Be willing to change.

Without being willing to change we don’t allow growth. Be willing to be changed by your experiences.

I have been doing branding for the last 17 years and sadly I’ve seen plenty of companies come and go.

The problem is, with any market, it changes. Society evolves, trends come and go and change frequently. Unless you are willing to change and adapt as a company, you will soon be pushed out of the market place labelled as irrelevant.

The largest companies in the world know that nothing is guaranteed. That is why you see them change and adapt.

McDonalds is a perfect example. Fast food was the trend, and they smashed it. They dominated the market for so long. They had established their brand as a household name, and when you thought of McDonalds, you thought of cheap food that is served immediately. I remember as a kid, hoping that they took longer than 3 minutes to serve my food, so that I could complain and get a free cheeseburger as compensation for my inconvenience.

They dominated the market for so long, but society and food culture began to change. People started to care about what they put in their bodies. The ‘fast food’ industry started to get a bad name, for serving cheap processed meat and being responsible for the obesity problems we were seeing in young people across the world.

At first McDonalds brought in subtle changes. They started offering fruit bags for dessert, and salad bags instead of chips.

Next came the commitment to use 100% British beef, and not mix meats. They started using free range eggs and improving the quality of the chicken in their chicken nuggets.

Then they scrapped the idea of giving free food if they don’t serve your food in a certain amount of time. They started telling their customers that they are not a fast food restaurant anymore, they are a restaurant. Obviously with all of their meals less than £10, and most food pre-prepared, we still consider them fast-food.

Next came the renovated stores. In 2014 they invested over $1billion in renovating their 35,429 restaurants in America, and indeed continued to do so across the world.

They reduced the use of the bright yellow and red colours, and brought in the more relaxed greens and browns in the restaurants, still keeping their iconic ‘Golden Arches’ in red and yellow.

They now have a full range of healthier options on their menus. They have invested time and money in their staff recruitment strategies, and policies, trying to re-write the stigma that is attached to working at McDonalds.

They have adapted, changed and evolved with their market. They were willing to change! They are growing and still selling franchises.

Change can cost money, and be a painful process. Managing change and growth is critical to your business, so ensure you have the right people in position to help you do that.

Don’t be scared to invest in business consultancy that will help you plan, prepare and manage your change and growth.

Learn and be willing to be changed by your experiences.