Q&A: Getting back to business

Following tumultuous times and multiple challenges, many SME owners are understandably feeling challenged within themselves and their business. Getting Back to Business for SMEs, a new book by certified management consultant Noel Rodgers helps them to leap current hurdles and look for opportunities. Noel talked to NZBusiness editor Glenn Baker.

NZB: What is your background and what triggered your decision to write the book?

Noel: I’ve been a business management consultant and leadership business coach for a range of SMEs across a wide range of industries since 2009. I completed my MBA with Waikato University in 2013, gained a Certified Management Consultant Certificate (CMC) through the Institute of Management Consultants (IMCNZ) in 2014, and was president of the IMCNZ from 2016 to 2018.

My career started in industrial electrical and electronics industrial automation projects, then evolved to various management positions across engineering, HR and auditing, then on to directorships and business ownership. I’ve also lectured in business subjects, owned a tourism-based café, as well as other entities.

I’ve always had a passion for writing, with my first novel Half of Us published in 2007.

As a business owner going through the pandemic with its various restrictions, I became acutely aware of the hurdles hindering the business and the mental strain on all business owners.

Some may have continued to operate under more normal conditions, but were forced to close down and seek alternative employment.

With more than 95 percent of businesses categorised as SMEs, I’m aware of their importance to New Zealand. And now business owners must move past such mountainous events and put their experience to good use for tomorrow’s business environment. New Zealand needs their expertise.

My trigger for the book was to provide practical content that would provide a guide for business owners to revitalise their businesses after such an event.     

NZB: What’s the story behind the title of your latest book? Who should read it and what is its overall theme or message?

Noel: I selected the title Getting Back to Business for SMEs to identify with business owners who have experienced adverse conditions in their business through events like the global pandemic, as well as for those people aspiring to start their own business in today’s quickly evolving market.

Business owners have waded through many difficulties recently and tend to shrug off the emotional journey they’ve endured hoping that the recent experiences won’t happen again.

The book takes the reader through the process of managing the past – to free them of past burdens and help them to move forward. It is themed on a journey of identifying and managing the personal health of the business owner as well as providing business tools that will assist their future business aspirations.

There’re also guidelines for helping to improve the business. I identify how third-party guidance can be especially beneficial for business owners.

The message throughout the book is to keep looking forward as the past business environment will not repeat itself. This theme is developed through each chapter and leads the reader to create a business plan for the future.

NZB: How do you sum up New Zealand’s current business landscape in the book? And what are some of the key issues business owners are having to grapple with post-Covid?

Noel: A combination of environmental elements are affecting businesses differently post-Covid, ranging from societal mindset and market demand through to accessibility and evolving technology. The changes may affect local retail outlets and exporters in different proportions, yet the ripple effect of change will affect most businesses. The book highlights simple methods of identifying the changes that might be occurring and how to turn those changes into future opportunities.   

NZB: What are some of the major lessons and comments delivered in the book for business owners?

Noel: Every chapter provides important guidance for business owners to gain from, as well as overriding lessons that meld into the theme of the book, which is ‘don’t look back’.

Many business owners may find their pre-Covid business model no longer beneficial for their business. Change can be difficult to implement especially when emotions regarding goods are involved, yet change may be the key element to rekindle successful business outcomes.  

NZB: What did you learn during the researching and writing of the book? Any surprises?

Noel: As the pandemic was occurring whilst I was scripting the content, research was based predominantly on current affairs and experiences as they occurred.

When researching the business environment, I was surprised by the significant impact that offshore distribution had on New Zealand businesses and the overall market. As restrictions created a bottleneck for shipping deliveries, many businesses found that both parts components and finished goods were in short supply. When shipping companies realised that waiting times for docking in New Zealand had become much longer, they redirected ships elsewhere, increasing the severity of supply shortages, including the replenishment of refrigerated containers. This, in turn, restricted New Zealand’s primary goods exports.

The flow-on effect was quite damaging for many businesses and some are still recovering today.

Writing the book gave me a clearer prospective of how an event like the pandemic, with its impact on the national and global regulator environment, can have such a monumental impact on business and society. The subsequent upheaval draws parallels to the two world wars, which also required societies to be rebuilt.

Hindsight is always a wonderful tool. While the pandemic was unfolding, it was very difficult to see what the post pandemic environment would look like.  

NZB: What do you hope to achieve with the book’s publication?

Noel: I hope to provide business owners with enough guidance for them to re-position their business for a successful long-term future. As well as working through the business tools in each chapter, I also wanted to remind business owners that all business guidance professionals are not the same. They come with different levels of professional ability.

It is important for business owners to seek a business guidance professional who can deliver the outcomes their business requires.

‘Getting Back to Business for SMEs’ is available in paperback and as an e-book. The book can be purchased on Amazon here: https://amzn.asia/d/8JI0WPd