Here is the first in our series of Friday Focus pieces that have been written by you. This post is from John Dunstan, the Director of Finance for Interflora.
This week’s focus: On acquiring a business one-tenth our size, expectations might have been for an easy transition. The reality, however, has been that the challenges just the same as an acquisition of company of an equal size to Interflora. So it seems every business carries its own complexities and issues. And, we have stretched ourselves internally rather than take on more staff, which means personal stretch for both my team and myself.
As I reflect on our achievements over the last few weeks – technology integration, product and marketing improvements, process changes etc. – I recall a conversation with a colleague shortly before completion. Reviewing a daunting list of tasks ahead, he voiced concerns of “over-promising and under-delivering”. I responded that we needed to view that same situation as reaching for the stars and maybe capturing the moon and, as things have turned out, shedding the mind-set of a mature business – scared of failing – and adopting an entrepreneurial mind-set – failure is learning – has been critical to our success.
Off The Record: Soul by Matchbox Twenty.
There’s always something tearing you apart
It’s always so much longer than you counted on
And it hits you so much harder than you thought
But you don’t worry, you don’t worry
‘Cause you got soul
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