A confession.
I have a photograph of myself standing in front of a pull-up banner.
Actually, I have several.
Some have even appeared in newspapers.
So if you’re reading this while looking nervously at your own collection of “business owner stands beside company logo” photos, don’t worry. You’re among friends.
The reason I mention it is because I was reading recently about the increasingly theatrical world of stock market flotations. These days, IPOs aren’t just financial announcements. They’re events. Bells get rung. Founders become celebrities for the day. Entire media campaigns are built around what is, at its heart, a company selling shares.
Nobody seems remotely embarrassed by any of this.
And why would they be?
Because the people behind these launches understand a simple truth: People don’t share spreadsheets. They share spectacles.
Nobody forwards a balance sheet to a friend because it’s exciting. Nobody rushes home and tells their partner about a quarterly earnings report.
But ring a giant bell on Wall Street, livestream the moment, plaster giant screens across Times Square and suddenly people are paying attention.
The milestone matters. The numbers matter. But the thing people remember is usually the moment.
That’s where many smaller businesses go wrong.
Every week I see companies achieving genuinely impressive things.
They move into bigger premises. They win major contracts. They recruit new team members. They celebrate significant anniversaries. They hit revenue milestones that would have seemed impossible when they were working from a spare bedroom with a laptop and a dream.
Then comes the announcement. Then comes the photograph. Then comes the inevitable shot of three people standing awkwardly in front of a logo.
At this point, I’m convinced there are businesses where the most productive member of staff is the pull-up banner.
What makes this so frustrating is that most SMEs already have better stories than the IPO crowd. Their stories involve real risk, real sacrifice and real people. They involve founders remortgaging homes, employees taking chances, customers showing loyalty and teams overcoming setbacks.
The story isn’t the problem. The reveal often is.
Most businesses announce milestones as though they’re filing a tax return.
The IPO crowd announce milestones as though they’re launching a rock band.
Now, before anyone accuses me of suggesting every office move should involve fireworks, confetti cannons and a celebrity appearance, that’s not the point.
The point is that too many businesses spend years achieving something remarkable and about ten minutes deciding how to announce it.
A company reaches its tenth anniversary. Fine. Where’s the giant birthday cake?
A business recruits its 50th employee. Great. Where are the other 49?
A founder lands their 1,000th customer. Brilliant. Can customer number one come back for the photograph?
A company moves into larger premises. Excellent. Can we do something more imaginative than standing outside the front door looking pleased with ourselves?
A business wins a major contract. Fantastic. Can we show what that contract actually means rather than simply announcing it?
Somewhere between “three people standing by a pull-up banner” and “ringing a giant bell on Wall Street” lies the sweet spot.
The businesses that consistently attract attention tend to ask a different question.
Not: “What’s the press release?”
But: “What’s the picture?”
What’s the moment? What’s the thing that would make somebody stop scrolling, stop walking past or stop turning the page?
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth. Your announcement isn’t competing against other announcements.
It’s competing against football scores, celebrity gossip, breaking news, dog videos and whatever argument is currently raging on social media.
A pull-up banner isn’t winning that fight.
That doesn’t mean you need a Wall Street budget. It doesn’t mean you need a marching band. It doesn’t even mean you need a giant bell.
Although I’d fully support somebody in Nottingham giving that a go. It simply means putting as much thought into the reveal as you do into the achievement itself.
Because people don’t share spreadsheets. They share spectacles.
And the businesses that understand that tend to get talked about far more than the ones standing quietly in reception next to a logo.
GS