Articles - Melvyn Tan

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Design Thinking In Action: How We Grew 350% In One Year

You’ve read and heard about Design Thinking. It’s been used to disrupt industry giants, solve problems in developing countries, and even design a better life.

This article serves to demonstrate how to use Design Thinking to solve an entrepreneurial challenge: marketing.

Putting Yourself Out There

“I’m not comfortable putting myself out there like you.“

That was what an associate said to me recently.

He doesn’t want to reveal much about himself, his work, and his family. And rightly so.

It is not for everyone.

For those of us who choose this path, it can be daunting.

And that’s exactly what I am going to do.

Ego Gets In The Way

Impressing people is utterly different from being truly impressive.
~ Ryan Holiday, The Ego Is the Enemy

Last week I jumped on a call with three gentlemen. The purpose of the call was to determine if I am a good fit for their company.

Before I got on the call, I was feeling pretty pumped.

What happens after the call was a total surprise to me.

Keep Going

Let’s face it.

Given the uncertainties ahead, it is hard to keep up the optimism.

Especially when we haven’t had a clue what new normal is like.

But here’s my strategy.

Create With Confidence

I wish I had this checklist when I launched my first online course.

The year was 2015.

I was a successful trainer/consultant.

There was this particular course that did spectacularly well, offline.

So I thought:

Let’s just convert what I’ve been teaching into an online course.

I was already visualizing how much I would be earning without the need to be physically present!

I cannot be more wrong.

What Should You Build First

I’ve always been looking for the answer to this question.

When I’m starting out, do I:

Build a product, then start looking for people to buy?

Build a community of people, find out what they want, then build something that is both feasible and viable for them?”

The answer might be obvious to you.

But it certainly wasn’t to me.

The Risk In Not Taking The Risk

I took a significant amount of risk at three points in my life.

I would then grow exponentially after each time.

But this time it’s different.

Know Where To Focus

Let’s face it.

When you were starting out, it must have been difficult for you to know where your focus should be.

It was for me too.

Then I learned how others do it.

From BSC to OKR

I’ve been a proponent of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for years.

It literally helped me pay my mortgage, feed my family, and bought us on a one-year travel.

That’s what I use when advising schools and businesses on strategic planning.

BSC is also something I use personally to help me plan, set my objectives, formulate initiatives to achieve those objectives.

But there is a problem.

Do You Love Pain?

I love pain.

No, I’m not a sadist.

In fact, years back I used to do whatever it takes to avoid the pain.

Outcomes: Perceived vs Actual

What happens when your actual outcome doesn’t match your perceived outcome?

You can choose one of two options:

Fight to work towards the perceived outcome
Live in harmony with the current outcome

Whichever choice you make, there’s no good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative.

Here’s the thing.