Taking your Virtual Business to the Next Level

  Whether or not you have a virtual business, it ought to be making a difference in the world only by the actions of doing business. Virtual businesses (Work from Home, Remote Business, WFH, etc.) can be fully self-actualized. It can be making a difference in the world by the action of what it was being. I am referring to the process that a business would take in doing this, Transcendence.  At this point, the virtual business executive may be wondering what exactly Transcendence is. I checked, and Siri defines Transcendence as "existence or experience beyond the normal physical level." So how does a business operate beyond the normal physical level? Well, have a look at Steve Jobs and Apple. Apple transformed the way society relates to technology. Apple made technology cool, not just the domain of a few of us nerds. Amazon attained Transcendence in the realm of e-commerce. I still remember the days when my friends and family were amazed that I did all of my holiday shopping online. Now it is a regular occurrence. Both of these companies transcended. So, what is the process a company takes to attain Transcendence? Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American psychologist who created a hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid, there are physiological needs, such as food and shelter. The next steps are: safety, then love/belonging, Esteem, topping off with Self Actualization (If you are interested in learning more about Maslow and his hierarchy, there is plenty of information on Google, I encourage you to look up as it is not my purpose to teach you humanistic psychology). For a business or organization, these can be translated as follows:   w   A business first needs to be profitable. Unless it is profitable, there is no money to hire and train staff or pay for facilities. The investors get angry, nag you constantly, the team are all grumbling rather than happily doing their work. Eventually, the business dies; its purpose - never attained. Rather sad! Once profitable, the business must sustain its profitability, and be in it for the long haul and sustain its growth. It must then take actions to ensure loyalty and build its reputation. Then it can transcend and attain its purpose and change the world! Let's take a look at Apple. Steve Jobs came back to a company that was weeks away from bankruptcy. First, he got rid of the unprofitable lines like the Newton concentrating on where his bread and butter, The Mac, releasing the iMac. Once the company was profitable and able to sustain, he released things like the iPod, iPhone; he built both his employees and his customer's loyalty. Apple products changed the world! Virtual Business Transcendence How does this apply to a virtual business? First, just by the very function of its existence, the virtual business is transcendent from traditional companies. Not sitting in traffic for hours a day cuts down on greenhouse gasses, making our air more comfortable to breathe and helping the planet's health and the health of every living being. Also, not spending that time in traffic means your team members can be spending it with their families or just doing whatever the heck they want to do, engaging in leisure or educational activities. 

Your Virtual Business Transcendence 

The question to ask yourself is what level on the triangle your virtual business is. If you are at the very bottom, you must attain profitability and take the steps necessary to become profitable without losing your view of the top of the pyramid.  We all know about some of the failures of the first decade of the 21st Century, Enron, Worldcom, and Global Crossing. They have attained profitability but then lost sight of the top of the pyramid. However, that doesn't deny that a virtual business must be profitable to make a difference. Per Maslow, a person must survive before they can move on to the higher levels.  Once a virtual business is profitable, the next step is to sustain that profitability. There are too many examples to list of companies that attained profitability but couldn't maintain that profitability. That is why a business must be sustainable and pay attention to its mission, vision, and core values. If it is successful in doing that, it will build up customer and stakeholder loyalty.  As the virtual business builds loyalty by delivering excellent and focusing on its mission, vision, and core values, it creates an excellent reputation. Then it can transcend to the next level. When that happens, the virtual business becomes a force to be reckoned with, and the vision is attained. Then Transcendence has occurred! But before that happens, you need a virtual business that understands the company culture and aspects such as the mission, vision, and core values. When your team is not centrally located with key stakeholders and team members working out of the office, things need to be done a little differently. Please contact me, and I would be happy to help you with this To learn more about me, click here For a discovery session to see how you can transcend your business: Click Here