How content helped this small business perform a legit pivot.
Kareem Drayton, CEO of Envision Basketball. One of the few people who should say ‘pivot’ regularly.
Okay, I have a confession to make. Amid all of this Corona chaos, two things have really, really bugged me.
The notion that if you haven’t used this ‘spare time’ to develop a new skill / launch a new business / become a nuclear physicist you’re essentially a loser. Absolute nonsense. With schools and childcare effectively closed, we’ve been struggling to find the time to educate our kids, let alone ourselves. Give us a break.
The word pivot. Pivot, pivot, pivot. The most overused word of 2020 (unprecedented comes a close second). If I hear one more person say ‘pivot’, I’ll be asking them to pivot. Pivot as far away from me as possible. It’s become a buzzword. Business jargon. And that’s something I bristle at.
However, the notion of spotting new opportunities and adapting your business accordingly is, of course, a sound one.
And, if there was a business with which you could have a legit conversation about pivoting, it would be a basketball coaching school.
When Corona hit, you could have forgiven Kareem Drayton, CEO of Envision Basketball in Melbourne, for crawling under his dooner and going into hibernation for six months.
Time to play ball!
The basketball coach – hailing from New York – had set up his basketball coaching and camps in 2016 after arriving in Melbourne. A former college basketball player in the States, Kareem followed his Australian wife to Victoria, and set up his own basketball school.
“Injuries had stopped me playing too seriously,” says Kareem, “so I decided to put the knowledge I had into grooming the next superstar.”
From coaching an hour one day per week, Kareem’s coaching exploded – pre-COVID he was coaching multiple sessions, Monday to Friday, with close to 200 students taking part regularly.
The thing with basketball, of course, is it’s kind of reliant on being in pretty close proximity to others. So, when COVID hit, Kareem’s business was collateral damage.
“It wasn’t something you could spend too long preparing for was it?” says Kareem. “You heard rumblings, but just as everyone realised just how serious it was everything was ordered to shut down.”
Content slam dunk
Faced with the prospect of not being able to coach face-to-face for the foreseeable, Kareem turned to content and the opportunities that technology presents.
Of course, as well as not being able to train his students, his students were unable to train, so Kareem turned his attention to how he could maintain contact during the enforced break.
“I’ve never been a natural social media person,” he says. “We posted things on Facebook a few times per week, such as pictures of us coaching and such like so we were connected with a lot of students, but we were really forced to relook at how we used content and social media.”
Skills training exercises were posted with increasing regularity, while a private Facebook group was utilised more to keep communication flowing with students.
“It’s a really difficult time for everyone, however for kids who are used to getting out with their friends and peers and playing sport it’s really tough, especially when they may not fully understand everything that’s going on.
“Of course, we wanted to keep and nurture the relationships we have, but we also wanted to help people stay positive, and show that we do care deeply about the mental health of our students, and want to keep them active, too.”
Unexpected COVID content benefits
Coaching and skills sessions were live streamed for students, with all exercises and techniques tailored to being performed at home. The private Facebook group has thrived, and Kareem’s also seen some unexpected benefits.
“We’ve had potential future clients join us during COVID because the online training actually suits them better than having to attend in person,” he says.
Another bonus for Envision is that the steps it’s taken to establish itself digitally have had a major impact outside of its traditional Victorian client base.
“The academy was purely word of mouth,” he says, “but since we’ve started doing more content and more online training, word has certainly spread.
“We’ve had people from Africa, Europe and America, all over the place, sending us DMs saying ‘we love what you’re doing, can we join your training?’ So we’ve had people from across the world signing up to take part in our online training. 8am here is 6pm in New York, for example, so we’ve been able to host live training as they finish their day at work.”
And, while I might have a low tolerance threshold for the word ‘pivot’, it’s what Kareem has genuinely done with his business. Starting with a desire to maintain contact with his clients, his digital focus has opened up a whole new client base – one which he’ll look to maintain and grow long after COVID is a distant memory.
“It’s really opened my eyes to the possibilities that exist for the business, and we’re really excited about developing that in the future.
“I’ve learned a heap from this situation, and it’s completely changed how I see the business progressing.
“I’ve come to appreciate just how vital it is to produce content consistently and publish it regularly in order to keep the brand out there.”
And with that, it’s one pivot that certainly gets the By Wanless seal of approval!
