Momentum is an indication of how hard it would be stop something, and the rate of change in momentum is proportional to the net force acting on it – all of which is affected by its frame of reference (in simple terms, its environment).
It seems a strange time to talk about momentum when daily life has changed in such dramatic fashion as the result of a global pandemic. But the world’s momentum has been affected by an enormous force acting on it and the rate of change for the economy, and everyone within it, is significant and costly. Coronavirus is a force of unprecedented dimensions, but we wanted to let our customers know that, thankfully, we’re in great shape. The team are all well, and so too are their families. We hope yours are too, and send our thoughts for anyone affected.
We know how lucky we are here at GroundWOW. As soon as lockdown guidelines were issued, we transitioned to working from home to safeguard our employees, their families, and our shareholders, and to do our bit to help limit the spread of Covid-19. We left behind our new 10,000sqft state-of-the-art production facility, our own indoor turf logo and pitch-printing test bed, the comforts of our multi-screen high tech luxurious working areas and set about plans to maintain our commercial momentum remotely.
We ordinarily operate a streamlined, goal-driven plan, broken into sprints, so operating in isolation has made little difference in real terms – other than missing being out there working with customers, forming new relationships and developing partnerships. So, thankfully, our momentum has not been affected too much (so far). That’s testament to a great team who are all honest, hard-working, focused and driven. It’s a great privilege to be able to say that openly, about everyone. So, as a business, we are not pressing pause. None of our staff are furloughed – in fact we’re hiring (a lot) and driving on to ensure we’re able to support our customer markets at pace, without hesitation, when coronavirus lockdown is lifted.
How soon will the world regather its typical momentum? After 4 weeks now in lockdown, customers are understandably beginning to focus on the fastest feasible return to normal life. But how long will “getting back to normal” actually take? No one knows for sure, but we’re ready to help our customers and partners recovery when the time is right.
Aside from our relentless planning, and unbelievably talented teams, we wanted to share a little bit more about how we stay ready and maintain our own momentum against the odds. It can be summarised into 3 headings, Simplicity, Energy and an openness to shared Problem-solving.
Simplicity is a friend when it comes to creating and maintaining momentum. Internally, we keep our plans unambiguous, making it easy to apply the right resource at the right time. Externally, for our customers, our proposition could not be simpler: We make printing on ground as easy as printing on paper – any image, any colour, any size, anywhere. We focus on resolving customer pain points – typically (a) how to make money, (b) how to save money, (c) how to optimise efficiency generally, and (d) how to be maximally environmentally friendly and kind to the surfaces we paint on. That creates momentum in any discussion.
Energy and genuine enthusiasm induces others to reciprocate. Internally, our team is vibrant, courageous, and alive with passion for all that GroundWOW is and could be for their customers. The team is comprised of world class specialists with talents aligned to company objectives and customer needs. Externally, for our customers, our teams take an energetic approach to relationships, bringing enthusiasm and excitement to all projects. We’ve found customers appreciate and value the momentum that results from our happy and motivated team.
Problem-solving is at the heart of what we do. Internally, we celebrate problems for what they truly are – an opportunity for betterment of ourselves, our products and systems, and a stepping stone to a future success. Externally, we work diligently with our customers goals in mind, focusing in on problems and delivering commercial ground printing solutions that are fit for purpose. Being completely open is the key here to maintaining momentum.
It is impossible to say when life and daily routines will return to “normal” but at GroundWOW, the simplicity of our offer, the energy of our team and our focus on solving customer problems will remain at the epicentre of our values as our customer markets reopen in due course.
Wishing everyone health and fortitude. Stay safe. We’ll see you soon.