RAMZEY’S BIG IDEAS #4: GOING FURTHER

I have read and spoken first hand with businessman Tony Robbins about various aspects of running a successful business. And for him, there is no big secret – simply the fact that there will always be a way if you are committed. But please – don’t just be committed to meeting expectations. Be committed to smashing them at every turn.

SMASHING SUCCESS

A wise man once said, “Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than other think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible.”

This may all sound a little rash. After all, why care or risk more than you need to in business? Surely to be efficient, you need to be doing a certain amount and no more. Right?

It depends on what motivates you. For me, I have run successful businesses in the past that ticked boxes by providing the exact amount of value that the market expected. Yet when you create somewhere with a personal connection such as The Grounds – you are motivated by the experiential as well as the fiscal. Is this riskier? Yes, of course. But it can also provide value that is off the charts. And a customer experience that goes beyond – transcending any balance sheet.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

By the time we opened our doors for business here in Alexandria back in April 2012, there was already a big buzz. We had created something on a scale and design never seen in this part of the world. And yet, even as we were being congratulated on a job well done, we never stopped evolving. To this day, we continue to be in the business of creating unique experiences for our guests – regularly providing something new on top of the familiar.

After we launched, it wasn’t long before other cafés started popping up with their own gardens and suspiciously familiar sounding names, decorated in suspiciously familiar materials. But I didn’t mind because I wasn’t sitting back surveying my kingdom. I wasn’t finished. You never are. There is always more value to add – just around the corner.

“Go as far as you can see. When you get there, you’ll be able to see farther.”

– Zig Ziglar

ADD EXTRA VALUE TO YOUR BUSINESS

Tony Robbins believes that to stay in business, you must deliver 10 times the value that your customers are paying or you risk having them come back and question your value. And especially these days, it feels so true. People expect so much more value from everything in their lives; it might seem overwhelming. Yet to deliver this colossal value doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel, simply reinventing your ideas – something you should always be doing anyway.

Just remember these fundamental truths:

• Serve people, not numbers. If you become a blessing in other people’s lives, you too will be blessed. In this era of automation, embrace the chance to show true service.
• Never stop growing. Never stop giving and never stop trying to expand your influence.
• Push those envelopes. Put it all out there. Then you will get noticed.
• Shout to the world what makes your business unique. Don’t trade on “good atmosphere” and “good food” – speak about your differences. If you don’t have any, get some. Go beyond the ordinary.

AND FINALLY

Going further is a state of mind. It’s about shattering the bulbs of value perception – to create completely new experiences for people to enjoy. It’s one of the things I find most rewarding – seeing a look of wonder on a child’s or adult’s face as they enter one of our spaces for the first time.

Going further is also literal. For the past three years, we have gone to Bondi to challenge people’s perceptions of what a pop-up three week cafe should look like, with our Grounds by the Sea cottage cafes. And as I write this, we are hard at work bringing an entirely new experience to Sydney’s CBD. One that will again push envelopes, challenge expectations and add serious value. I can’t wait.

Until next week.

R