least playing personnel have taken place non-stop, yet he has adapted and more importantly remained true to his principles throughout.

It is worth noting next time another CEO resigns, or a Chairman is moved on or new Directors are filed in that perhaps a clear and consistent pattern of thought and effort might be a better solution in the long term.

Going Global?

An associate of the Dextra team has often laid claim to being ‘Global’. The individual in question does not inhabit any one country, or adopt any specific nationality, he is a ‘Child of the planet’.

We hear a lot of companies referring to themselves in such a way, and in today’s connected world, the theory is a strong one. You can do business from anywhere, with anyone at any time. But can you?

gloabl

Some things we have learnt, or rather, for you to bear in mind;

  • Currency – do your sums. Exchange rate fluctuations can change your margins by a considerable amount, so make sure to asterisk that quote value!
  • Travel Costs – Some cultures simply will not do a deal without some face time (not the Apple variety), so be prepared to stick flight and hotel costs alongside any business model you create.
  • Language – Do NOT rely on Google translate when dealing with long and detailed emails, spend the money on official translation, it will pay in the end.
  • Use local knowledge – Team up with a local firm if possible. Do your research on them and discuss the future with them. Big plans can lead to big ideas, plus they might just have those all important connections you are looking for.

The list is endless, we have worked all over. If you need to discuss setting your shop up overseas give us a bell.

sayhi@dextraassociates.com

When it’s over, it’s over

Tesco have left. They came, they tried, and they couldn’t quite conquer the U.S.A. A pretty bold move, taking on the might of the traditional retailers in a highly competitive and very regional market.

fresh and easy

In a country where each State has differing retail loyalties and specialisms, it was always going to be a very big step for Tesco’s ‘Fresh & Easy’ brand. The good news is they won’t be dismantling the brand, and no stores are expected to close. However they will be looking for a buyer, who that might be is anyone’s guess but there seem to be a number of interested parties on the quiet.

There is a difference between knowing when you have a failed venture, and knowing when to call it a day. It seems that Tesco have taken quite a loss on this escapade, £1.2bn in fact, but they are making the right decision to cut and run. It has lead to their first drop in profits in just under 20 years (they still raked in profits of £2bn in accounting terms) but by getting out now, future profits are secured. They will however lose some ground in the great food retail race which in the UK shows no sign of getting any nicer a playground to play in.

Re brand?

It seems that re-branding is often a way of clearing the decks, starting afresh and is an excuse/justification to spend money on marketing campaigns etc.

Often a reason to reconnect with old customers and ones that got away, is the re-brand ever used as a tool for the future rather than the present?

cardiff city

It appears so in the case of Cardiff City Football Club. Owner Vincent Tan enraged fans by changing the clubs colours from Blue to Red, with the aim of helping increase an Asian fan base and allowing the clubs sponsors to get more bang for their buck.

Yesterday they achieved promotion to the Premiership, and Mr Tan is going to see the benefits of his re-brand in real time. Brave work, potentially visionary.

 

 

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