Russell Bell: Local business punches above its weight

CELEBRATION: Saturday's business awards showcased the energy and drive of Whanganui business owners. PHOTO/PATRICK MONAGHAN, IVORY CREATIVE

Last Saturday night I had the pleasure of attending the Whanganui Chamber of Commerce Regional Business Awards.

Congratulations to the outstanding Double Farley Creative Partners, who took out the supreme award. Their entry was excellent and I was impressed by what they are achieving.

The awards are a great opportunity to touch base, network and celebrate that the Whanganui business community continues to punch above its weight.

It was heartening to hear the words of encouragement from both our outgoing and incoming mayors - many have said the new council has a "business focus". I look forward to seeing that in action.

Each category winner said a great deal about the improving local economy, a testament to the drive of their owners and our economic direction.

Running a business comes with significant challenges and rewards, and it is important the wider community understands the role that small to medium businesses play in this community's well-being.

We don't give enough credit to our local businesses - and we shouldn't wait until the next awards night to do it.

For the local business owner, the working week can be a rollercoaster ride of thrills, spills and lessons learned.

In business, the lessons you learn provide the foundation for growth. Paula Fore, founder of the Local and Loyal mobile marketing app and winner of best emerging business, said in her acceptance speech she had learned lessons along the way and refined her business model.

I am learning all the time; it is a staple of business life for me. So, in an effort to pass on some of my own lessons, here are this week's highlights:

1Trust your gut.
It is amazing how often your intuition and insight into situations will reflect reality, especially where rational thinking might say otherwise.

2 Growth is not always good. It has to be the right growth and due diligence often bears these things out. If an opportunity, over time, begins to cost more than the benefits it brings, walk quickly away.

3 Eliminate distractions; refine your focus.

4 Wisdom and knowledge reside everywhere.

In the case of the fourth point, I refer to a workshop I ran with a group. So clear was their thinking and approach to their work and the value they create for the community that I was retaught lesson number 5 (also reflected in the business awards): "You do not need to look far to find inspiration."

■Balance Consulting is a Whanganui consultancy specialising in business strategy, process excellence and leadership mentoring - contact Russell on 021 2442421 or John Taylor on 027 4995872.