Wellington

Tim Norton intends to do very big things – one thing at time.  As chief executive, he has built up Plan HQ, a small company selling web-based business planning around the globe, by leading with passion. 

“Passion,” Tim says, “is the root of our company’s energy.  It is essential during the journey of developing our business.  There will always be ups and downs - it was never going to be smooth.  That is why passion and drive has to go right across the organisation.”

The Plan HQ business philosophy is based on setting a number of short- and medium-term goals, achieving them and then celebrating them. 

“We are very goal focused.  We do have some very big outcomes planned – maybe 10 in three years – and they are important.  However, these big goals can seem a long way away.  What do they mean to someone working for today?  We set a lot of goals along the way because people like to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Tim says.

Last year, Plan HQ set 51 goals.  These ranged from hiring a new staff member to launching a major marketing campaign. 

“When we get to the end of each tunnel, we come out into the light, celebrate and then jump right into the next tunnel.  This means every day counts, every week counts.  It helps keep up momentum.  Most businesses don’t work like this but they can.  The key is that everyone sees what everyone else is doing.  Everything is linked to the goals and people are working together,” he says.

People are motivated to complete their part of the work because they know others are dependent on that work being done.  This also applies to the chief executive who says he loves the fact that people push him along.

“It is a very productive system.  I don’t worry if I am heading off overseas because I know everyone will keep working.  They will keep putting their ideas and goals up for everyone to see.  It is one of my key management philosophies,” Tim says.

Another is that business should be fun.  “We are very serious about our work but we also really enjoy ourselves as a crew.  Because we feel like we are constantly making progress, people don’t feel stressed.  There is an atmosphere that everything will be alright, we will definitely succeed.  Some people try to segregate fun to their life outside of work.  I don’t think that works.  All your customers are people after all.  I don’t want an environment where I can only focus on one thing.  Look, sometimes when you have been working for five hours straight and hit a block you have muscle through to meet the deadline.  Other times, you might have a bit of a laugh, go to the gym or have a swim, come back and it might look completely different,” he says.

Tim explains there is a sound business reason behind the emphasis on enjoyment: happy and healthy people come up with good ideas.  Conversely, people who are stressed are more likely to make mistakes.  The consequences of those mistakes can be serious and last for months.

“My aim is for people to be in a good state of mind.  I want them to have fun and to have a life.  We are spending 40+ hours a week together so you have to hope there is some care there.  If something personal is affecting a person at work, I want them to able to bring it up if they want to.  It’s their choice but most times your co-workers will come along with you.  I want a bit of love in the office,” he laughs.

Plan HQ is very transparent small company.  Everyone sees everything – including the financials.  What is being sold, how much the company is earning and where the money is being spent is common knowledge.

“I don’t like playing games,” says Tim, “It might as well be open.  Pretty soon, everyone will know what everyone else is earning anyway.  People set their own targets and goals financially and my job is to help them achieve them.  If someone says they would like to be on this amount, I can sit down and say this is where you need to be to get that money.  I never want to hold anyone back.  If you help people grow as fast as they can they may or may not stay with you.  Many will. There is a bond that develops when people work and succeed together.  I love seeing people grow as individuals – just as I want to myself,” he says.

There is no intention to create an ‘employee culture’ at Plan HQ.  Responsibilities are evenly distributed, people work as peers and there is a genuine opportunity to buy into the company. 

“If we are making more money, I want to share it with the crew which is why I’m always very open to giving up shares in the business.  This is beyond a retention strategy – it is actively promoting ownership and wealth creation.  It is natural that when people put so much in they want to have some ownership.  This is also a step further than the words you usually hear around empowerment.  It’s real.  There is no risk to this approach – and it gets rid of that unpleasant feeling worrying if people are about to move on,” Tim says.

For a small company which operates primarily in the United States and Britain, Plan HQ is proud of the profile they have both here and overseas.  This is even more impressive given they have not invested heavily in marketing.

“We get profile from being active in the community with our people speaking to groups every couple of weeks and sharing ideas.  We are featured in the media every three weeks or so.  500 to 600 people read our blogs every day.  The key is that we just live on customer feedback,” he says.

Tim believes that if you really do want your brand to mean something, you have to hand your brand over to the people.  Who they think you are will drive and define your brand.  He admits that he had not done that before Plan HQ.

“We are constantly tweaking our value proposition.  When people come back with feedback, we change our business so it resonates with people.  Only then do we have a brand.  It creates a sense of connection but also responsibility.  There are customers depending on us, they have been promoting us and now we have to live up to it,” Tim says.

Above all, says Tim, customers like to know a lot about the people they are doing business with.  “Like me, they want to know who and what is behind a product.  That’s one of the big things,” he says. 

http://www.planhq.com