Ready IN Season and OUT of Season
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Being ready IN and OUT of season should be every small business owner’s top priority.
Especially, for owners who have a vision to GROW, and grow peacefully!
A conscientious owner must be READY to handle an onslaught of new sales; along with operations running like a fine-tuned engine.
A business owner who is ready IN and OUT of season is generally someone who highly regards QUALITY products and service.
More importantly, they must have a desire and commitment to reduce the day-to-day stress found in the typical small business.
The fact is, most small businesses continue year-after-year in an unhealthy, stressful environment; whereby, employees and the owner’s family carry the burden.
Fortunately, this type of environment is totally fixable!
Out of Season Slowdowns
Not surprisingly, when sales slowdown in most small businesses, the owners have employees doing non-essential “busy work.” For example, cleaning and straightening up their work areas.
To be fair, some needed maintenance occurs in a slowdown.
However, addressing problematic issues, like improving workflow processes, is often considered “non-essential” busy work. To some owners, it’s even a waste of time.
None the less, this mindset exposes an owner’s, I would say, lame excuse for NOT having the time to systematize their business.
Understandably, many owners use slowdowns to get away from the chaos, by taking extra time off for themselves. But it’s a futile escape, based on an “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” mentality.
The truth is, if they would use those out-of-season slowdowns to systemize their business from front to back, finding FREE TIME would NOT be an issue. In fact, a systemized business can operate without owners for months, and still run smoothly.
As a side note, owners share with us that, employees hoping not to lose pay hours will slow down their productivity when noticing sales are slowing down. That is also very fixable.
How to Be Ready IN Season and OUT of Season
Make a priority investment in your business when sales slow down “OUT OF SEASON”.
Slowdowns are a perfect time to FIX those issues that cause miscommunications and errors!!
However, you MUST keep a written list of those things that need to be FIXED. For this reason, we encourage and train small business owners how to implement a SYSTEM that tracks ALL non-conforming events that cause waste. Not to mention, owner burnout!
With this Corrective Action System in place, a running tally of essential things to work on during downturns is readily available. Whereby, the owner can work side-by-side with employees, FIXING all workflow issues, one system at a time.
As a business methodically implements systems, upstream and downstream in the workflow, reducing errors and miscommunications, it speeds up the delivery of product and service.
In other words, it’s important to GET ready to be ready, IN season and OUT of season!
Did I mention? Great systems WORK!
Philip Beyer, founder/president of Ebiz Products LLC and founder of Beyer Printing Inc. in Nashville Tenn., is a chronic entrepreneur, business systems analyst and consultant. Author of "System Busters: How to Stop Them in Your Business" and recipient of an InterTech Technology Award for the design and development of System100 business process management software. Beyer speaks to business owners across the country on how to bring lean, sustainable order to their businesses. Contact him at (615) 425-2652.
