Marianne Hartley is building a business whose purpose is to transform the experience of design from one of connecting products to people to one of connecting people to themselves, through a discipline she is inventing called Healing Designs.
Marianne says: "Healing and design have always been very important to me, but I had kept them separate in my life as I couldn't see how to bring them together. I went on iconic shift and the first weekend was amazing as I got to see and feel that I could combine them. Being in an environment where expressing your highest dream seems doable is such an uplifting feeling that it has completely transformed the way I work. I'm focusing at the moment on demonstrating that I can design brands that capture your heart and I'm starting a network of like-minded designers in London and Basel. I've got so much business since I started. The flow of projects has increased hugely and they are all aligned to my highest values. It feels very powerful and empowering."
Intelligent Partnership is a leading provider of education on alternative investments. It turned to IconicShift when a regulation change meant it needed a new business model.
The challenges of a changing marketplace
Intelligent Partnership was a successful training provider in the alternative investment sector when a change in the regulatory system made its old business model impossible - hitting the turnover hard.
Intelligent Partnership's Managing Director Guy Tolhurst: "I was looking for a mentor and a guide to help because I had to turn the business 180 degrees. We needed direction, support, a leadership structure and I wanted help to put some business architecture in place. And then I heard about IconicShift."
Becoming a mission-led company
Intelligent Partnership started on an IconicShift mentoring programme in March 2013 and for Guy, one of the most important aspects it teaches is to have a Purpose Beyond Money: "One of the main things we took out of IconicShift was becoming a mission led business.
"Defining a significantly differentiated value proposition is also a very strong area for me and how to deliver a consistent brand experience. The architecture that forms around those ideas forms the basis of everything we do."
Growing. Merging. Thriving.
Intelligent Partnership is now a thriving business. Turnover has risen 100 per cent year on year since it joined IconicShift and it is now part of a group of three small businesses. The number of employees has grown from five to 17, the number of investment providers it works with has increased from less than 10 to 250 and it now has an active community of 6,000 financial advisers.
"We've completely turned the business around. We organise events across the country, publish a range of industry reports, have a highly praised awards event in the venture capital space and we are working with policy makers to help shape the industry. All things that if we didn't have a purpose beyond money we wouldn't be able to do.
"Our customer retention is much better because of the principles of IconicShift - people do business with us for the right reasons because we've given them a consistent brand experience. We have a more empowered workforce - they buy into the vision of what we creating. And we have a better infrastructure to allow us to innovate at the right pace.
"People say things to us like 'it's great to feel part of something. We really admire what you trying to achieve and we see real value in working with you'. People are getting the purpose beyond money, they are not saying thanks for getting 50 people at an event. They feel they are part of what we are trying to achieve. And our customers say 'you guys seem to be one step ahead and always round the corner in terms of where things are going' - and that comes from our ability to innovate quickly - which doesn't come unless you have the right business architecture and a clear mission."
Onur Ibrahim joined IconicShift to find a new way of providing advertising services, but instead was inspired to found a new type of digital agency - Commino - that wants to change the way advertising agencies work.
A broken model
Onur was working at an advertising agency when he joined an IconicShift mentoring programme. His initial aim was to find a new way of providing advertising services, with the hope that he could influence change in the industry from the inside.
Onur said: "Being on IconicShift made me realise that the agency model as we know it is broken. Advertising businesses are not structured to support their clients. Agencies are built to only make money when they over resource internal staff. Once I came to this conclusion I resigned from my agency job and started Commino."
A new way
Commino is a new type of digital agency, that wants to change the way companies and agencies work together and create value. Commino lives to help its clients acquire customers at a lower cost, retain more customers and drive measurable levels of loyalty - by positioning and communicating its clients' products, services and brands as a useful and important part of their customers' lives.
"Our aim is to provide true value and start with the end customer first in all dealings. Our clients always feel like they are totally taken care of. Most other advertising agencies think very differently. They only make money by keeping their staff busy and working them to the grindstone. Most agencies do not think far beyond the customer acquisition and awareness generation phases and don't try to understand their clients' business needs or how the end customer will find value in the deliverable.
"Our business model allows us to see and plan further ahead, this allows our clients to remain further ahead of the competition."
Innovative, profitable, focussed
"Working with Mike and learning the IconicShift methodology has helped me to plan and tackle business planning and strategy. I have been able to articulate my business purpose clearly and realise it through a clear roadmap. I no longer lack innovative ideas to keep my business ahead of the competition. I know how to clearly and purposefully separate ends from means and deliver on them whilst balancing the emotions, logic and effort required to maintain leadership and prioritise activities.
"Commino went from zero to profitable and employing six contractors all within 12 months of working with IconicShift and as a result of implementing the IconicShift architecture. I have no shortage of new customers and partnerships with people that want to work with my company. IconicShift has shown me how to be more focussed and spend my time on the things that really matter whilst delegating other tasks to the right people."
For more information: Commino.co.uk
Chiki Tea is a Japanese green tea cafe and online retailer specialising in premium grade matcha and loose-leaf teas, shipping worldwide from Japan. Founder Holly Helt went on an IconicShift mentoring programme to turn an idea into a global business.
Bringing the enchantment of Japanese tea to people around the world
Chiki Tea started as an idea and a PowerPoint presentation. Coffee culture is on the rise, but many people who enjoy the experience are actually looking for a healthier alternative. Holly Helt was convinced green tea was a great solution, but most of what arrived in the western world was lower quality and not prepared properly.
A second problem was that this was an industry in trouble in Japan - only one per cent of Japanese tea is exported, but its western looking youngsters want to drink coffee in a modern environment - they don't want to drink 'Granny's brew'.
Taking Japanese tea to the Japanese
Holly started on the IconicShift mentoring programme in December 2012, Chiki Tea was founded in May 2012 and the company moved to Japan in May 2013.
"IconicShift helped to move Chiki Tea from a PowerPoint to a reality - I was out of my depth when I first started, I just had the idea and the passion. I used IconicShift to gain clarity and direction - and that was just priceless."
Chiki Tea opened its first café in Nakatsu - taking Japanese tea to the Japanese and giving them a western cafe experience, but with green tea. This first café was proof of concept and a 'safe' place to experiment.
Global expansion
With an image built, fanbase created, customer data collected and with the support of the Japanese government, Chiki Tea closed its first café to raise funds for a new larger café in nearby Kitakyushu.
Chiki Tea plan to use the new café as a springboard to expand across Japan and in five years move the concept to the UK and US.
"It was exhilarating to be on IconicShift. IconicShift gives you clarity, which leads to confidence, which gives you influence because people listen to you. A lot of entrepreneurs also don't realise the emotional challenge - it's incredibly challenging and the tools from IconicShift really helps us as a team.
"Had it not been for IconicShift I absolutely would not be CEO of Chiki Tea, it's as simple as that. The tools are very easy to implement - the roadmap, the architecture, the perfect pitch - are all so clear and easy to understand. Anyone who is embarking on a new adventure, a 100-year game plan needs these tools."
Wealth Wizards is a FinTech start-up providing automated, regulated, pensions and financial advice to individuals and companies. It used the IconicShift architecture to make sure it built the right foundations for its business.
Getting it right - right at the start
Wealth Wizards wants to make financial advice affordable and accessible to everyone. It does this by putting together the best-in-class software engineering with technical expertise to create its unique automated or robo-advice platform.
But, when the company was formed in 2009, founder and chief executive Andrew Firth knew they needed the right foundations: "We had learnt from previous start-ups that getting the fundamentals right early on was very important. And I think Mike is world class at starting with an idea and knowing what to do to turn that into a business.
"It's that really early stage, when you say 'this a brilliant idea and there's a market opportunity' - how do you create the company that can take advantage of that? Mike almost makes it feel likes its intuition but it isn't - there are literally thousands of start-ups up and down this country and across the world that don't have the knowledge or processes to turn a good idea into a business."
Attention to detail
The four founders of Wealth Wizards worked intensively with IconicShift for a year as part of a group mentoring programme and the company now schedules customised workshops as and when they are needed.
"One of the most powerful things in IconicShift is that it forces you to put the design work in at the start. People think a start-up is a bit more loose, a bit more out there in the wild west, but the reality is you have to be really precise in the design and what you are trying to do.
"Because you've only got so much money - if you spend too much on stuff taking you in the wrong direction you might not get a second chance. And IconicShift makes you work through that detail and that is such an important discipline."
The market leader
Wealth Wizards now has 60 employees, a turnover of £2.5 million and is established as the market leader of robo-advice in the UK.
"We have a vision, a purpose, a game and the whole IconicShift business architecture. But for us, one of the most powerful aspects was getting the purpose and our values clear. I think you don't realise how important these are going to be until you recruit people. When you go from 10 people to 60, and that's still a small company, it is fundamental to aligning people to the business. Because if you want the right people it's not enough to tell people who you are, you need to say why you are doing it, what you want them to do and how you want them to behave."
Octopus Investments is a venture capital and private equity firm specializing in early stage, emerging growth, growth capital, and buyouts. It turned to IconicShift when it decided to diversify into new sectors.
Rapid growth
Octopus was founded in 2000 with the aim to change the investment sector for the better. For the last 16 years it has been one of the fastest growing companies in the UK and it is now trusted with more than £6 billion on behalf of 60,000 companies.
The company started working with IconicShift in 2015 as it began to diversify away from its traditional core business areas, into new sectors like healthcare and energy. Octopus wanted to fix what was broken in those industries and decided to work with IconicShift to create the right Game and supporting business architecture for that move. At the same time, it was also the perfect opportunity to look at the entire business.
Refocus
Through a series of IconicShift workshops, Octopus worked on a Dream, Game and Brand Experience. The workshops also gave the senior team the chance to assess their market opportunities and threats, to plan their next steps. This created a 12-month Road Map listing their goals, actions and responsibilities.
Octopus Chief Executive Simon Rogerson said: "From the workshops, we created an aim to deliver the Octopus experience direct to consumers in their homes. We wanted to be known for smart, simple solutions to important problems that leave people feeling totally taken care of."
Investing more than £1 billion
So far, it's working. Octopus has invested more than £1 billion in helping to build new, state of the art healthcare infrastructure across the UK and has also set up a hugely successful digital energy supply business, powered by renewable energy.
"What I value most about IconicShift is its ability to radically simplify apparently complex things like strategy, brand, products and value propositions without losing any of the power of more complex approaches. When it's simple and powerful it means it's easy to get people all moving in the same direction singing from the same hymn sheet.
"Our energy business and Octopus labs, which were both at the very early stage when we did the IconicShift work, are now making great progress. The energy business in particular, which only had 1,000 customers then, is now powering ahead towards its one million target which is a great result."
Russell James, better known as The Raw Chef, joined IconicShift looking for growth and to take his business to the next level, but found the first thing he needed to do was to slow down.
Turning a passion into a business
Russell James started telling the world about his passion and it turned into a business - therawchef.com - that provides courses, recipes, ebooks and information about raw food. He joined an IconicShift mentoring group in 2013.
"IconicShift put me into a group of proper business owners who were using a language I didn't really understand at the time, but it was exciting. It was a great feeling to become a person who really understood business terms and how to run a business with things like raising funds.
"When I joined IconicShift my business was driven by passion, but there was no real plan. I went on the course looking for growth and new skills to take things to the next stage and push myself forward to help the business."
Slowing down
However, instead of instant growth, Russell found he needed to slow down first: "I spoke to Mike and he said - take stock and slow down before you plan your next move. I had growth at the time, but it had come from pure passion and it was almost naïve growth. I needed to really look and think about the business and to get the foundations right.
"And that was really important, because there's only so many courses you can make or you'd want to make. I used the pause IconicShift gave me to recreate the business' Dream, its Purpose and decide if I really believed in that and if I wanted to do it. The whole process gave me a renewed vision and passion."
Business doesn't have to be ruthless
"Mike showed me that business doesn't have to be ruthless. IconicShift was very different, it uses a lot of your heart and there's elements in there that I wouldn't consider to be 'traditional' business thinking. It showed me that there's many things that can positively impact your business - it's not just about accounting seminars - you can use your inspiration.
"It also helped me to look at and assess opportunities. Everyone has an opinion of how and what you should do - and in the past I would have probably tried to do everything. Now I look at an opportunity from the basis of the Road Map, what I'm strategically trying to get done and I'm saying no a lot more.
"I feel really great about the stability of my business and how I want it to improve. IconicShift made me think about my Game, a Road Map and a Brand Experience, which has enabled me to plan for the future - it has been hugely beneficial."
Insize is a new concept in urban living. It aims to revolutionise conventional city life by helping people make better use of their space to have a better life. Its plan is to deliver this via an online platform that combines cutting edge remote design with the best innovative products that will save and create space.
Changing the way we live
Suzannah Bartlett joined an IconicShift mentoring programme in 2013 with the start of an idea: "Before IconicShift I was running my property management business with a small team of three. It was running well, though I had no firm plans to grow the company. I also had an idea for an online product and design resource for people living in small spaces. I'd had a feeling for a long time that the way people were living and the way that we use space was changing.
"At the time I didn't have confidence in myself or my idea to get it off the ground - I didn't think it would succeed on the programme. But I remember the very first session and thinking to myself - I'm in the right place."
The iconic process
IconicShift helped Suzannah understand how a small concept could develop into a game changing idea - Insize.
"IconicShift inspired me to look at everything in a different way. It changed my perception of what was possible - and that really has been the biggest benefit to me. Incredible things have happened. It's given me the confidence to go and talk about my business in different circles of people who already run big businesses."
And it wasn't just Suzannah's idea that grew. She used the IconicShift principles on her existing business, Pillar Property Management, and it is now growing, with a firm vision for the future.
"IconicShift has totally shifted my mindset on the property business. I was thinking of scaling it down because it took up so much of my time, but now we are on track to double the turnover in the next year. The team is really excited, engaged and we are increasing the profitability of our clients."
Insize
The prototype Insize platform will launch in May 2017 to test the solution, ideas and the market. Suzannah is also building her profile as a leader in this space and raising awareness of compact living: "IconicShift has been a real springboard for me. I had a small concept and it grew into a much bigger idea and now into a global concept.
"The IconicShift group dynamic was fantastic. It went beyond just going to the mentoring sessions - and the contact group it created was incredible. But, the most important aspect of IconicShift is Mike - he can relate his own business experience to his teaching, which brings it to life and makes it real. The group work he facilitates focuses on the participants' individual businesses making it directly relevant. My life would have been very different if I hadn't taken part."
Redington is an independent investment consultant to pension funds and other long-term savings institutions. It turned to IconicShift to help plan for the future as it became increasingly successful.
Managing growth
In 2012 Redington was six years old and becoming increasingly successful with 50 staff and an impressive client base. Founder Robert Gardner joined an IconicShift mentoring group to help the company take its next steps: "We were good at what we were doing, but there is an art and a science in running a company and we wanted some advice on taking the company forward. We had created a new strategic plan - but we needed the architecture to support it."
Over the course of 2013 Robert went on the IconicShift mentoring programme, but it become clear that the whole leadership team needed to be involved and various members attended IconicShift sessions over the next couple of years.
A renewal of the company
While going through the IconicShift process Robert and co-founder Dawid Konotey-Ahulu decided to change the governance structure and bring in a CEO - Mitesh Sheth.
He used IconicShift right from the start: "IconicShift has been a bridge and a language for the founders to hand over to the new management. On the third or fourth day of becoming CEO we had a workshop with Mike and the new management team, and we went back to the beginning, had the founders talk about their vision and what Redington could do to support those over the next 10 years.
"We came up with a Game of getting 100m people financially secure and created a Road Map for the next 12 months to start to build the capabilities, culture and platform we needed."
The future
Redington now employs around 100 people and is looking to expand without losing the vision or entrepreneurial spirit of its founders.
Mitesh Sheth said: "IconicShift has helped align the company. I share the game with customers and they love it because it shows them why we doing things and what we do then makes sense to them. The Game also helps with recruitment and it's amazing how talent engages with it. People want to know what it means, how it's going to work and how they can help."
Robert Gardner said: "Back in 2013 I was struggling to see how to achieve what I wanted to with Redington. We had launched RedSTART, which had the aim of tackling the problem of inadequate financial education for young people in the UK and beyond, and IconicShift gave me the clarity to see how it all worked together. It helped me tap into my passion and our clients can see that passion - our purpose beyond money is genuine."
The Business Development Leaders Network (BDLN.com) was founded in 2014 by John Maffioli and Charlotte Quince. It is an online magazine and network for the professional services sector that is trying to drive real change across the industry.
Clarity and focus
BDLN Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder John Maffioli joined an IconicShift mentoring programme in 2013. He was an entrepreneur with lots of energy, lots of ideas and an existing business.
"I went on IconicShift to really work out what our proposition and strategy was going to be - the business was growing so we wanted to seize the opportunity in order to accelerate further growth. We then took investment into the business at the wrong time from the wrong people - and it was absolutely disastrous. It took all the fun out of it and in the end we gave the money back and went back to the drawing board.
"Working with Mike I got a real understanding that you have to stand out in a crowded world, you have to stand for something and be clear on what you are trying to achieve. Every single second that people don't understand who you are, what you are doing and why - is wasted."
Changing an industry
BDLN has a mission to change the UK's conservative and traditional professional services industry into a forward-thinking, entrepreneurial and dynamic powerhouse.
"BDLN was a real risk. After the disastrous investment our revenues had fallen off a cliff, but instead of chasing revenue, we created the BDLN. We used the IconicShift principles to spend six months building client content not revenue. And having that ability to talk to Mike and say 'this is what I'm trying to get done, does this make sense?' was invaluable.
"We became obsessed with client delivery. Most companies are reactive, no matter what they say. But, if you want to transform a market you have to be proactive and stay one step ahead."
A turning point
"In 2016 it all came together. All of the sudden we got the opportunity to talk at big conferences. We are now working with big clients, organising big events and creating big marketing strategies.
"Being an entrepreneur is brutal and lonely. At times you are you own best friend and your own worst enemy. This is why I have been very fortunate to work with Mike - it's fantastic to have someone to speak to who's been through it all before."
Medivet is a veterinary group of nearly 170 practices across the UK. Originally created as a partnership - it started working with IconicShift in 2015 when it created a new five-year plan.
An evolving business
When Medivet created its new five-year plan in 2015 the senior partners realised the business would need to change.
Arnold Levy, Medivet CEO: "We were looking at the issues we would face if we grew into a much larger business, especially if we ultimately looked to the capital markets in the longer term. We discussed what we should do in various partner meetings and decided we needed an external advisor to help us organise the business - essentially we needed a healthcheck. We had heard about IconicShift and decided to consult with Mike."
A substantial impact
Medivet had its first IconicShift workshop in late 2015 and it had an immediate and substantial impact on the company.
"What was put to us at that initial workshop made eminent sense. Having an external advisor took away most of the concerns we were all feeling. We had discussed having a board and CEO before, but it had been a difficult decision. IconicShift showed us how most companies in the commercial world were organised and what we needed to do for people to understand our structure and plans, because if people don't understand you they are not going to be interested in you. We took Mike's advice because it made total sense and helped us achieve what we wanted to achieve.
"IconicShift has helped put our business into a state fit for purpose for our size. It helped get a strong consensus in the leadership team of what we were going to do and put in place the structures we needed for the market to understand us as a business. The Road Map and list of accountabilities also made an enormous difference to us."
Future growth
"IconicShift has helped us grow at a much faster pace and we have been able to more than double in size in a year and a half. And in the future we are aiming to grow significantly. We have a clarity of purpose, focus and direction.
"It has also improved morale in the business right across the chain. It has created opportunities and people are feeling they have a good career path in Medivet.
"Growth has also allowed us to look after staff better. It has generated an excitement in the business, a buzz, and not just in the management.
"And for me it was fantastic and it remains useful. I want to continue to get the advice and experience because it comes from a person who has done it before - Mike's track record and credentials were invaluable."