Doug Webber Email & Phone Number

In the words of David Byrne of Talking Heads fame…”well, how did I get here?”It’s fair to say that professionally, I’ve always been a little rebellious. I know this because, from the early days, performance reviews would mention it. Not in so many words maybe, but the intent was there. “Doug’s favourite question is “Why”?”, was the usual giveaway.That said, I managed to carve out a corporate career that most would describe as successful. I worked for some great businesses and leaders (and some, frankly, not so great) and built some talented and committed teams that produced brilliant outcomes. Of all that, I feel quite proud.Did all that for a lot of years. And for the most part, enjoyed the experience.Eventually, I was invited into the world of advising SMEs on growth strategies. I decided I’d give it a go, figuring that my naturally rebellious nature and favourite question would be great assets. Turns out I was right because without any hesitation I can say it was the best (and smartest) career choice I ever made. Translating “big business ideas”, without the bureaucracy that normally went with them, into the SME world was incredibly rewarding. I found that it was easy to see the benefits to clients of the advice I was delivering. Some of those benefits were immediate, others of a longer-term nature. But all were meaningful to the owners and other stakeholders in the business.As part of my ongoing development as an adviser to SMEs, I became, and remain, a student of business purpose – the reason a business exists beyond generating revenue and profit. I learned that purpose is the very essence of a business and as such can be an extraordinarily powerful force in creating long-term sustainable business growth.I also realised that without exception the very best of the businesses I’d worked in over the years were those that were purpose-driven…it just wasn’t the language used at the time. As a result, those businesses had developed their vision, strategy and business plans to be driven by their purpose.So that’s how I got here.I now get my professional kicks from working with SMEs not just to grow, but to grow in a way that’s purpose-driven and aimed at creating longer-term sustainable growth. It’s challenging work and incredibly rewarding. But it’s most rewarding for clients. They enjoy greater clarity around decision-making, more engaged clients and employees and, ultimately, improvements in financial outcomes.We should talk…just as long as you don’t mind a little rebelliousness and me asking “why” a lot.