History
“Moose Industries” is an agriculture manufacturer and General Engineering Company that is based in Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. The business is owned and operated by Nigel “Moose” Eckermann who established the business as “Mooses Metalworks” back in 1997. Since 1997 Nigel has had vast experience in innovating, designing and building equipment from a wide variety of industry sectors.

Like most small businesses, in the beginning Mooses Metalworks was driven by passion and enthusiasm with the business developing a great reputation of building quality products. This lead to rapid growth into many different industries and areas. But along with this growth came great responsibility and stress and before long Nigel felt overwhelmed and trapped in a business that no longer provided him with the passionate desire for success that he once had for his chosen profession. Add to this, the financial responsibility of running a business operating from two locations and employing over 20 full and part time staff. Nigel found himself at a crossroads.  Should he stay on this track or look to do something different and change his business direction and focus.?

How we met
Nigel and I have been friends for years and until recently we had not spent great amounts of time together. As we were growing up, whenever we caught up we noticed that our beliefs and values were very similar. Our individual journey’s although quite different on the surface, had striking similarities, which allowed us to connect in a way that we would come away from a meeting feeling inspired and uplifted.

Nature of the relationship
It was through this connection and mutual respect that lead us to the eventuality of working together. The timing could not have been more perfect and showed us both the power and value of knowing what you want from life so that you can recognise opportunities when they arise.
Nigel was aware that I was studying business and personal coaching and planning to develop a business in this field, so in late 2008 Nigel decided there was an opportunity for us both to benefit and approached me to become his personal and business coach.
During this time we have found that our business relationship has evolved and moved through the natural progression necessary to create a solid working relationship and foundation for the continual growth of Nigel’s Business and Brand names.

What has the process looked like?
Initially, Nigel and I worked together focussing on his personal life, helping to rediscover his core values and beliefs, thus uncovering his passion and enthusiasm for life. Once we had a clear picture of his values and beliefs we set to work creating a personal vision for his life which incorporated these values and gave his vision meaning and purpose.

I believe that a business, no matter what the size, is an extension and publication of the owner’s core values, beliefs and purpose. So if we are not clear on what they are, how could we possibly build a business that has stability, strength and meaning?

The next stage was for us to create a business vision. This is deciding what the business will look like when it is finished and successful. But more importantly how will Nigel’s business best support his life, goals and personal values. Because if your business does not help you achieve your goals and support your values then what are you doing with your time?

The final stages in our relationship are centred on using specific skills and tools to practically build the business and life that Nigel has always dreamt of. Nigel’s passion is innovation, designing and manufacturing agricultural equipment. He has strong values centred on quality products and ethical practice. We decided to focus on developing this area of his business as we know that this is not only a growth area, but more importantly supports his personal values and thinking.

Like most technicians, Nigel already had several products that he had designed and been manufacturing for several years, yet sales were insufficient to sustain his whole business. This in turn meant that a portion of his focus was taken away from his area of passion and drawn into concentrating more on becoming financially productive rather than purely creative.

It was clear to Nigel that while he needed to be able to keep his doors open to allow him to meet to his financial commitments in the short-term. He also desired to have a major direction change for his business converting it to one that better supported the alignment of his professional and personal identities. The best way to do this was to increase the sales turnover of his agricultural equipment.

Since then Nigel and I have been working to create a structured sales and marketing process that will allow his business to continue to grow in this direction for the long term and to support Nigel on his personal journey of life.

Issues we have come across

Friendship and business
One of the first hurdles we came across was how to deal with the crossover between our friendship and business relationship, because like it or not business (especially small business) is personal.

Defining roles and responsibilities
As our relationship is complex and fluid it has been challenging to maintain consistency in the roles that we play within each of our businesses.

Constant focus and distractions
Old habits die hard and when dealing with an established business that has established habits and beliefs it is easy to be drawn back into those old ways of doing things  because it feels comfortable and familiar.

How we found solutions

Planning
You know the old adage -
“If you fail to plan then you’re planning to fail”
Right from day one we had decided to ask ourselves the question “what could go wrong?”, for it is vital to play the Devil’s Advocate to enable us to see possible issues or hurdles before they have the opportunity to have a negative effect on the process and our relationship.
We decided to create a formal document detailing the rights and responsibilities that we both agreed to fulfil throughout the duration of our agreement and business relationship.
This contract has served to keep us both accountable and clearly record our goals and objectives.

Communication
It is my belief that at the core of all issues and problems lays a breakdown in accurate and effective communication between the involved parties. This is no difference between personal and professional issues.  So Nigel and I took it upon ourselves to ensure that the number one rule in our relationships is to be active, accurate and consistent in our communication.

What are the differences have we made?

Facilitated and provided feedback on the creation of a new business name and identity.
One of our first tasks was to create a new business identity. This was one that would not only serve as a starting point for the new direction of the business, but also one that is more in line with the aspirations of its owner. We decided to move from “Mooses Metalworks” to “Moose Industries” this would help broaden the horizons of the business and ensure its identity is not one that can be easily boxed into a specific industry sector. Although on initial inspection the name change may does not seem to be a significant step we realised that the name of the business is the first point of contact for the customer and will help create the business identity in the eyes of its clients, staff and owners alike.

Clarification of personal values and beliefs
Being in touch with your personal values and beliefs is one of the most important aspects in creating meaningful success in any personal or business pursuit. These serve as guide posts and have a significant effect on your ability to make accurate and meaningful decisions on a daily basis.
With clearly defined values and beliefs we can make decisions quickly and accurately, knowing full well that they will ultimately support our journey.

Creation of Business direction
Having a clear and accurate business vision provides direction and gives clarity to the daily running of the business. Once we know where we want the business to go only then can we create action plans that will ultimately achieve the desired results.

Significant increase in sales volume and cash flow
Once we had highlighted the ideal future direction for “Moose Industries” it was clear that we needed something concrete to work on and since March 2009 we have been developing and implementing a specific and structured sales and marketing process. This process aims to create a new position within “Moose Industries” with this person being made responsible for the management and control of this process leading to even greater sales volume and company turnover.
Although this process is still under construction Nigel has already received a significant increase in sales in this area as well as a more even and predictable cash flow through the business.
Moose Industries sales have increased by more than 100% with the extra cash flow having an immediate positive affect across the board within the whole company.