Maurilio Amorim

Category: business

The Best Business Advice I Have Ever Gotten

When I first started The A Group, we were mostly a marketing agency focused on design, print, and some web work. Today, we are two strong divisions: a marketing agency and a technology company. Throughout our 10 years in business I got a lot of advice from friends and mentors, but one tip has paid off more than any of the others, and it has helped grow my company even in times where a lot of similar businesses have struggled.

I remember telling my friend Mike Miller that I used my organizational and leadership knowledge skills as a valued added for my clients who were buying marketing services from us. His reaction was unexpected: “you’re doing this upside down! The strategy is what matters the most. Anyone can come up with design. Your consulting is what you should be charging for.”

He was right. And that day I began to put a value on what I did best: my ability to understand a situation, figure out an outcome and, intuitively know what the next steps should be. From the strategy, my team has a clear road map to the execution. To date, our best marketing and technology work has come from the strategic services we provided our clients prior to production.

What was the best business advice you’ve ever gotten?

July 23, 2012
There Are No Small Customers, Only Small Invoices
As an entrepreneur I had to learn this lesson the hard way. It took me a while, but I finally came to the conclusion that “there are no small customers, only small invoices,” as Shannon Litton, The A Group’s President so eloquently says. As a business owner, the sooner you learn that, the better off your organization will be.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about the “small customer”:
- They can barely afford your services, so it’s a big investment for them and their expectations are extremely high.
- They are not appreciative of the “extra” effort or discount you might be giving them.
- They lack growth potential for your business.
- The time you spend with them could be spent in a much more profitable way, and/or with a growth potential account.
What else have you learned about the small customer?
July 19, 2012
How Do You Deal With the Email Bully?

The email bully is my nemesis. Even though you might not have heard this term before, I’m sure you have run into her before. This is different than the hard-to-deal-with-person who is always difficult or unpleasant. Email bullies are often engaging and charming in person and over the phone; however, they use terse language and are quite demanding through their email communication.

When I see a case of EB come across my screen, my first instinct is to give the person the benefit of a doubt since it’s virtually impossible to attribute “tone” to a short email message. But then there’s the inevitable second and third emails. Then the case is confirmed: email bullying. Here are the symptoms:

Every situation is an out-of-control crisis.

Everyone gets copied on the email.

Rampant usage of ALL CAPS.

Long and extremely verbose language.

It’s interesting that the same person who comes across so harsh on an email, often will be cordial and professional on the phone and quite pleasant when you talk with them face-to-face.

So here’s my question:

How do you deal with the Email Bully who is charming and cordial in any other form of communication when you don’t have a close relationship with them?

July 16, 2012
How I Would Approach My Job as a CIO

CIOs (Chief Information Officers) have a big problem. The pace of change in technology is mind numbing. With the advent of the App store and the exponential proliferation of apps for just about anything imaginable, organizations are having a tough time managing their Information Technology infrastructure. I remember the days when Microsoft software upgrades were done annually and operating systems lasted sometimes two or three years before a new release would be officially support by the IT department. Now it’s down to a daily occurrence. New software, apps, sites, productivity tools are pouring out at us like a tsunami that cannot be stopped.

Since April, 50,000 new apps were added to the App store, making it a total number of 650,000 apps and growing. That doesn’t even count the apps that are being created for the Android devices. If you are the CIO of your organization, or head of IT your life is more chaotic than ever before. IT professionals are dealing with security issues, compatibility, scalability and internal bandwidth to deal with the ever clamoring demands from their internal customers who want the latest version of the software-du-jour that they just cannot live without. And most of the time they have a point. Why wait 6 months for the internal team to build a marketing or productivity app or microsite instead of buying something that can be downloaded quickly and be operational in a few hours with a very small financial investment?

This is a losing battle over complete control of all things digital. Most everything today is digital–no, everything is. If I were in charge of IT here is how I would managed it:

Change the way I see my job. You can no longer control everything digital. If you try, you’ll strangle the organizational growth, lose your job or both. Look as your job as facilitate change and not stop it.

Figure out new priorities. Data integrity and security are your primary concerns, but systems integration is the new normal. It’s a part of doing business. You can no longer be an island and develop all your tools internally and manage all your digital assets with the in-house IT team. It’s just no longer financially feasible.

Think API (application protocol interface). Make sure your internal system can talk easily with the outside world. If you have a simple API then you can collect, manage and send out data efficiently. Your business’ success depends more and more on how fluid you can share your data across multiple platforms and devices. Instead of thinking of ways to keep people out, think how you let them interface with you safely and easily.

What’s your organization’s biggest challenge with IT ?

July 10, 2012
Fixing Your Image Problem

Sometimes your best PR and marketing campaign is not telling everyone of about your “new and improved” product, which, by the way, are the two most over used and no longer effective words in marketing. People don’t really believe that the new and improved is necessarily better than the old. Think about it. What’s your reaction when you see a label that touts that?

Late in 2009 Domino’s pizza had a massive PR nightmare in its hands. Thirty-second spots on national television featured Domino’s own employees saying things like “the sauce tastes like ketchup,” and “the pizza crust tastes like cardboard to me.” The spots were excerpts from “Pizza Turn Around,” a four-minute documentary about the company’s two-year battle to re-invent a better pie…commissioned by Domino’s itself.

The “our pizza sucks” campaign worked. After the episodes aired, Domino’s posted a 14.3 percentage increase in sales per store–a record for the fast food industry. And since 2011, the company’s earning have soared another 20 percent to $105.4 million on revenues of $1.65 billion (up 5 percent).

Domino’s could have taken the safe route and launched their new and improved pie by hiring the best food stylist in the business (yes, there are people who make a living by “styling” food for photo and video shoots) and proclaiming their new and better pizza. Instead they told the truth and exposed its issues to a large group of people who might not even had known about the company’s negative perception.

Could telling the truth in a blunt and open way, help your brand? Well, first I assume that you have both identified and fixed the problem. Otherwise you risk losing even more ground by creating a promise you cannot deliver on.

Can you see an ad from a church that says “Boring No More! Come try out our new preacher. We promise you won’t fall asleep.”

Think about your organization. How would this approach help you grow?

July 3, 2012
The Problem With Potential

I decided years ago not to hire on potential. It was one of the better business decisions I have made.

Everyone in our team has potential. Lots of it. But that’s not the reason they work here. They have a place in this team because they were able to harness their potential and produce, create, develop and ultimately perform the the task needed by the organization.

I meet people on a regular basis that amaze me on how much raw talent and potential they have to succeed in their professional careers. However, some of them never do. They don’t have

discipline,

self confidence,

inner motivation,

focus,

goals,

that allow them to harness the raw talent into something useful. After all it’s not fair to the rest of the team to deal with a member who has the ability but for whatever reason might perform to their potential.

Do you think I’m being unreasonable?

June 29, 2012
3 Questions You Should Ask Before Jumping into a New Business

I have made a lot of mistakes in my business career. Thankfully, I have made some good choices that have paid big dividends and today I’m blessed to work with some amazing people as a part of a growing, dynamic company. But some mistakes still haunt me and I often like to share them with friends who are embarking in new, entrepreneurial waters. Recently I was talking with a friend who is assessing the possibility of buying an existing business or folding it into something he wants to do. I asked him to answer these 3 questions:

1. Is this something I enjoy and have the aptitude to do? If it’s just about the money, you’ll eventually tire of the long hours and hard work it takes to make something successful. Also sometimes after a couple of very strong margaritas you might be tempted to start a business with your drinking buddy. Don’t do it. That seldom works. Not that I would know from personal experience, of course. Remember, every day you are doing something you don’t like is a day you give up in pursuing your dreams.

2. Is this a business that can be managed better and produce more profit, or is this a fading business model that no matter how well it runs, it will never be profitable again? I would not want to run a newspaper even if you gave me one. It’s a difficult business. 75% of all newspapers in the country lost money last year. Those who didn’t have smaller margins than ever before and are staying afloat by shrinking their workforce and overhead. So don’t be lured by the idea of “getting in” cheap. Because the “getting out” might just do you in.

3. Do I really understand the risk?. No one starts or takes over a business with the intention of failing in it. Statistically most will not make it. Understand your “walk away” point and its total costs is an important exercise before jumping into any new venture. You must realize that your total cost is more than just your initial cash and/or work equity. Walking away from a failed business can be crippling, including personal bankruptcy if you are a personal guarantor for the business debts. If failure means losing everything you have built, make sure you are willing to start over from scratch.

What else would you add to this list?

June 26, 2012
What a Nomination to the Nashville Business Journal’s “Small Business Award” Means to Me
Awards can be a sign of a job well done. They can become a distraction when they become an end instead of a pure recognition. I have never chased awards for The A Group in our ten years in business. We have won several over the years, however. We have been chosen to be one of the latest finalists for the Nashville Business Journal Small Business of the Year Award. I must say, I’m very proud of our entire team for this one.

From the NBJ’s own website:

“We solicited nominations from profitable businesses with 75 or fewer employees. From there, we let the numbers do the talking, recognizing the companies with the greatest revenue growth over the last three years.The company with the greatest growth in each of five categories will be recognized during an Aug. 16 awards luncheon.”

The A Group was chosen a finalist in the 20-29 employee category in the Middle Tennessee area. I’m proud of this recognition for several reasons:
- We are profitable. We have been from day one. I know a lot of businesses take years to turn a profit. I’m not smart enough to run a business like that. I figured if we were profitable right away, then I wouldn’t have to worry about how to get there later.
- We are growing. Our team has almost doubled over the past 3 years. We continue to provide an innovative, positive, and fun atmosphere for our team members. I look forward going to work.
- The numbers tell us more than just the bottom line. Strong financial growth represents the work we have done on behalf of the many organizations we partner along and serve. We hope to serve them well, and strong financials help us to reinvest into people and resources that, in turn, allow us to serve our clients even better.
What award or recognition that you’ve received means the most to you? Why?
June 25, 2012
Leadership Lesson 1: Fight Arrogance. Know What You Don’t know
Arrogance is a downfall of many talented leaders who start believing in their own PR and fail to ask for help. I just got off the phone with a young entrepreneur who has started what I call a “socially redemptive business”: proceeds from the business fund not-for-profit organizations. I love the energy, vision, passion, and commitment I heard during our phone conversation. But no amount of enthusiasm or sheer determination will help my new friend out when he makes a critical marketing or business mistake. Unlike what we have experienced from our parents or our favorite teacher, life does not grade us on intentions, but on execution. That’s when the voice of wisdom and experience can be critical to a leader. No matter your age, a wise leader knows when to ask for help before it’s too late.

I count as a privilege to be able to advise some pretty amazing people. They are pastors, business owners, executives, and ministry heads. I take this role seriously because I know what’s at stake for them. As I think of the value that competent professionals have had in my life, I thank God for the good counsel I’ve received over the years. But I also have the scars from the landmines I’ve walked on due to ignorance, or worse, bad advice.

Whether you need a lawyer, accountant, marketing strategist, or an IT engineer, a good adviser will help you:
- See the opportunities you might not see from your vantage point
- Avoid the the land mines only experience can uncover
- Ask the questions you don’t even know you should be asking
- Connect the seemingly random “dots” of your pursuit
- Say “no” to something good so you can say “yes” to something great
- Be intentional
- Take calculated risks
- Figure out what only you can and should be doing for the organization
- Protect you from yourself
- Protect your business or ministry from a bad deal that can put an end to it
I usually trust my instincts, but sometimes they are not enough. Good counsel has stopped me from making big, costly, and even disastrous mistakes. I work with large churches. I used to lead one. There’s a prevailing “we are smarter than anyone and we can do everything in-house,” attitude that often plagues these organizations. No one knows everything and you cannot be an expert in every area of your business or ministry. It’s foolish to think you can do it.

Sometimes the best thing you can do as a leader is to ask for help before you screw everything up.

What professional advice has had a great impact in your business or career?
June 19, 2012
Advice to Young Entrepreneurs

I started the A Group a decade ago with an idea, but no capital and no investors. Thankfully it worked. It is still working and growing into a vibrant and profitable business that currently employs nearly 30 people. While the growth has not been exponential, it has been steady. We were profitable from day one and continue to be so. We have grown even during the toughest days of the recent recession. There are a lot of lessons we are still learning but a few foundational ones we have gotten right. I’m sharing some of these lessons in this series on entrepreneurship.

A good idea. Nothing is more important than your new venture’s premise for existence. Is this a good idea? That’s sometimes an elusive question. Intuitively I think so, but how can I quantify it? Ask. Ask the right people, however. I know your mom and husband might think your idea is just the best thing ever since sliced bread, but the opinion that truly matters is that of those whom you are going to impact. Often a little money, a good idea, and a lot of hard work will get you going. The opposite is also true: a bad idea with a lot of money behind it will just take longer to die.

Focus. Understand the space you’re going to play well and your target audience. The more comfortable you are with your business, the more likely you are to succeed. What you don’t know will often hurt you. Years ago, an entrepreneurial friend wanted to develop a medical building where multiple doctors would lease space. He asked advice from a veteran developer who immediately told him it was a bad idea. “Too risky. I wouldn’t do it today. And I have a lot more money and experience,” said the mentor. My friend disregarded the advice and went on to build the facility and file for bankruptcy not long afterwards.

Flexibility. Opportunity might shift the scope of your new venture. But it needs to be the right opportunity with the right payoff. Early on at The A Group., we worked on a project that did not fit perfectly in a business model. But we knew that it had the potential of using what we had learned to date and helping develop a new, more profitable business opportunity. It worked and we now have a successful new product line for our technology division.

What best business advice you have received or offered?

June 13, 2012