Sometimes the key to success is in making your own rules

There is no guaranteed road map for how to build a successful business, but with the right motivation, knowledge, support network and fresh ideas, nothing is impossible, says Michelle Begy

Regardless of what industry or type of business you are looking to build, there are always going to be setbacks and pitfalls along the journey, as well as new ways to grow and evolve. To become successful, you must be willing and able to overcome any challenge that is thrown your way and learn to think outside the parameters you are used to.

While plans and theory offer a firm foundation in the building blocks of success, they cannot prepare you for every unexpected eventuality. Strong leadership, solid workplace relationships, confidence, industry and market awareness, expertise and often a little ingenuity will be key elements to ensure that you have the capability to make a business successful. The best forecasts and predictions in the world will never get it fully right – in the oft-repeated phrase from von Moltke, ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’. Sometimes you just need to stop, reassess, and do something unexpected.

Take the pandemic, for example. No industry or business was immune to the disruption that it caused to everyday operations and ways of doing business, and as a result we have seen many firms close their doors for the last time. But where did they go wrong?

While a lot comes down to the financial reserves that companies had available and limitations in the support they received, there is also an argument that a lot of businesses played it too safe. They continued to try to build their business in the same way that they always had – but when the environment changes, tried and tested methods aren’t necessarily the most effective.

Dare to be different

As a company that launched just 10 weeks before lockdown, Ignite Dating is one of the rare success stories of significant growth through the pandemic – particularly remarkable in an industry that traditionally relies on personal contact and building relationships to succeed. But this result was no fluke – it was driven by huge determination and improvisation. ‘Push harder, work smarter, and build faster’ was no longer just a catchphrase, it became the key to survival.

The success of the company over the last two years has been based upon offering a completely different perspective on dating, providing clients with support and advice throughout the journey, taking advantage of the changes forced upon society rather than seeing them as impossible obstacles and achieving strong growth through the unique franchise business model that we operate.

While other companies sat back and waited to see how the pandemic would unfold, we increased our marketing and PR, which in turn facilitated a vast number of published articles and comments in national press publications, numerous broadcast interviews, a huge drive in our Google campaigns and the launch of six franchises across the country. We explored the opportunities for our clients provided by lockdown – the reduced pressure for intimacy, the chance to get to know each other over zoom, the time to take things a bit more slowly. While other agencies bemoaned the lack of opportunity for physical contact, we published articles on virtual dating and shared ideas on how to develop a relationship within the guidelines.

This determination to stay positive and swim against the tide allowed the company to come out of lockdown stronger and in a better position than ever. Through its flexibility and comprehensive training and support, Ignite Dating has not only grown its core operations and client base but has also helped our franchisees build their own successful and prosperous businesses during a pandemic.

With great risk comes great reward

We learn as children that going against the grain is not comfortable; if you fight the system you are labelled as a rule-breaker or an outcast. But conforming to the norms and rules around you can often lead to you losing or ignoring your instincts; the very qualities that lead to personal success.

Businesses offering new possibilities and breaking the status quo are the ones that gain attention. Nobody cares about the ideas that have already been done before. People want new, fresh, creative, and innovative ways of being and living. Solutions that make life easier, more exciting, or simply open up a new conversation and way of thinking.

Being your authentic self, is the first step to a successful business. Every single individual is unique, which means every single business should be too. By blending into the norms of the market that you are in, you are belittling your own creativity and limiting your reach. The most successful business leaders are those that are disrupting the market, typically delivering strong and prompt returns on investment in the process.

Companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Tesla, and Uber, while completely different in their markets, have one key quality in common: they started with a fresh new idea. No one had done anything like them before, making them uniquely attractive to their customer base and difficult to copy, and fuelling huge growth even now.

Recipe for success

Most successful entrepreneurs at some point in their journey will suffer from imposter syndrome, doubting their abilities and accomplishments despite external evidence of their competence. However, while that doubt may be deep-rooted in you as an individual, those around you – whether supporters, competitors or even industry leaders – are aware of the hard work, determination and ingenuity that is leading to success, and will be more accurate barometers of your capability. Never underestimate your value.

The same can be said about the team around you. A strong team will keep you connected, focused and healthy, allowing you to face anything – no matter what life throws at you. Over the course of a lifetime, you will spend 90,000 hours at work. It is no surprise then that those workplace relationships are instrumental to the success of a business.

To drive performance while keeping morale high, Ignite Dating implements strategies to ensure that, from the moment they join, all team members are integrated into a strong, collaborative work culture and maintain a healthy work-life balance. From a compassionate workplace to flexible hours, team building activities to small gestures on birthdays or when they achieve their first sale, these strategies, while small, make the world of difference to morale. Both employees and franchisees alike are encouraged to achieve a model that allows them to balance work and other commitments while accomplishing the shared goals of the business. But it should be stressed, this is not simply about being nice. The culture is crucial to business success.

Every employee and situation is unique, what works for one person may not work for another, and different organisations will require different culture and different goals. However, in any environment, leading with compassion is crucial. As human beings, we respond to empathy and compassion, particularly in moments of difficulty or distress. By illustrating the more human side of the corporate environment and ensuring that all employees have access to the support and tools that they need in their role, they feel empowered and encouraged to achieve their best for themselves and the company.

With the right leadership and support, and by adopting a sense of community amongst not only the workforce but also with other businesses in the industry, Ignite Dating has been able to implement the fundamental building blocks necessary to grow to scale, even in a highly challenging environment.

That said, it is also important to set your goals and stick to them. From the moment you even consider launching a business, you need to know what you want to achieve and have an idea of how to get there. If you are going to set just one rule, make it that you will always listen to your clients and develop a service that meets their needs, and then do everything you can to achieve this goal. Ultimately, without happy clients and customers you have no business.  

However, if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that not everything goes to plan. You can never fully know what is going to happen in the future, so remember that if the plan doesn’t work, it’s OK to change the plan but never change the goal – after all that is your why for doing this in the first place!

Never underestimate what you have to offer

There is no guaranteed road map for how to build a successful business, but with the right motivation, knowledge, support network and fresh ideas, nothing is impossible. Whichever industry you work in and wherever the company may be, the principles outlined in this article will hold true: sometimes going against the grain and being deemed a risk-taker and an outcast can reap huge rewards. Sometimes rules were made for breaking and thinking outside the parameters you’ve been taught can be the competitive edge you need to take your business from moderately successful to a highly regarded global enterprise.