Arveth Awen
(or Arveth's inspirations)
From an end to a beginning...
I have just finished a project for a client and therefore I have some capacity but I thought it might be interesting to give a quick overview of how I approach a project.
The first question is why? Why do you need someone to support your organisation?
Are you just starting out? Are you in a congested market and need to find a differentiator? Are you wanting to develop or refine a product or service?
My clients often don’t express their requirements in those terms but those are the questions they are really asking often it’s a much vaguer, well we’d like to get in front of more customers but we don’t know how to do it. Or we are not sure what we can offer that’s different to the competition.
It usually takes a couple of conversations to work out what the project should consist of and what the outputs should be. As I often work with entrepreneurs and very young companies, for me it’s often an action plan which they can complete (with or without me help). My aim is to get my clients to the next stage and equip them with the skills to take it further.
08 SEP '23
Photo by Eden Constantino on Unsplash
What's your path?
I know this week is going to be different as the oldest is on work experience and won’t be home until Friday.
We’ve been able to arrange this through a very good friend who works in right industry sector and I know it’s going to be an eye-opener for her.
When we start out we have such a narrow idea of what our careers might look like, with my BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Biological Sciences I had planned to be a researcher in big pharma and I was…for a while. Then came the big reshuffle where all big pharma in UK moved to an outsourcing model and each closed or rearranged sites and I was caught up in the middle.
So I moved to the other side of the bench and started out as technical sales, I had no idea if I’d be any good but it was an interesting opportunity to I grabbed it. The same happened when doing regional marketing, setting up an Application Lab, working in product management – all roles I’d never heard of when I was looking from my first job as a fresh-faced post-doc!
I’m sure she’ll have a great week, will come home completely shattered but with a broader horizon and more confidence as she takes her first steps in her career.
And if you are just starting out with an innovative idea for the lab, I might just be able to help 😊
11 Jan '23
Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash
Perceptions....
Last week there was a beautiful, bright full moon and I commented to my daughter who said she had to check the app on her phone as she wasn’t sure it was full! It just made me laugh, she could look at the moon but despite what she could see, she wanted to check. To me it didn’t really matter if it was one day out either side, the moon was still absolutely stunning in the clear sky.
It made me think about perceptions, when I get approached by recruiters or prospective clients, they’ve only just looked for a key company or at my last role, they rarely look any further, so for some people is that I’m a Technical Sales person, for others I’m a Product Manager or a Regional Marketing lead who can write application notes. All of these are accurate but I like to think that I’m first and foremost a scientist and secondly a good commercial all-rounder.
So if you need a scientist who has a business head, let's talk!
15 Nov '22
Photo by Sanni Sahil on Unsplash
Why didn't we do that before?
On Wednesdays I start with an early morning swim, I don’t like the very early alarm but it’s the only way I can fit it in routinely.
I swim with a group and we have a coached set, always with some technique drills and then a main set. Today was a very technique-rich session and the hour absolutely flew by. One of my lane friends had an a-ha moment when something completely clicked for her and it was great to see the joy on her face!
As part of my work, I have had to train scientists to use new equipment, new kits and new methods and it was always the best feeling when they turned to you at the end and said “that was so simple, why didn’t we do it before?”.
Getting time in the lab for method development or trialing new workflows is really difficult so a big part of selling into labs is earning the trust of your customers. Find out what is really important to them, make sure you have the correct product or service to offer and admit it if you don’t!
It doesn’t have to be the ultimate solution but if there are limitations be upfront, then even if it doesn’t work out this time and least the door is open for the next time.
If you need help with understanding what’s important to your customers, writing an application note or technical training or designing a marketing plan, contact me to see how I can help.
10th Nov '22
Choose a word...
Mine is flexibility.
I like to plan and have some thing to aim for, but one thing I’m learning is when to be flexible. Life happens, things change and learning when to be flexible is key, however it must not drift into making excuses which is a real temptation.
So I’m going to build in “thinking” time to my week. Thinking out loud and bouncing ideas off people can really help and I’m hoping to offer that “thinking time” to help new businesses get their ideas out there.
If this sounds like what you need to help your business grow, let's have a chat to see what could develop.
Photo credit christopher-sardegna-CMOa3H1SXG0-unsplash
Buzz words...do you love them or loathe them?
I’ve been talking to Universities about support and funding for new companies and ideas and these terms keep coming up…
Commercialisation
Technology transfer
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
I’m finding it interesting to work out how tasks done in larger companies by marketing and product management are being viewed in start-ups.
For example, in a larger company, reviewing the competitor landscape is done by product management and then feeds into R&D to develop the next round of products.
So my learning point is when I write “experienced in product management” it doesn’t translate, I have to break it down more to: research competitor landscape and collate voice of the customer.
Photo by Amador Loureiro on Unsplash
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