Enl Case Study

Serial Entrepreneur, author and founder of the Entreprenaissance Movement, Creel Price,
recounts a time when creativity was needed to fake it to make it. Within months of opening our
marketing business, yet without a client, we secured the opportunity to pitch to one of the major
Australian banks. After a well-received presentation in their office, they indicated we could have
their business but first they wanted to check out our operation. We had 18 hours to miraculously
convert our exhausted, disheveled office into something that could even remotely back up our
loose-lipped assertion of ‘state of the art’. We needed a makeover. . .fast! A plan that has since
been dubbed ‘Operation Hollywood Set’ was swung into action. We couldn’t pass up the
opportunity for our two-bit company to achieve a major bank as a client, so we decided to roll
the dice and spend every last remaining dollar to hire all the furniture and technology we
needed to look huge. We’d either get rich, or go broke. Delegating the tasks, we sent someone
to buy second-hand computer monitors for all the desks. This way we’d at least look like we had
a technology-enabled business, albeit we hoped they wouldn’t notice there were no hard drives
attached. Someone else started hiring enough temporary staff to create the buzzing atmosphere
of a thriving business. Next, we had to make the place look less drab and dingy. Someone was
assigned to hire plants and paintings to take the bank team’s eyes away from the holes in the
carpet and the tangle of cables dangling down everywhere. Our masterstroke was
commandeering the vacant office next door and turning it into ‘our boardroom’. A huge, shiny
new mahogany-coloured table and plush black leather chairs were ordered for the day and my
grandfather’s battered old dining table was relegated to the scrap heap. The next day, our
adrenalin levels were off the charts. You could smell the electric excitement in the air. Van after
van after van arrived to deliver our props and we felt like the directors of a blockbuster movie
about to start filming. With our set ready and our extras in place, all we needed now were the
stars – our prospective client team. Welcoming them into our ‘call centre’, the illusion looked
perfect. And with the confidence it gave us, we secured the deal. It took us a few years to fess
up to our client that we had conducted ‘Operation Hollywood Set’ in their honour. He responded
without surprise: ‘I figured as much because the next time I turned up to your office the cool
furniture had disappeared! Yet, putting our best foot forward had worked for both of us. We
helped our client build a significant client segment over a decade and they morphed into a
twenty-million-dollar-a-year client for us. In business, it’s times like these – when you back
yourself and gamble everything on one roll of the dice – that become your fondest memories.
Yes, we used a hell of a lot of front to win a client, but we had complete confidence in our ability
to deliver a fantastic job providing they didn’t judge us merely on our looks. Now with more grey
hair than youthful enthusiasm, I think the key to ‘faking it until you make it’ is much more than
staying within the lines of the law. There is a moral code in business that must be obeyed so
that you can build a brand and culture that has lasting integrity. For me, the key is to satisfy the
self-mirror test. If you are confronted with an opportunity to express some overzealous front, first
look yourself in the mirror and only proceed if you can be sure that you will have respect for the
person who looks back at you now, as well as in the future.
QUESTIONS
1 What model of opportunity was this venture following and what was creative and
innovative about their actions?
In this case, the model of opportunity they used was the Alertness model of the market
opportunity where they thought of the very unique way to earn the trust of the client through the
innovative. It assumes that the opportunity are out therealready in existence and waiting to be
discovered. Their creativity enabled them togettheir first client by using a bit of window dressing
to show that they were more established than they actually were. This created the right first and
helped to secure the client .
2 What would define the creativity in this case as lateral thinking?
Lateral thinking is concerned with the generation of new ideas.it is also concerned with breaking
out of the concept of prisons of the old ideas and use information not for its own sake but for its
effect. In order to achieve an innovative and correct solution ,lok for what is different ,makes
deliberate jumps ,welcomes chances intrusions explores the least likely directions.they
welcomes this challenge and welcomes “chance intrusions ” that were seen not just as a
problem ,but an opportunity to tip the job their way.they made deliberate jumps and changes.
3 What arenas of creativity are exhibited in this case?
The creativity start with the recoginizing and identifying the way in which you are creative.there
are the seven areas of creativity which are idea,material,organization,relationship,and event
inner creativity.In this case the creativity exhibit are the
1.event creativity:such as creating an event and decorating the event.
2.IDEA CREATIVITY:make an idea to redecorate the business.
3.ORGANISATION CREATIVITY: hire people to work in organisation in an innovative manner
and build a business with the new start up or redecorate.
4 Is this case creative or just plain deceptive? Justify your answer and discuss any
ethical dilemma.
A business start with the creative idea. In this case a business redecoration and rebuilding of
the business shown.Often business are run from home a the lounge or bedroom is the office for
company.They then try to make the business appear more legitimate by using things.Some
people would argue that this may be unethical, entrepreneurs would argue that this is just
necessity.

Enl Case Study

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Enl Case Study

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Enl Case Study

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Serial Entrepreneur, author and founder of the Entreprenaissance Movement, Creel Price,

You might also like