Rebranding Secrets & Small Business Tech Mistakes with Dianne Bunney
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We all use technology in our businesses. But are you aware of the risks involved?
Dianne Bunney is. And as the co-founder and General Manager of P1 Technology, she helps businesses create safe and efficient IT systems that free people up to focus on their work and doing more of what they love.
In our 10 Years, 10 Stories chat, Di and I talk about the journey of rebranding her business, how technology moving to the cloud has increased the cybersecurity risk of small business, the top three mistakes SMEs make when it comes to managing technology in their business, the impact of AI on business and what Di believes will be the most important things in business across the next 10 years.
Meet Dianne Bunney from P1 Technology
Relationship to me:
Client & Friend
Years we’ve known each other:
7+ years
Specialty:
IT Managed Services & Cybersecurity
What we’ve worked on:
Rebranding, Brand Story Strategy, Content Strategy, Ongoing Brand & Content Support
Interview Highlights
Meet Dianne
Di believes that technology is a vehicle that can help us achieve what we want to achieve.
A self-confessed early adopter of tech, she’s built P1 Technology with her partner Luke Smits, to help simplify technology for small and medium businesses so they can make informed decisions that will help increase their efficiency and profitability.
At P1 Technology, Di and her team take the time to understand what you do and what your people need to do, then help you build a technology solution that will take the stress out of your day-to-day.
Di is an incredibly dynamic business owner who loves getting to know other business owners and understand their challenges in the IT space. We worked together to rebrand the business and create a clear brand story that still drives the business today.
Our favourite project we’ve worked on together…
When I first met Di, the business was called Fix-IT Mobile Computer Services. But things had changed (as they do) and the business had evolved to a more proactive approach to IT support, targeting a different type of customer.
And so, we embarked on a rebranding process that involved a new name, new positioning, new branding, and importantly, a brand story strategy that supported the new business direction.
Di says –
“ Fix-IT Mobile Computer Service. Quite a mouthful, for one. Who wants to say that? Two, it was reflective of the market at the time, so something was broken. Someone would come and fix it. Why did we rebrand? Because it's not how mature businesses run their businesses today. There's a lot more foresight rather than reactive.
So, that's why we rebranded. [Our brand] didn't reflect the marketplace, and it also more importantly, didn't reflect who we were and who we are and the service that we're offering. So we had to, rebrand, so the two were aligned.”
The rebrand result was driven completely by Brand Story Strategy.
12-months after they rebranded, P1 Technology landed their biggest client and they’ve continued to grow, attracting more of their ideal clients.
And they still lean into their brand story strategy today, using it in everything they do from operations to high-level decision making.
What we love most about working together…
One of the things I’ve loved most about working with Di through the years, is how proactive she is in her approach to her brand and marketing.
When she sees that something needs to change, she actions it. And she’s not afraid of asking the difficult questions that get her business to a better result.
When it comes to working with me, Di says:
“ Rebranding was about the journey. And I think what was valuable… was that we really had to get back to our why. Like, why are we doing this? What is the purpose of our business? And what problems are we solving and who do we want to work with, and how does our brand and our name represent who we are at the core?
I think what you did really well was just ask relevant, important questions to gain clarity about why we exist and create our brand story and our value proposition so we can then position ourselves to be able to attract the right sort of clients.”
What Di thinks will change for business in the next 10 years…
A.I. is here to stay. Di predicts that those who can learn how to use it effectively will excel.
But even with the dominance of technology on our lives and the rapid changes we’re seeing in that space, Di believes that it’s relationships that will continue to be one of the most important things in business.
She says:
“ I think relationships will continue to be one of the most important things in business. And with AI I think it's, we know that it's here to stay and it's only going to continue. So, I think those that can learn how to use AI in their respective roles I think they're going to excel because they're going to do things quicker, better.
I feel like it's going to help our connections with people and free us up to have a higher level strategic conversations that are going to have a bigger impact.”
Key Interview Insight
”Just because you haven't had a [cybersecurity] breach, don't think that it's not going happen to you.
The cyber criminals are targeting SMEs because they're an easy target.
You might not have had a very big cybersecurity budget in the past, but you're going have to make one if you haven't already.
It’s something that needs to be taken a lot more seriously and it can't be that break fix mentality, we've got to get on the front foot of it.”
- Dianne Bunney
About the 10 Years, 10 Stories Interview Series
This interview is one of a series of ten interviews I did in 2024, with ten people who have impacted my business journey throughout my ten years in business.
Each and every conversation full of insight, advice, memories and celebration.
