Business Changing

Profit and Growth Specialist

Why we do Nurture Change

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Nurture Change 2017 opening night

(As published in the Sunday Star Times and Stuff.co.nz, November 19, 2017)

Discussion's all good, but exercise is an integral part of the programme at Nuture Change. 

Last week we held our Nurture Change business retreat for five days in Fiji with over 200 people.

After three events we now have a community of over 525 businesses that collectively employ more than 105,000 people.

The purpose of Nurture Change is to give business owners, senior managers and entrepreneurs the space to think about their business away from their usual clutter, in an inspirational, overseas setting with like-minded people.

One way this is delivered is through leading speakers sharing their greatest hits of successes and failures that everyday business people can apply to their everyday business life.

We have had some great wisdom shared the past three years, and have heard from over 45 world-class leading speakers to date. So many learnings! Here are some of my favourites:

Victoria Crone (current CEO of Callaghan Innovation) said “the best person to disrupt your business, is yourself”.

What are you doing to disrupt your business so you exist in 10 years time? You might have fears about what product will come along to replace whatever you do.

If you could click your fingers, what would you do to create the product that will be replacing you in the future? The longer you hold off doing this, the higher the chance of you not being around tomorrow.

Sir Graham Henry said “Good coaches have good teams, good businesses have good teams.”

How good is your team in your business and what could you be doing to make it greater? You cannot be a great leader if you have the wrong team.

The term “get the right people on the bus” is so important for a business to be successful. If you were to re-employ your entire team again tomorrow, how many of your current team would you would decide to not re-employ again?

Of course success in business is not all about your team being great, it is also about you, the leader being great, leading by example and holding people accountable and giving the team the environment to succeed.

Ted learned over time how to be a more effective leader, no doubt you will need to evolve your leadership style as well to remain at the top of your game.

Murray Thom (marketer) said “the quality of todays work determines next years opportunities”.

Are you doing enough today to make next year the best year ever in your business? What should you be doing today to have a super successful 2018 year?

Are you actually delivering to a very high standard to your customers today?

And if not, what do you need to improve so you have today’s customers coming back to you next year and to help you get more word of mouth sales growth in the future?

Frances Valintine (futurist) said “How do you know when the sacred cow in your business needs replacing?”

Every product and service in your business will have its use by date – make sure you act sooner than later so when it declines you have other products on the up to replace it.

Frances also believes a key to success is constant simplification. How can you simplify both how you do business with customers and how you run your business internally?

Justine Flynn (co-founder of Australian social enterprise Thankyou) said “no change, no change”.

What in your business are you wanting to change but are doing nothing to make it change? What in your own personal performance do you know you need to change yet you do nothing to improve?

Moral of the story: get away, learn and talk to others! Our next event is in Hawaii on September 14 to 19, 2018. Don’t miss out.

Zac de Silva is a business consultant, speaker, and the co-founder of Nurturechange.com, the operator of the Nurture Change business retreat.

Reader Interactions

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  • "Zac has given myself and the business a real sense of clarity, and a better sense of day-to-day achievement for myself and the team. Zac’s ability to ask questions that are relative and beneficial have helped me grow the business and my self-awareness and create a more enjoyable workplace. Give Zac an inch and he’ll take you a mile!”
    Mathew Phelan, New World Churton Park
  • "Zac is incredibly insightful, inspiring and has been absolutely vital in contributing to the growth of my business. He's made me think beyond my goals and really given me the push my business has strived for."
    Bex Riley, Tosca Salome
  • "Great two-day workshop that gives you a chance to reflect on your business, and focus on key points that need to be addressed to maximize your effectiveness and outcomes. The workshop was both entertaining and informative and really helped us to think about how we might navigate Covid / post-Covid, and plan out our next few years to guide the direction of the business. Food and hospitality was also great. Highly recommended!"
    Nelson Raynor, Isle of Eden
  • "The business planning workshop run by Zac is a great opportunity to challenge existing thinking in your business and take results to the next level. The workshop was well thought out and provided a structured environment to channel ideas and ambitions. Zac has the perfect presenting style allowing for plenty of interaction amongst your team and networking with other business from a variety of backgrounds. Highly recommended"
    Gray Borell, Novii
  • "Zac’s business workshop totally exceeded my expectations. The two days are well planned out to ensure your thought process takes you through the various stages needed to question why you are in business, where your business currently is at and where you want your business to be. Provoking questions, explanations, stories, presentations from successful entrepreneurs and of course Zac’s personal attention ensure you walk away with a clear and dynamic business plan. The venue was perfect, the lunch and refreshments sublime."
    Rachel Kann, IQ Property Management
  • "Zac has also become a key enabler and contributor to us working towards the development of both our employee engagement and customer experience roadmaps. Kotahi is a new and fast-paced environment and it has been great to have Zac as a trusted advisor to both myself and the CEO. He has a no-nonsense and solid experience-based approach to his consulting style. I have enjoyed working with Zac and look forward to continuing on our engagement journey with the support of Business Changing”
    Jay Padden, HR General Manager, Kotahi
  • "Transformational… Revolutionary… Awesome… Take your pick! Our business looks nothing like it did just three months ago – our brand is visible in the market, there’s a buzz about what we are doing, doors are opening and our heads are in the game. Business Changing changes business for the better… I’m very very thankful we met – my only regret is that we didn’t seek you out sooner!"
    Nick Brown, Huffman Sauces