People often ask, ‘As Chief Experience Officer’ do you spend most of your time experiencing experiences? Being CEO for me is about being accountable for how people experience this business. Whether they are customers, suppliers, affiliates, associates or team members. But of course we must practice what we preach. Here are a few recent pictures of what I get up to as CEO.. One thing I learned along time ago from Ike Bain (right hand man to Dick Smith) is…
Monthly Archives: April 2008
It’s a long road to the top?
I was flicking through a recent issue of BRW the other morning over breakfast and was interested to see the Executive Rich List (which features Australia’s 200 wealthiest managers) only contained two women! Why? It struck me- salaries aside, why is it that women are in such a minority on these lists? Is it because some women still feel their gender is a barrier to their success? Is it that women aren’t playing a big enough game? Is it that…
I love to paint…. with a few friends
RedBallooners’ get the creative juices flowing…one of our fabulous experiences – Team Art Go wild, have fun, everyone is an artist. The team that plays together – stays together….
The only constant is change….
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." George Bernard Shaw
Risky Business
Being an entrepreneur is about taking risks. Nothing is guaranteed; you can wish, hope or even pray that things will turn out…. But you have to do the work, be disciplined and just stick at it. "What you risk reveals what you value.’" – Jeanette Winterson One of my friends started a biotech business – and for the first seven years it did not ‘turn a dollar’. Not one customer. He had to go through rigorous government red tape before…
Give it a shot…
"You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’" Wayne Gretzky
Connecting with the customer.
I was sent this email by one of my team members, Arielle, she works in the front line as one of our pleasure relations consultants – on the phone and via email ensuring people have a great time. She thought I would be interested in the contrast between two different types of customer service. As Chief Experience Officer for RedBalloon I’m accountable for how people experience our web site. I did like the tale of two customer interactions. “I was…
It’s ok to have fun in business…..
Years ago I heard Ike Bain (right hand man to Dick Smith – and author of ‘the Dick Smith Way’) speak. There was one clear message… It is ok to have fun in business. In fact the more we enjoy what we do the more productive we are. Some years ago we decided to make the most of 1 April and design a product range just for April Fools day. When we sent it out it generated our single biggest…
Rolling out the Red Carpet.
There is a very real reason why I call myself the chief experience officer (CEO). It is not because RedBalloon sells experiences. I call myself that because it from my belief that how people experience an organization is an opportunity to either make or break a brand promise. We have always liked to stand out at RedBalloon – which is why we have had so many versions of the website and also why we have chosen our work place so…
Imagine running a business based on fun - that's what I decided to try when I left a very serious corporate career in marketing to set up RedBalloon...
If its meant to be.. its up to me to paint the picture
When you start a business – it is all about survival, sharing the story, engaging people in what you are up to. You do a lot of hoping (praying), and there is a lot of hit and miss (trial and error) – two steps forward, one step back. You don’t know where you will end up, if anyone will ever visit your website – even if you are going to make it as a business. But six years later the…