23
November
2022
In the second part of a series of articles, The Gameplan’s Jim Overend encourages you to get back to basics… Don’t let challenging economic times set off ‘shiny object syndrome’ at your club. Weathering the incoming storm requires clubs to do the basics well before even considering adding new initiatives and income streams to their offering. Commercial sports expert and founder of The Gameplan Jim Overend has helped businesses and professional sports clubs achieve record incomes. He says the secret to success is a simple one: “It’s about getting the basics right. As a manager it’s common to get caught up in the daily grind and be focused on everything you need or want to do without checking you’ve got the key components in place to deliver. “Going back to basics is central to building a successful business. Without strong foundations, how can you expect to grow? Dedicating time to reviewing your club set-up over these darker months is time well spent and will pay dividends as you look to survive or thrive in the tough months ahead.” Jim’s free Gameplan Fitness Test helps you take a snapshot of your club’s operations and structure and flag areas that need more work. Covering areas including Vision, Mission & Objectives, Culture, Performance, Meetings & Appraisals, Incentives and Strategy you’ll be able to quickly see where your gaps are. “I’m yet to meet a business that can tick all boxes at the start, but by answering honestly you’ll get an important baseline to build on – no more burying your head in the sand!” According to Jim, the areas most businesses fall down on are; being clear about your vision, knowing what your competitors are doing, and understanding your commercials. “You need to know where you’re headed in order to map out a plan to get there. And you need everyone to be on board to achieve that vision - from your leadership team to staff and members. This means having difficult conversations and asking for honest feedback. “By doing competitor research you’ll be able to identify new commercial opportunities and really nail down your USP as a club. Are you solely about golf, or are you an events destination? “And when was the last time you really looked at your commercials? Where is most of your money coming from, and what’s the profit on that? Are there better ways to earn cash elsewhere? Clubs should have a three to five-year commercial plan and go hard on the detail. “Unless you’re clear on all this as a board and leadership team you’ll fail because it’s your job to bring everyone else along on that journey. You need to focus on building a lasting legacy with systems that will see your club prosper for years to come. All it takes is one bad management team to kill a club.” Want to know how your club measures up? Take the bespoke Gameplan Fitness Test for Golf by clicking here. It takes just five to 10... Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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