Who Helps the Helpers?
Every business wants to improve employee effectiveness and organizational productivity. Yet, despite the myriad packages and processes that promise to improve workflow and increase process efficiency, true workplace effectiveness is driven (and often hindered) by issues and dynamics between real people. That’s why many companies turn to Transformational Consultants International. Founded in 1991, the company has helped a wide variety of organizations improve how employees work and communicate together. The result is increased accountability, sensitivity and productivity.

When Transformational Consultants’ leaders realized that they needed to make improvements of their own, however, they turned to Annona Enterprises.

The Importance of Integrity, Experience and Confidence
“It began when we needed to create a new business plan,” explains Transformational Consultants’ Vice President of Services, Susan Hall. “And we needed to develop that plan so that we could use it to pursue specific opportunities for woman-owned businesses.” From there, the engagement expanded to improve specific business performance issues.

Ms. Hall had worked previously with Annona Enterprises’ President and Founder, Soyini Coke. That experience informed the company’s decision to select Annona Enterprises. “We’re in the business of business relationships,” says Ms. Hall, “so it was important that we have a healthy business relationship with anyone we work with. We already knew Soyini as a person of great integrity, and we know that she would take steps necessary to ensure that she could deliver what we needed. She wouldn’t take us on if she felt she couldn’t help us. So we were able to begin our work together with a lot of confidence.”

Comfort Zone Challenges bring New Perspectives – and Benefits
The engagement began with weekly meetings and lots of questions. “At times, Soyini’s questions made us a little uncomfortable because they pushed us beyond what had become our comfort zone. She was looking at what we wanted to achieve five years out from now. Who were we marketing to? What were we were marketing? How were we branding ourselves? And then, what business model would be best for us to use?”

Once the team answered those questions, meetings shifted to a monthly format in which Annona Enterprises helped the Transformational Consultants team develop the best framework for their business plan – and for their overall business operations. Ms. Hall was particularly pleased to discover that Annona Enterprises’ approach is designed to work with clients’ existing concepts and processes. “Soyini didn’t impose anything on us,” recalls Ms. Hall. “She created it with us. She offered very sound advice and created a framework that is highly structured, but also flexible and functional.”

She adds that Annona Enterprises’ Performance Management services challenged Transformational Consultants’ then-standard ways of working. “I’m a low structure person,” she says, “but Soyini had us look at how we structured things – and helped us structure them better. If we hadn’t worked with Annona Enterprises, we might have wound up with a new business plan on paper, but in practice, we probably would have continued doing things the way we always did. Instead, we were encouraged to think way, way outside of the box – and focus on our business in ways we couldn’t before.”

As a direct result, Ms. Hall notes that the company’s productivity improved noticeably. “We have a definite increase in revenue, and Soyini helped us use the new way of structuring our business to manage our money more efficiently, and use our time more effectively… It’s a definite competitive advantage.”
Ms. Hall is so pleased with the ForeShadow process that she often shares her story with other business leaders. “If you’re going to create, expand or hone your business plan and expand your ability to be productive,” she said, “then I’m going to introduce you to Annona Enterprises.”