About Social Media Today
With the 2010 Winter Olympics now in the record books, I took it upon myself to reflect upon some of the great stories that made the games; as it is the athletes and the stories which do, always, -make- the games.
Attending the SAP CRM Insider event last week in Orlando gave me a little time on the road where I actually caught some of the late night (east coast), Olympic events: such as Skiing, Figure Skating, Curling, and had a fun time rooting for USA, Japan, and Switzerland-!
It also prompted me to think about what we can learn from Olympics in how we champion a business forward - through identifying the landscape + terrain, wisely crafting strategy, competitive positioning, and innovation to raise the bar for the industry [ie. sport]. What I realize, however, is that in growing a business there is not so much in the way of 'practice' - as athletes are able to do. There are 'best practices' which can be introduced, and many of the bloggers here on MyVenturepad will speak to that.
Which brings me to my next woman business principal in this series: 'She Blogs She Blogs' …And who better to highlight this week on the topic than a woman who is the co-founder of a nutrition and performance assessment services company who has had World Champion athletes as clients; Suzanne Monaco, co-founder and Partner in Bioletics. Monaco shared her experience and wisdom of managing a growing business.
Inside - Out.
Tell me about Bioletics.
“Bioletics empowers our customers to take control of their health. We have done the research and proven time and time again, when an athlete has their biological factors at an optimal level, not only does their health and well being improve but their performance takes them to another level. By taking an inside out approach to evaluating athletic performance, Bioletics is shifting paradigms and establishing an new, highly-specific standard in human performance analysis. This provides insight into what's happening inside an athlete's body on a fundamental, biological level where we have identified 8 key factors as a part of the assessment - Vitamin D3, Essential Fatty Acids and Amino Acids, Mineral Balance, Hormones, Metabolic Type, pH levels, Iron/Ferritin.”
Performance.
What have elite athletes taught you about how to exceed your customers' expectations?
“You can have the best coach and equipment but if your body is not getting the supplements and nutrition it needs, you can not perform at your highest level. And you are damaging your body which eventually will lead to health issues and injury. We have seen time and time again that a poor diet and suboptimal assessment levels will eventually catch up to an athlete and they will burn out.”
Growth and Expansion.
How will your business change this year, 2010?
“Well first of all our website if being redesigned and will launch in the coming weeks and will be going out with 3 press releases in the coming months. Right now we are very focused on the athletic market (elite to weekend warriors). We would like to expand to the general public as much of our assessments and products apply to everyone. For example, women need to know their vitamin D3, Iron, hormone levels and mineral balance (bone loss) to ensure they are in good health. And women are so focused on their weight and following the latest diet, that through a simple on line survey someone will learn their metabolic type and foods they need to eat for their body. So no more diets!”
Passion.
What advice do you have for other business leaders?
“To be passionate about your business and how your business can improve your customers lives. And in a tough economy right now your value proposition has to be proven with customer success stories. Our customer success stories are pushing our company forward.”
Thanks, Suzanne. So, the next summit in your business sights, the next challenge you are grappling with; imagine that you've practiced and trained for that moment. And now it’s your chance to take a step on the podium, innovate, and let those best practices and strategic vision shine like gold.
