Companies must develop a clear vision and have a strong brand in order to foster growth and success in these trying times, a marketing consultant advises Filipino entrepreneurs.

“A clear vision and a strong brand can bring your businesses to the next level,” said Cherry Kho, brand strategist and consultant at Manila-based branding design agency Bluethumb Creatives.

Kho, speaking at the Philippine Franchise Association’s general membership meeting on February 13, said 2020 has started off a new decade that is filled with uncertainty, and to navigate successfully, companies need a clear vision in order to choose the best direction to take.

To do this, she said entrepreneurs must first look back and ask themselves: “What have I been spending all of my time and energy on? And am I happy with what I’ve achieved?”

She added that they must also look ahead and really define what success looks like for them and their company.

More importantly, Kho said, businesses must ask themselves what actions they and their people have been taking, and if these are contributing to the organization’s success.

She said that through self-introspection a company can become motivated to solve bigger challenges and align its values.

Kho noted that the way to find a clear vision is “to look inside yourself and think about what success means to you.” And once you know this, “you can use this compass to help guide and inspire yourself and your people.”

As examples of those with clear vision, she cited NASA, which defined success as landing on the moon, and Microsoft, which envisioned putting a computer in every home.

Kho pointed out that companies may have a vision, but their employees may not understand or even believe it.

“So when there is a lack of clarity in work stations, leaders and their people tend to focus on busyness rather than building their business,” leading to short-term solutions and the possibility of failure.

“If you’re not clear on what made you succeed in the first place, then you may end up wasting your time, energy and resources on things that look like opportunities but are really just distractions,” she added.

“A clear vision with intentional actions can change your world. It’s like switching on a light bulb when you have a clear and defined vision, because your people will now have more confidence in knowing what are the best plans and executions for your brand.”
She urged entrepreneurs to create a work environment where decisions made are aligned and actions are intentional.

“Business has a lot of moving parts. You need to manage your products, your people, your franchise, your customer experience, your image. But having a strong brand can help you unify them… It starts with a clear vision from the leaders… backed by clear vision and intentional actions,” she concluded.