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  • Business Development: Dark Art or Business Essential?

    Business Development: Dark Art or Business Essential?

    Often misunderstood as a “dark art,” business development is actually the strategic powerhouse driving organisational growth.

    At its core, business development is about seizing opportunities, forging key relationships, and boosting revenue through partnerships, market expansion, and innovative offerings. From networking to strategic planning, it’s all about turning insights and connections into tangible results for long-term success.
    When done right, business development feels effortless, as if new projects and clients appear out of nowhere – when in fact, they’re the product of months or even years of effort.
    Like it or not, business development is crucial. It’s what keeps the lights on and your team employed. The sooner it’s embraced and understood, the better.

    “That’s Not My Job!”

    So, who is responsible for business development?
    If you asked your entire organisation, how many hands would go up? Typically, only those with “business development” or “client relations” in their titles – those who schmooze clients with a company credit card.
    In reality, EVERYONE is responsible for business development. Every team member represents your brand and waves its flag daily.
    Not everyone is a master networker, nor do they need to be. Sometimes it’s the technical expert who does such great work that clients keep coming back. Smart businesses play to these strengths: sending out the networkers to hunt for new opportunities while supporting the specialists in maintaining strong client relationships.
    Success hinges on your entire team knowing what excellence looks like, understanding your brand, the work you want to win, and their role in helping you thrive.

    Out with the Old, In with the New

    Business development doesn’t always have to focus on the “new.” Nurturing existing clients and collaborators often delivers a quicker return on investment (ROI). They already know you and your business, but do they know the full extent of your capabilities? And do you understand the full range of opportunities they could offer?
    It’s easy to assume that clients who hire you for one project understand everything you can do. In reality, that’s rarely the case. It’s up to your team to keep communication lines open, understand your clients’ needs, and explore how your organisation can support them further. Take every opportunity to share updates on your broader services, cross-sell other divisions, or simply signal that you’re ready for the next project.

    “But My Best Contacts Are More Like Friends Now!”

    People buy from people they like and trust – this is a fact. If I enjoy working with you, I’ll likely find ways to continue. However, when a working relationship turns into a genuine friendship, it can feel awkward to ask for the next project.
    Or maybe you keep getting the same type of work from this friend but are overlooked for the larger, high-profile projects.
    In this case, it’s time for a change. Be brave and address the elephant in the room. If you want a piece of the pie, you need to position your organisation as a contender. Too often, we hear, “Oh, we didn’t know they could handle XYZ!”  They didn’t know—so it’s your job to tell them!

    Sourcing and Converting New Clients

    Start by identifying the clients who are doing the work you want to do. Then, understand what these organisations need and how your team can meet those needs. These organisations likely have existing relationships, so you need to figure out why they should engage with you. This is the “so what” of business development.
    Next, think about how you’ll connect with them. Researching these organisations gives you a head start on discovering what interests them or keeps them up at night. Are they attending or sponsoring any events you could join? Are their key people active on social media? Do you share mutual connections? There are many ways to connect, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Understanding the unique value you bring to prospective clients is crucial.

    “I’ve Connected with Some Interesting People – Now What?”

    After making contact with target clients, don’t just sit back and wait. Swift and relevant follow-up is key. Schedule the coffee meeting you discussed or arrange the project walkaround you promised. Building a trusted, long-term relationship is all about actively listening to what the other person needs and delivering on your promises. Nail these two aspects, and you’ll be ahead in the business development game.

    “It’s the Summer Holidays – Is There Any Point in Worrying About Business Development Now?”

    August is traditionally a “feet-up” time for many—a chance to take a well-deserved break. But it’s also the last bit of downtime before the ramp-up to the festive season and can provide an ideal opportunity to pause, reflect on the year so far, plan for Q4, and start thinking about next year’s objectives. And yes, you can sip a piña colada while doing it.

    In Summary

    Business development is a team sport that takes time, practice, and patience. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach; success comes when everyone pulls together to share intelligence, surround opportunities, and hunt as a pack.
    To do this effectively, everyone needs to understand the end game – who you’re targeting and for what type of work. It’s also crucial that each team member feels comfortable with their business development style, whether it’s pursuing new leads or strengthening existing bonds.
    Organisations that integrate this mindset into daily activities will see business development transform from a dark art into a shining success – one where the whole team is empowered to play their part.

  • 7 ways to be a great leader

    7 ways to be a great leader

    I’ve always been drawn to and had a fascination for exceptional leaders, particularly in the realm of business. I find myself thinking, “What distinguishes these personalities?” “Which qualities and strategies drive them to the top of their respective sectors and industries?”

    I have been lucky enough to meet some of the top business leaders on my travels and learned that there are certain traits that appear common among them and everyone can learn them.

    Be passionate!

    No successful leader ever reaches greatness without passion. There are so many challenges with starting and scaling a business, that if you aren’t super passionate about that business, you will give up – its that simple! Every great leader I have met or worked with has huge passion for what they do. They understand that business, by definition, comes with challenges, and growing a great business is a process of problem solving and over coming those challenges. Often over-coming those challenges can be the making of those businesses.  To overcome those challenges, you need great people, so great leaders don’t just have passion for their business or idea, it extends to the people in their teams. They appreciate the hard work and time their team invests, and this passion reflects in their commitment to the well-being of their people. They understand that the success journey is a joint effort, and they go the extra mile to ensure their team remains passionate about their work and the business.

    Promote open communication and cohesion in your team

    Effective leadership really hinges on creating a culture where you have transparent communication with your team and drive and maintain a cohesive environment. Great leaders generally are honest and transparent, and lead from the front which sets the tone for the entire team. Many naturally use situational leadership which recognises that everyone is different with diverse communication styles so adapt their approach to each individual. People want to be heard, and great leaders recognise this, really listening to ideas, opinions, and issues which is both empowering and important for team members. By doing this and facilitating open communication between team members, a cohesive environment is formed which can help create a high performing culture.

    Great leaders always have a plan

    You can’t get far without a plan. As the old adage goes, ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’. Great leaders have a roadmap for everything, their life, their business, everything they are involved in. Most business leaders get this, but the really great ones have this front and centre of everything they do, and are unwavering in their pursuit it. Yes of course the plan will change, and adapt, but ultimately the destination usually remains the same. A solid plan, accompanied by a clear vision, and achievable goals as milestones along the journey helps great leaders deliver their desired outcome. This is the essence of turning a plan into action, and delivering repeatable success.

    Inspire Personal and Professional Growth:

    Great leaders champion their team’s growth as an integral part of an effective growth strategy. Investing in both their professional and personal development of your team members is crucial. Allocate resources, even if modest, to support their continuous learning. Empower your employees by providing challenging opportunities and guidance, allowing them to overcome obstacles and achieve personal and professional growth. A great leader creates a safe environment where team members can make mistakes and learn from them, giving opportunity for personal and professional growth and ‘failing their way to success’.

    Progression and succession front and centre

    Great leaders understand that the key to scaling a successful business is to consistently progress their team, and constantly work themselves out of a job through succession. This means always hiring people better than themselves, while giving current team members the opportunity to progress their own careers, through training and development to move up, or move sideways into other roles. The best leaders surround themselves with great people and then develop those great people into great leaders themselves.

    Be agile – act like a start up!

    Embracing agility is a crucial aspect of effective leadership and the ability to pivot, be flexible and change when some things are not working. It’s easy to fall into the corporate box and lose that early drive – but great leaders are continuously changing and adapting and innovating, setting new goals and challenges pushing their teams to think differently which helps individuals thrive.

    Metrics matter in driving consistent replicable success

    Great business leaders understand the metrics that drive success, and manage their businesses tightly against those metrics. They build systems and processes that put metrics at the heart of their businesses, and make sure all team members are aligned and understand those metrics. These collective metrics in a business provide the road map to execute the strategy and allow leaders to adjust different parameters to keep the business on track. Great leaders have been using big data way before the term ‘big data’ was coined. Metrics and data matter – it’s the life blood of any business.