The BIY Story - 2020 - 2021 (By Harlina Sodhi)
2020 had started on a high note. 2 years of building business, investing in building relationships, creating great product and services for our clients and nurturing vibrant communities was beginning to pay off…Our order books looked promising. The team was brimming with confidence, proposals were continually churning out and we stood tall wherever we went.
Then the pandemic struck!
Within weeks, the business wiped away! Clients struggling with their own myriad of challenges evoked force de marjorie and water tight contracts negotiated and hard won over months at times, become worthless. For a boot strapped small company with big dreams, it was a huge blow! The few calls that were coming in were to do pro bono workshops, free webinars, just like that coaching sessions, hugely discounted programs…We had a choice to make: Freeze - Flee - Fight.
If there was any time to “Believe In Self” it was now! Our value of "Abundance Mentality” became our North Star.
And thus began a tough, long journey first for BIY to just stay afloat, then to find a toehold and finally claw its way back to where it was…Now firmly on the upswing again!
This is how we did it. By;
- Staying together - The BIY core team, advisory board, community swore to be there for each other, have each others back, support any which was they can.
- Leveraging our networks - 2020 was a litmus test of strength of our professional connects and business relationships. We leaned on them, we leveraged them.
- Being true to our core values - Of creating 10X value for our stakeholders and having a growth mindset. Thinking abundance and believing in ourselves. Always.
- Focusing on critical few rather than trivial many - BIY worked on long engagement with key clients. Went deep. Created value beyond the contractual commitment.
- Building product and services of and for the future - Kept our head down. Focused on fine-tuning our business products. Redid the business blueprint. Thought growth.
- Keeping a hawk’s eye on overall value creation for BIY - Forged partnerships. Leveraged economies of scale. Digitised operations. Got recognised by GOI as a StartUp.
Numbers are testament to our statments. 1000/+ hours of 1:1 coaching hours. 10/+ new clients. 15/+ culture workshops.
Alongside the core BIY team studied for, practiced & earned International Coach Federations PCC coaching credentials!
Today, as 2021 dawns, we are on our way to “Rise like a Phoenix”.