By Chia Sihan


As e-commerce grows as an increasingly attractive and cost-efficient way to get more business, design enterprises may also look to business expansion, in terms of broadening operations locally and/or internationally. This decision could be based on the demand for your specific type of service or product. You could save a lot of money and heartache by doing some research on local markets and consumer behaviors, or perhaps targeting a niche segment of consumers. Excellent customer service and product, pre and post-purchase, usually wins the day.

Grow, and grow it well
The most common reason for anyone to stick their necks out and start their own business is the welcoming prospect of being their own boss, flexible working hours and the freedom to choose their own clients, as the business reaches a certain level. However, as with most good things, there is a catch. What happens when the business becomes so successful that instead of running your business, your business runs you? When your downtime gets increasingly occupied with work matters and you become tied to settling your clients’ demands at any hour of the day, probably that’s when you should start considering plans to hire someone, or more people for the job.

Those who have ever been put in the position of hiring someone would know that task is harder than it seems at first look. The perfect employee does not come in an instant package, admittedly the role is developed over time and with the right person, work can turn out to be extremely efficient, even enjoyable. Once you get an employee from hell, however, the circumstances are comparable to be stuck with a wrong marriage partner: You can’t wait to get out. Except that in this case, you do have the option of firing bad employees and going through the vicious cycle all over again…

Human resource gurus would let employers know that it is not advisable to hire someone on the basis of their likeability. But how many of us have placed such a high premium on our intuition that we often make the most crucial decisions based on our gut feeling? It provides a quick escape from having to sit down and sieve through a mountainload of applications, out of which probably a handful would rightfully justify your attention. The process of hiring is meant to be tedious, not unlike combing through a sand dune for the few sparkling gems.

If the excuse is that you’re too busy running the business to look for suitable employees, then the next best step would be to get someone qualified to help you with the job, either agencies or professional headhunters. It may seem a tad farfetched for smaller businesses, but this step is even more crucial, given the consequences of not doing so. The first step to sourcing new members for your business is to construct a job description that addresses both your company’s needs as well as the precise demands of the job. There are probably too many vague job descriptions out there than anyone cares to count, and it can hinder the hiring process as the company gets flooded with not quite qualified jobseekers.

That said, how you choose to get the message out is equally important. That can be done if you understand the kind of people you are looking for very well. What kinds of publications or resources would they be likely to access? Specialist publications are a safe bet, although some websites would do beautifully, too.

Once the applications start coming through, an important point to note is to check or ask for references. This is particularly so if the position requires a certain level of knowledge or technical expertise in a particular field. Most employers make the mistake of basing their judgment on an impressive resume and interview, forgetting that some people are born actors, just not quite as good at the actual job they are applying for.

As to the candidate’s compatibility with the company, there is almost no certain way to tell, except through a trial or probation period to access how that person functions in the team. Congratulations if you’ve found a good fit for your business. If not, even better that you find out now than later.

So far, networking has proven to be the cheapest and most effective form of soliciting business for most professional services, as time-strapped people continue to depend on word-of-mouth for recommendations. How has the business evolved to cater better to their clients’ demands? A look at what some of the best, and worst in the industry are doing.

Keeping it fresh
No one can confess to predicting Google’s phenomenal success, but the search giant is taking no chances by being a flash in the pan. Routinely appearing in the news for new strategies and takeovers, the global organization is fast gaining a resemblance to Madonna, the Queen of Pop (and reinvention). This week, the headline story at Businessweek.com is a tale of the people behind the scenes, specifically creative graduates from Stanford who have a part to play in prettifying, and more importantly, humanizing Google tech. A minute but brilliant detail, given that at the end of the day, people want to know that people, not just machines, are working for them.

Keeping it real
Euro RSCG’s Head of Digital, Australia, Eric Pu, said that consumers are now getting the upper hand, now that technology had facilitated an excellent feedback mechanism. It has become less of a case of big corporations bullying the consumer, and more of the scale tilting in favour of consumers. Companies can no longer rely on slick marketing or advertising efforts if their products do not match up to expectations, as Dell has already found out. Disgruntled customers have dedicated several “Dell sucks” blogs and sites to the company’s poor quality products and technical support, the damage which it has never fully recovered from.

Keeping it legit
Business 2.0 reported on Intent MediaWorks, a company which record companies have to thank for working out a solution that may finally nip music piracy in the bud. Why rip it off, when you can get it for free? Users of peer-to-peer sharing services simply have to put up with pop-up ads in return for free and legal music downloads from the company, who will then split the ad revenue with the labels and artistes. A much better choice for music lovers than risking dodgy downloading sites.

Keeping it good
Business 2.0 also reported on an intriguing concept called evidence-based design, a technique which has worked out rather well in the healthcare sector. Some hospitals in the United States have undergone radical image overhauls ala Extreme Makeover, that patient and staff satisfaction in those hospitals have reportedly raised accordingly. It is not just a case of the more expensive the better, but the better your surroundings are, the better you’ll feel, and function.




Chia Sihan
Design Business Writer & Reporter
TAXI Design Network


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		Xavier Oon is the founder of CRITICA - a motion graphics studio that provides creative solutions and broadcast graphics to cable and terrestrial TV networks. Their work consists of on-air promos, music videos, show packaging, channel branding, sales and corporate videos... Click on picture to read more about Xavier Oon
Creative Singapore Contributor

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