Society Mindful Business is Good Business

People buy from People - Bias, Storytelling and Authenticity, Privilege and Power

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 22:53:02 GMT

" People buy from people!"

What does that phrase actually mean if we scratch beneath the surface?

It's a phrase that increasingly appears in social media posts and marketing materials but what does it infer?

If we take the time to venture behind the soundbite/slogan, what will we discover?

Who are the people doing the buying and selling?

How do we find out who the "people" are before we buy their services and products?

Usually, "people buy from people" is accompanied by some form of behind-the-scenes, self-disclosure about the seller.

Is it a way to convey a more relatable and “likeable” persona that may persuade or convince buyers that they're worthy of their custom?

This raises questions of bias, storytelling, authenticity, privilege and power.

Storytelling and Authenticity

Privilege and Power

Small businesses (particularly start-ups) may lack larger organisations' privilege and power to thrive and survive in business.

They may not have the privilege of:

access to slick marketing "spin" resources
engaging storytelling capabilities
a steady and assured cashflow , which affords them the time it takes to build a reputable brand , even though the quality of their work, services and products is on par (and often exceeds) that of larger companies.

They may not have the power of recommendations behind them , enabling them to generate and convert new business leads into sustainable income.

So where does that leave small businesses and start-ups, especially in this current economic climate and cost of living crisis?

They struggle to be seen.

They struggle to be heard.

They struggle to grow their business.

The support of a client and consumer base that "bucks the trend" and goes against societal and business "norms", is vital in helping small businesses pay their bills, stay afloat and futureproof against economic shock.

So, back to "People buy from People!"

By Dee Khan Support

As always, By Dee Khan is here to help you throughout your discovery and transformation.

There's a wide-ranging suite of services to choose from, whether you'd like support with business networking through our WINtroverts Networking events or support with establishing and developing your business relationships with our Business Relationship Support.

Additionally, if you need to free up time from your usual business admin tasks, our Virtual Assistant Services can take care of those for you:

Content Writing
Inbox and Diary Management
Project Tracking and Coordination
Transcribing and Proofreading

All premium services without the premium price tag. Great value and affordable prices.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Not everything in life must be a competition and not everyone is fulfilled by competing.

We, the small business community, must stick together.

Contact By Dee Khan for a chat about how we can support your business through your development, transformation and growth stages in our social world.

Complete and submit a contact form - www.bydeekhan.co.uk/contact-by-dee-khan
Book a Discovery Call
Email: enquiries@bydeekhan.co.uk

Connect on social media

linkedin.com/company/by-dee-khan

Instagram: @bydeekhan

YouTube: @ByDeeKhanVirtualAssistantExtra

Thanks for reading this blog. Please share with others who may find it useful.

Peace to all,

Dee

Fairy Lights - Business Vision

Thu, 05 May 2022 10:05:49 GMT

You've got a fantastic idea for a business

You're fired up, enthusiastic and determined to make it work
You have a vision of your products or services and what issues or problems they'll solve
Maybe your idea came about because you've experienced particular pain points either first-hand or as an observer
You've decided on your mission of who your business will help

Great!.....Errr.....Huh?!

Until now, all the gems and nuggets of information you've discovered have been renting space in your head, just waiting to be polished up. Maybe you've transferred and stored them in various other places.

You know , the flashes of inspiration you get at all times of day or night and in all types of situations and environments.

Suddenly you realise your stash of ideas and research has somehow morphed into a tangled mental bundle of fairy lights. We all know that pain, or similar, right? That special occasion you want to present and launch with a touch of glam? You get out the fairy lights you stowed away after last use and look at them in despair.

How on earth do you unravel them? Where's the end? Where do you start?

You rotate the intricate tangle, looking at it from different angles. You peer into the midst of it. You hold it up and gingerly shake it in the hope that an end of the string will become visible. Then you (either silently or in your head) berate yourself for not taking the time to store them more neatly.

At some point, preferably sooner rather than later, you'll realise self-berating isn't solving the problem.

So, what do you do?

Give up on them, cram them unceremoniously back in the box and decide to order a brand-new set? You've had them a while anyway, they're probably not fit for purpose anymore.
Persevere with finding a way to get to the end with the plug? Maybe you can untangle just about enough to light up a long enough stretch for your immediate need. You can always hide the remaining tangle out of sight, right? Surely no one will look behind the scenes.
Take a deep, calming breath? Perhaps make a nice cuppa, put on your favourite music or podcast then settle down to the task of unpicking the tangle properly. Or maybe ask someone who's a dab hand at that kind of thing to help you or offer moral support while you do it? It might not seem so overwhelming.

Thinking of your business vision or plan as a tangled fairy lights scenario:

What do you do?

Give up on your idea and decide to think of a new one before you've even given it a go?

The costs/benefits of doing that would need to be weighed up.

Consider all the research you've done, the time you've spent and maybe money you've already invested (irrespective of amount).

Would it be beneficial or detrimental to start afresh?

Find a way to cut corners so that you can at least have something tangible to show for your efforts so far?

That might be ok in some instances just to get off the blocks, especially for those of us with perfectionist and procrastinator traits (another post coming up on that at some point).

However, what happens if you've not unpicked enough to get to the legal and financial bits?

How would you feel if your shortcuts really scuppered you further along the line in your business venture?

Decide to unpick and straighten your ideas and vision into some kind of order?

Maybe all you need is focus and time to be able to do it by yourself.

Perhaps it might help to call on someone who can offer moral support and practical guidance.

A fresh perspective and collaboration could make it all seem less daunting and overwhelming.

Is your business vision and plan stashed in various lockers of ideas?

Yes, there may be some tangles just as you thought you were ready to switch it all on. That's often the case when starting and running a business.

How much time, effort and attention will you put into straightening it all out?

New or established, which areas of your business would benefit from you viewing it like a set of fairy lights?

Your business vision and plan developed into a strategy for implementation?
Written text that needs proofreading or transcribing for clearer presentation?
Collating and ordering meeting or workshop notes to combine points and themes for action?
Sorting out your email inbox or diary schedule?

Caterpillars and Butterflies - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 17:59:45 GMT

Transformation inspiration

Sitting in my garden, basking in the Easter bank holiday weekend sunshine, I marvelled (as I often do) at God's beautiful nature and the lessons we can learn from it to apply to our everyday lives.

I looked at the patch of nettles I allow to grow, ever since noticing a couple of years ago, that was where some butterfly varieties laid their eggs.

Admittedly, the first time I left the nettles to grow, was due to "I'm too busy" mode. It was in a long queue of garden jobs I'd put to the bottom of my chores list.

Do The Work - Education

I started researching butterflies which led me to learn and understand:

that nettles are a vital food source in certain species' life cycle
the importance of butterflies’ pollinating skills as a beneficial contribution to the environment

It brought me much enjoyment and pride to know I'd been a part of the caterpillars' growth and transformation. I pledged that, every year, I'd:

make space for them
ensure they have what they need to survive and thrive
provide a safe and nurturing environment for them to develop, grow and eventually gain their wings to fly and soar
celebrate their success as they mature in themselves and their lives
enjoy feeling part of something bigger than myself and my immediate surroundings

What would society and our communities look and feel like if we took a similar approach in our own lives and for the diverse groups of people throughout society? So that we all can survive, thrive and co-exist equitably in our employment, housing, healthcare, education, criminal justice and welfare systems - to name a few?

Just because someone looks or acts differently to what we're used to, or we initially think they don't "fit" into certain environments, establishments and spaces, we shouldn’t carelessly cut them off from accessing support that will enable them to thrive.

Rather than removing or implementing systems and policies without thorough consideration, what more can we do to educate ourselves on how those systems and policies could adversely impact and exclude others?

The work doesn't stop with a diversity and inclusion strategy

By Dee Khan can help you explore how your business can increase social impact and gain social value whilst opening business opportunities.

Be a part of something bigger than you and your business.

Your actions make a difference within your business and the wider community.

Enabling and empowering people to thrive with meaningful support, consistency and determination, benefits all of us in our businesses, our local communities and wider society.