We were lucky enough to sit down with Rob Ferguson, of Ferguson Interests to better understand what it is that sets their organization apart in terms of business continuity and planning as well as to see how they are rising to the occasion amidst the Covid19 Pandemic.
Rob Ferguson, President of Ferguson Interests, assured us that the main focus of Ferguson Interests is strategy, and their core operations are centered around helping a broad network of businesses execute essential business practices that drive success. Ferguson Interests helps private business Boards and Leaders solve difficult problems with strategy, leadership, succession, and governance of their business.
Rob, with over 30 years of business leadership experience, started this business venture over 10 years ago on the governance side managing private family businesses, initially wanting to help businesses coming out of the recession. Now, he is still helping generations transition their businesses strategically and in a deliberate way. From flowers and pecans, to insurance & household cleaning products- there is no avenue of business that Ferguson Interests cannot tackle.
According to Rob, there is no geographic boundary to business, as their client base spans all over the country. Rob is proud of their limitless approach when it comes to conducting business. They are willing to go above and beyond to help clients in need- no matter the geographical location.
WORKING THROUGH COVID-19
“With business historically being face-to-face, it has been quite an adjustment having all interaction shift to being 100 percent digital.” However, Rob let us know that, “clearly the new normal does not feel entirely the same, but it is a close second thanks to the technology that we do have.”
Video conferencing, strategic workshops and collaborative documentation are a few of the tools that have allowed the employees of Ferguson Interests to continue business as usual, but in a remote capacity. With this digital transformation to the workforce being predominately web-based, GoToTraining has provided a venue for training, online polling, and breakout groups. The training aspect of the platform is something that Rob highly recommends during this time. GoToTraining also allows for more personalized and meaningful collaboration with Rob and his clients.
Microsoft Teams is another virtual platform that has also gained a lot of popularity during this digital time for Ferguson and his clients. With most businesses using Microsoft Office365 and Microsoft Teams, many businesses have used Ferguson Interests to help with productivity workshops around making digital meetings more agile and productive.
Rob explains, “not only is the technology for remote meetings important for great meeting outcomes a higher level of intentionality and structure are important to have effective remote meetings.” Rob’s clients have transitioned smoothly to remote meetings with new best practices and mutual expectations of participants being understood.
“Another factor of Covid19 is that in business we need more real-time data than ever before.”, stated Rob. Dashboard reporting is critical, and Rob’s clients are starting to see the value of data analysis.
“Most clients don’t have organized data, and the current distributed workforce is, in fact, highlighting the importance of data accessibility and organization.”
Rob has been aiding his clients in using the data and dashboards to make wiser, more collaborative decisions and fully recommends Power BI and the Power Platform the help with business productivity and continuity.
Luckily, all of Rob’s clients have felt prepared for this work-from-home shift and already had a Business Continuity plan that was set in place prior to the pandemic. Supply chain management was the primary issue that needed to be adjusted quickly for some clients, but with the help of Ferguson Interests, they were able to overcome the logistics hurdles the pandemic has presented.
Currently, Rob is working on developing post COVID-19 business strategies to keep his clients moving forward.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Rob Ferguson affectionately shared that he is proud of his clients and their response to the pandemic during this tough time. His philosophy stems from being a “big believer in community leadership” and Rob is humbled that he had clients who were able to get masks and disinfectant to first responders.
Government assistance was also a critical issue for businesses. As a result, Rob spent most of March and April helping clients and non-clients alike apply for assistance. Ferguson Interests supported the community and helped businesses properly apply for PPP loans.
As major questions have come up on how to bring people back post COVID, how to manage HR, keep employees safe, etc.., we are confident to say that if anyone can facilitate this feat, Ferguson Interests are well equipped. We are more than proud to call them a partner.
If you are in need of help navigating your business’ Post COVID Strategy, or are interested in discussing organizational development, process management, board advisory, or succession planning & management, please reach out to Ferguson Interests at: https://fergusoninterests.com/about-ferguson-interests/
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