Passion filled execution backed by a purpose-driven mentality is the key to growth according to  Cameron Northway, CEO and Founder of Sweet&Chilli Australia and US.

As head of the global drinks, events and experiential agency whose client list includes a who’s who of genuine celebrities like The Rolling Stones alongside reality stars such as Kourtney Kardashian Northway is responsible for ensuring the success of both personal and business brands. He counts Diageo and Schweppes as well as Cocktail Porter Australia and UK amongst his clients, and says what constitutes success is a constantly moving target. However implementing a fit-for-purpose framework promotes productivity and evolution.

3 lessons to chart a path towards growth

Lesson one: integrate new opportunities to existing operations

Regardless of what industry you’re in, integrating new opportunities to your business is critical to growth. Without innovation, you run the risk of stagnation; diversity is key. It’s blatant common knowledge that your world can be flipped overnight thanks to the pandemic-fuelled year that was 2020. For Cameron, this meant a knee-jerk response in expansion; he launched a content, digital and production agency, complementing his AU and USA-based events and experiential company, Sweet&Chilli. The investment in people meant his team of 40 were cross and upskilled and the ROI significantly increased, creating a more integrated and productive workplace rather than the previously siloed departments.

Lesson two: invest in growth

Generating new business is essential for growth, however can be challenging to maintain particularly when the future is unknown. For Cameron, a large financial investment was his saving grace to sustaining Cocktail Porter, which skyrocketed with a 200% growth through the nationwide lockdowns. The funds were injected into hiring the right digital and logistics specialists, which has maintained the growth well into 2021. The investment into growth also saw Cocktail Porter launch into the UK in June last year, with plans to launch into the US early 2022.

Lesson three: put an emphasis on company culture

In today’s economy, the need for differentiation is linked to a company’s culture with identity, retention and image underlying operations. While there is no single scoring guide for a “correct” culture, business-owners should be consistent and strong in their set of values in order to remain competitive. According to Cameron, it’s critical for culture to be shaped and instilled by leadership early in the game in order to become ingrained standards that don’t get lost with growth.

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