I am no business guru

Dear Friends,

How time flies? I was tidying up on some archives of my past work last weekend.

I was amazed at how much was accumulated through the years. Photographs, write-ups, marketing plans, reference articles, journals - all stacked in a plastic document container gathering dust. Sometimes I wonder if all these past materials would be of use now, in this day and age.

One of the interesting 'stumbled upon' was called 'USAHAWAN SUKSES', a Malay entrepreneurial magazine. They conducted an interview with me in 2005. They have sought some insights on how I manage hotels and make them successful.

For positive business growth, this can only be sustained through strategic planning, meticulous organizing, firm directing and prudent cost controlling. There needs to be consistency in delivery standards. There is also a need to increase the capabilities of employees, create product differentiations and also introduce new experiences. To capitalize on that, change is inevitable and constant research and developments towards globalization is needed to stay at the top.

The greatest pride in any organization are the employees. There is always a need to invest in them especially in areas of development and succession planning. An organization can only excel if they stay motivated and passionate from within. The essential strategy of having the right employee, coupled with the right strategy, right structures and right systems; in order to build great team spirit that will take a business far.

In terms of marketing, prioritize marketing supports according to prevailing and anticipating market conditions. Set right the fundamentals and its strategies. The inherent qualities of Sales personnel are the same, however training them differently by offering different training needs to meet current competitive business needs. They need to be dedicated and proactive to build relationships with customers who today demand a personal bond.

A yardstick to measure the success of a business would be the satisfaction of employees. When satisfied and happy employees are produced, they produce happy customers. A good experience in a business requires all facets of the various departments from the front to the back of the house. Hence, it is vital to employ the right people for the right job, so customers will be treated right.

Most importantly is the need to be disciplined in implementations. There is really no point just creating creative ideas without implementing. Create a group of people who are the implementers and use the thinkers to do nothing but think. In both aspects, it is a win win.

This is a condensed version of the article which appeared in November 2005.