reDISCOVER Your Business: Preparing for Kickoff
Taking on a project can be a pretty daunting task for many businesses, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether it’s web design, branding, or a custom mobile application, you can always be assured that it will go off without a hitch with the proper preparation. Here are the main concepts to tackle when starting a game-winning project.
In the South, there is one treasure we hold above the rest—football. As we watch the discipline, the strategy, the obstacles, and the victories, we get hooked on the game while cheering on the team we care so deeply about. There’s something to be said for a team that shows hard work, commitment, and preparation.
When you think about it, football is a lot like starting a project. Go with me on this. You will never see a football team run out onto the field without knowing what the play is going to be or having gone through their competitor’s past play-by-plays before the game. A football team must be prepared all the time in order to attempt the win. Practicing, running drills, and playing are only half the battle. A team must plan, prepare, and research not only their opponents, but themselves in order to be formidable.
In the same way, you, as the client, would not come to us without knowing that together we’re going to assemble a plan of execution. Together, we will analyze your project and identify where the weak spots are as well as where the areas of opportunity lie. We will take the time to discover the areas/skills where your project needs to improve the most and where you excel as a company.
There are three concepts that football and your future project have in common:
- Every team needs a plan. During a football game, players and coaches are constantly communicating on what their plans and strategies are for the next play. They know how their competitors perform and they strategize ahead of time on how to win the game. The trick plays and onside kicks you see are all part of a long- or short-term plan. They ask themselves, "What is it going to take for my team to be successful?" So I ask you the same question—What is it going to take for your team to be successful? To answer that question, we kick off your project knowing there is a lot to rediscover about your business. When any project starts, one of the most important phases is the Discovery Phase—the beginning, the alpha, the kickoff. The minute you start a project, you are already making decisions on how you want your company to look, feel, and act in the digital age. You are forming a plan that draws more of your target audience to your product or diversifies the audience you currently have, all while creating a better reality for your team internally.
This is the WHAT of your project.
- Every team needs a coach. What does a team look like without a coach? Is it a team that’s using their talents to the fullest? Is it a team with guidance and leadership? No. A coach adds structure and guides their team to achieving goals both seen and unforseen. Envoc is here to do the same thing. We coach clients through business goals they know they want to achieve and also provide professional advice and guidance on goals they may not have thought through initially.
Sometimes when a client is given too many choices or decisions to make, it can be overwhelming. But have no fear! That’s why we’re here. Clients have to answer questions like: "What content should go on my marketing website?" and "What is the purpose and identity of my company?" But if you take the time to invest in answering these types of questions and letting Envoc coach you through discovering how you’d like your company to be portrayed, you’ll have a much better product at the finish line, or in the football scenario, in the end zone.
This is the HOW of your project.
- Every team has pride. Now this is the most important. If a football team does not have pride in what they do or what they stand for then what is the point? When football players run out onto the field, they perform knowing what they are fighting for and what they stand for. They invest their time and energy into the game knowing the purpose that lies behind their efforts. Much like a football team, to invest in your company means to reevaluate what your company stands for and who you are investing in. When we take the time to find out why this is something you care about or take pride in, it leads us to tell your story better. It will help us find a way to communicate the "Why" to your users. When you start with the "Why," that insight leads to originality and a better product overall in the end. We answer the "Why" question in the Discovery phase of the project, because that puts your overall business goals into focus and gives us a better vision of what your end goals are.
You guessed it, this is the WHY of your project.
Just like any football team that walks onto the field to play, you, as a company, should be ready to discover the What, the How, and the Why of your future projects and company. If a football team were to start a game without essential planning, practicing, discovery, and skills development, they’d be sure to lose every game. Even though your future project isn’t a win/lose situation, we want to help you reach the ultimate success, and it all starts with some planning, coaching, and believing in your company to win the game.