At a fabulous event that took place on January 15, 2015, and at one of the most beautiful resorts in "Ras el Khayma, UAE", J&R Business Consultancy was announced "The Winner of the 2014 RAK FTZ Business Excellence Awards for Best Small to Medium Size Business Enterprise".
As my beautiful wife, Lama, and I were getting on stage to receive our award, so many questions rushed through my mind, wondering why we were chosen as the winners of such an honorable award. Of course, I was so overwhelmed with the excitement that I didn't even want to think of the reasons yet, and instead, just wanted to enjoy such a glorious moment with my wife, Lama, and our colleague, Grace.
On the way driving back home late that evening, it hit me! And the answers just rushed through my mind...
And why not? Why wouldn't we be the winners?
Just days prior to that event, I came across quite an eye-opener article by Michael Dell, in which he talks about the "3Ps" for entrepreneurial success. However, it was not until after that ceremony that I was able to relate to those "3P"s. That's when I realized that our success was very much so attributed to each and every one of those "Ps".
So, what are those "3Ps" after all?
Starting with the first, with the "P" for "Passion."
To be successful, you should first and foremost engage in something that you are passionate about. Without passion, there would be no commitment, no persistence, and no belief in your business. Passion is what makes you endure all kinds of challenges. Passion is dreaming about how you can excel in your business. Passion makes you believe in yourself, and more confidently, in pursuing what you want.
So, before embarking on starting your own business, figure out how passionate you are about what you are getting yourself involved in. Are you going to fall in love with your business? Are you going to accept and withstand all the bumps, issues, hardships, and challenges that you are going to face? Are you going to be able to stand for yourself and fight for your business? Are you going to be promoting and striving to make an impact at all times? Are you going to be able to discover what your competitive advantage is and more importantly capitalize on it? Are you willing to differentiate yourself from the competition? Well, if you're passionate about your business idea, then yes, you will surely be able to answer all those questions.
After reading what Dell's first "P" was all about, I realized how passionate both Lama and I are when it comes to our business. I started remembering the hours we spend together discussing, debating, and sharing concepts of various interpersonal and managerial skills we train on. I remember the quality and valuable time we spend together discussing, designing, and building each and every training workshop we get approached to deliver. I remember how we diligently customize, localize, and personalize the various concepts to meet our clients' needs. And the list goes on and on... Most importantly, I remember how we started our business back in 2008 when the entire world was going through one of the most severe economic hardships the world had ever witnessed. I remember how enthusiastic and confident we were to start our own business during a time when businesses in almost every industry were dropping like dead flies.
The second "P" is that of a "Problem."
This is a very critical part of the formula. If you really want to be successful in your business, not only do you need to address a problem but actually offer a viable solution to this problem. Addressing problems with no solutions is simply providing criticism. So, the success factor lies in providing a solution to a problem that would surely lead to better change. If you really want to be successful, you have to watch out not to provide a painkiller type of solution, but to actually dig deep down to the root cause of the problem and provide a proper and "aha" solution that most would get on board to adopt.
Reading about Dell's second "P" made me realize how keen we are to address and highlight core behavioral problems, and make sure to provide rational solutions that can be easily adopted. If you want to be successful, you always want to make sure you offer something of value that goes over and beyond what your clients expect.
When it comes to our business, we make every effort not only to understand the client's needs and requirements but more importantly what the "people" representing the company truly need. We strive to make every experience distinctive and unique. For us, this is where we take it one step further and incorporate learning lessons that go beyond the topics of discussion, and integrate positive behavioral and attitudinal lifelong lessons that most could easily reflect on and adopt.
Last but not least is the third "P", that of "Purpose".
This is the icing on the cake. I am not talking about making money here. Making money is just a result of success. This purpose is actually your mission, which should be well carved in your mission statement and truly defines why you exist as a business. Your mission statement, of course, needs to be simple, yet touching to steer up the emotions in those you're impacting. Your purpose, or mission statement, should be firmly entrenched in you. The more you wholeheartedly believe in your mission, the more passionate you become in providing your services to your clients. This is where the first and third "P"s are in synch with each other to complete the whole picture and make you strive and aspire to maintain and grow your business.
For J&R, our purpose is simply: "Mission to Empower". We endeavor to instill a sense of pride and self-worth in the individual as much as in the business itself. J&R Business Consultancy truly believes in the mission to empower people and organizations alike. We aim to impactfully touch the hearts of each and every person we get involved with and to leave the J&R stamp of empowerment in each and every project we work on.