Dec 28, 2021
Once you become the company leader, you are no longer in charge of delivering and producing. You're in charge of coming up with a vision and a strategy that will benefit everyone in your organization. As a leader, learn how to empower those around you and develop that unique vision. Join us in our conversation with Alex Brueckmann to discuss how to find your business vision and foundation. Alex is an entrepreneur, author, and executive coach who specializes in strategy. In Europe and Canada, he created and scaled businesses. He assisted brands and enterprises in achieving significant success. Listen to this episode so that you may begin planning your strategy so you can approach your business in a way that will benefit as we do on this show.
Why should we listen to you?
[08:23]
I don't believe in speaking solely for the sake of saying. I'd be more interested in asking questions and learning more about your life. And perhaps there is some value in that talk for you, and I can assist you in finding certain things through a series of questions. Coaches do exactly that.
How did you venture into the realm of business?
[09:22]
I'm a trained and educated radio journalist. I designed many radio shows and oversaw the news editing team at a radio station, a very different ballgame. However, I recognized at some point that I don't fully understand the world around me. And this is essentially how the business world works. A lot of corporate decisions also have an impact on how politics operates. So I went into business school and began working for one of the world's largest media companies, but this time in the business sector rather than the content producer space. And it was in that atmosphere. I spotted the opportunity from one of the CEOs to work as his strategy manager. Attempting to turn around a rather old business unit that was, let's say, remained stuck in the glory days of the past and had not yet made their way into the future. So that's when I realized how important strategy is. It entails preparing your business and organization for future success and mapping out a path to a specific future state that you write down, commonly referred to as your vision.
What are the components that you're thinking of when you start to put together a vision?
[11:42]
Is it more than just a clever marketing promise. It must be highly understandable, manageable, and measurable. And when you approach the topic of vision, you normally look at it from multiple viewpoints, so let's say you're an entrepreneur, you operate a little business, and you're trying to figure out where it should go in the next. Let's say, two to three years?
[12:13]
First of all, you must ask yourself, "What is the unique value that I provide to this world that no one else does?" If the value you contribute can address a tangible problem your clients are experiencing, you are already on the correct track. Because if you don't address a real problem in the world that you are uniquely positioned to solve, either you will be replaced or you will eventually run out of clients because there is no demand for what you do.
[13:15]
There must be passion and intensity in a description that strikes you emotionally, something you truly want to build, something that heats you. Something that includes the people who work with you, so that when you describe where you want this company to go, the people around you say, "Oh, that's pretty, that's very cool." I want to be a part of it. This is something I'd want to see happen.
The Marketing Strategy to Bring People In
[18:32]
Those strategic categories are broken down into actionable operational topics. And one of them is undoubtedly marketing, since people must be aware of it, and you must inform them that it is all about online marketing. Offline marketing is the way to go. It's all about sales and key account development, and each of these factors plays a part. This is essentially where you put your approach into action. That is what you must do. You must comprehend the strategic buckets on which you must concentrate to move your company toward that ambition. Then you break it down into manageable chunks. Then all you have to do is work and finish it.
Walking Through the Process
[19:56]
It has a basic process that I lead them through. Through a framework that I established over time, how the process unfolds varies greatly depending on the maturity level of your firm, its size, whether you're a services company, a product company, or a fully online business. But, at its core, the process aids you in gaining clarity on your method, your mission, and your vision. You can then put the vision down in measurable increments and select which priorities to focus on to get those measurable components closer to the goal.
[21:58]
I created a document called The Purposeful Strategy Toolkit, which you can access for free by going to my website, Alex, at strategies.com. It's right in front of you. It's the button; click it to download the purposeful strategy toolkit; I'll walk you through it; it's not a three-page nonsense document. This is a functioning document that walks you through it step by step, I believe it's 14 or 15 pages long, with no, no assistance to help you dive into what your business's core is. You set the timeframe based on where you picture your company in the following two or three years. And it truly helps you get to the heart of the matter. It also assists you in prioritizing where you spend your time and money.
How much do you get into the headspace of a person?
[23:30]
Don't do it if you're not serious about launching a business. It's fairly straightforward. If you've ever been disappointed by someone, you know how horrible it feels. Imagine how horrible it feels when you let yourself down. And if you invest your time and money into something, maybe not completely, but maybe you're the type of guy who says, "Yeah, I have this side hustle going on," but you don't. You're either an entrepreneur or a side hustler. Is this something you're serious about? This is a question you must ask yourself. And when you're honest with yourself, it releases a tremendous amount of energy. If you want to enlist everyone's help, You also have the guts. If you want to pull you all into something. And you have the guts to do that. And your ideas are good. You will be successful.
What promise did God make to the world when He created you?
[29:14]
I feel that God's only promise to this man is that he can serve as an example to others that careers are not a straight line, that failing and learning and trying again, giving it your all, will lead to a place where you can be happy. Just don't give up. It's over if you quit. Don't give up. Learn from it. Take it as it comes. Make a decent and right decision for yourself. And I believe it is the only guarantee I can make because my life has been a series of failures, retries, and successes.
Key Quotes:
[25:57-26:04] From time to time, you need to take that step back and flex that muscle and and work through those questions that help you stay the course.
[26:59-27:10] “It's you who decides it's not someone else who does the work for you. So just take it, take what makes sense for you, and apply it and learn as you go.”
Learn more about Alex Brueckmann on:
Website: https://www.brueckmann.ca/
https://alexthestrategist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrueckmannExecutiveConsulting
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emuckles