For owners who are ready for their business to achieve it’s potential and make the right moves for next level growth or exit

The All Blacks have a strategy they call “Play the Full Game.” Which means in a game of rugby, or any team sport, the game can be won or lost in the second half. So even if you come into locker room at half time in the lead, you still need to play the second half harder, faster and smarter than the first half to truly conquer the match. And often the deciding factor comes down to the last 10 minutes of the game, so the determination to win goes right to the line.

For a business owner, the same principle applies. The most value a business will ever achieve is made in the latter half of its existence, when it is more established, a team is in place and the reputation secured. 

The first half of a business lifecycle can feel like a battle to make ground. Cashflow pressure, lack of resource, trying to build reputation, taking on the bigger players … it’s hard going … but you have all your energy, passion and commitment on your side.

The second half should be easier, but often the business owners are tired, new challenges appear, such as managing a growing team, moving into new territories, increased sales and revenues but decreasing profit margins. The opportunities are there, but you to need to take stock, reassess, consider the game plan and ensure you make the right moves to drive maximum value into the business.

For the All Blacks, the challenge thrown by the coach at half time is

They’ve given the first half everything and they are exhausted, but what happens next determines the ultimate success. It’s time to be very real about the things they’ve done well, the mistakes they can correct on and the opportunities to gain advantage

that lie ahead.

Again, it’s the same for business. If you have a business that has established its reputation, created success, built a team and generally played a good first half… it’s time for the locker room pep talk. Because now is the time to really drive the value of your business… when the foundation of good work is done, the opportunity to win is yours to take.

The Master Moves Programme has been created by business mentor and advisor, Laura Humphreys, based on her hands on experience of business and how the second half can really determine the value.

The Master Moves Programme brings a group of business owners with relatively established businesses together ‘in the locker room’ with a coach, to review the first half, get real about the good and the bad, understand the learnings and then ensure the right Master Moves for the second half.

It’s about learning some moves you may not have considered – value moves, leverage moves and growth moves – then being challenged to see moves you might not see from within the business, to shift the paradigm of possibility and light your fire for the next challenge.

It’s important to know where you are at in the full game. 

• Are you still in early growth phase, in the first half, fighting to make ground and stamp your mark?
• Are you already in the second half, feeling you’ve got it handled but could do with a review?
• Are you coming up to the last 10 minutes and wanting the right moves to go out on a high?

What worked, what didn’t and what needs to happen now to make the next stage of the game really count?

What assumptions do you have about your customers, your market, your team, the trends, the strategies and tactics on the table?

with Laura Humphreys

What are the winning combination of moves for my business?

Clarify & solidify goals for the next phase of your business

Identify & plan the right combination of Master Moves

Assist the implantation of Master Moves to ensure achievement of goals

In a way that ensures sustainable growth, scalability and maximum value to enable saleability.

Ensure you focus appropriate & manageable amounts of time ON your Master Move thinking

Give you an external perspective on the decisions you are making, challenge your thinking and help avoid tunnel vision as you implement your strategies and tactics

You (and your partners/senior team members) will know where you are going with:

Clear, focused and shared goals for next phase – exit, leverage or growth

Clear agreed milestones to ensure you get there

Clear and achievable strategies and tactics to achieve goals

External eyes and ideas on your business, challenging your thinking and adding unemotional perspectives

Feeling of control and empowerment to drive the next moves home

Faster, more empowered decision making on the bigger strategic issues

that you will achieve your financial freedom goal

Start by the reality check on the first half. It’s time to get real, how has the game gone for you? Are you winning or falling behind? Can you see things yourself as clearly as others might see them? Often the real insights come from people looking in at your business and challenging your assumptions, looking for your ‘blind side’ so you can make better tackles. We take a good look at the game moves for the first half, and ensure total clarity on the foundation you’ve built, the objectives for the second half. What does winning the full game look like to you? 

Then we deep dive into the winning moves for the second half. There are three types of moves an established business might make: Value Moves, Leverage Moves and Growth Moves. We go through these in depth, then explore combination of moves is right for you? Workshop this through with your coach and the A Team. Two days full of challenge, education, paradigm busting and game planning… with a good helping of laughter and encouragement thrown in.

Let’s clarify those master moves and work through what you need.

Smaller groups with a team captain get stuck in, boots and all, to challenge, paradigm busting and support the creative of your master moves.

Chat room antics – resources, challenges, Q & A, loom video gems (gotta love loom) hosted by your coach with a rally call to keep the game play up.

To assess your game plan and put the action steps in place – workshop the steps required to implement your moves and set your big challenge – the one big thing that’s going to give you the winning advantage for the next half of the game.

An optional sign up after round 1. Gather your coach and cheerleaders around on a regular basis, keep the spirits high, the challenge alive and your commitment to going out on a high alive.

With clarity around the Master Moves you are going to be making, what do you need to bring it home? Let’s devise a programme of advisory and support that helps make it happen. As much or as little input from Laura as you need.

When Laura first approached me about the programme, the timing was perfect. I knew that as a company, we needed to make some decisions. We’ve had over two very uncertain years with new rules, cultural shifts, lockdowns, mandates, etc. Coming out of this period meant opportunity and I needed to focus my thinking on the business without the day to day distraction of life to make the right moves to help maximise these opportunities

Being in a room full of my peers and understanding just how human we all are, no matter the size of your business or what situation it’s in. It was obvious as we discussed our hopes, frustrations, feelings, etc that we all have the same experiences, and the only difference is what stage of the ‘game’ you’re in. It was amazing to share these thoughts in a safe and secure environment without any judgement of what you had to say. Everyone was so supportive.

I’ve made some final important decisions I’d been procrastinating about for a while.

I have a much clearer plan for the next 5 years.

I have learned about the 3 Horizons of Business and that while I’ve got Horizons 1 and 2 mostly sorted, there is plenty of work yet to be done on Horizon 3

Brilliant. She laid the foundations for the workshops with accuracy and empathy. Guidelines were made at the beginning around trust and security (what’s said between us in the room and online is confidential and stays that way) and timekeeping was precise to ensure we stayed on track. But for all the planning, there was still time to freely discuss ideas, options and thoughts.

No, it was ‘bang on’ in terms of delivery, time and additional workload. As much as it was frustrating when budding group conversations were nipped, it was also essential to keep things progressing and it resulted in continued association and discussion outside the programme.

Do it. Taking that time to get to know your business better is invaluable. The chance to meet other people in a similar position is priceless and the group we’ve formed already feels a little like family. If the course helps you make one right move or stops you from making one wrong move, I’m sure the commitment will feel insignificant vs the reward.

Laura Humphreys was an award winning advertising copywriter who went on to create her own award winning ad agency, which she built from scratch to billings in excess of $15 million and sold to the Ogilvy Group after just 9 years. 

Her next business, Pet Angels, grew to 150 employees across NZ and sold to a competitor after 6 years. Now an author and business mentor, Laura spends her time helping other business owners create valuable, scalable and saleable businesses.

Laura’s passion is seeing business owners move beyond owner dependency into valuable businesses that can really make a difference.

AUTHOR & BUSINESS MENTOR

Every business needs to be challenged and also needs support. This programme challenged me, gave me clarity and new focus and also introduced me to a great group of business owners, who were considerate and supportive.

Laura is very knowledgeable, I’ve worked with her as an advisor for a number of years and trust her to deliver something valuable to me and my business.

We decided to join Master Moves because we needed some time dedicated ‘on the business’ and to get some clarity around the future moves we need to make. We enjoyed getting critiqued by others without fear and allowing focussed attention on strategy.

I’ve been challenged to put thought into action and set clear timeframes around some key drivers. Laura has a wealth of knowledge, she is direct and to the point and very supportive. If you are a business owner and needing an injection of energy, or feeling isolated/alone this programme will support you and help you formulate the plan. It’s priceless!

We were feeling a bit flat and out of alignment post-covid, we needed some re-invigoration. We needed to up our game. We’ve enjoyed connecting with like-minded business owners, sharing war stories and working on solutions in a fun, supportive environment. It’s great to know we are not alone, every business has challenges. We’ve gained a greater motivation to succeed, more confidence and back on track working on a plan that will help us achieve our goals. 

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