Lost business ideas, like intangible assets, don’t show visible value. However, overtime lost business ideas can manifest as stalled company growth!
Due to the ever changing markets, small businesses need to stay vigilant, seeking new marketing ideas, to keep pace with competition.
However, how do you keep new creative ideas, from ending up in “Never Never Land”? Moreover, those ideas that never see the light of day, much less make a positive impact on your business.
Lost business ideas are not only an issue in the business world, but if you think about it, it’s a problem in most people’s personal life. Therefore, lost business ideas are a frustration in search of a solution. With this in mind, we at Ebiz Products, always recommend implementing a SYSTEM to end a frustration. Therefore, to learn HOW to eliminate the frustration of lost business ideas, we recommend to patiently keep reading.
Frustration | Correct Data Input | The Solution
Hendersonville, Tennessee, just north of Nashville, is home to many of Music City’s celebrities and successful entrepreneurs. It’s also where Jim, one of our clients, owner a well-established restoration company, is located.
Jim and I were reviewing and updating his company’s quality control system to stop a frustration he knew he would encounter. Whereas, we were adding necessary PROMPTS to ensure his new Moister Monitoring System would have minimal input errors, when used by his technicians.
Kent was on a tight deadline to implement this new systems, or risk losing a large share of his business. In fact, the largest hurdle to overcome for Jim was how to ensure the input of correct data for this new system.
To emphasize, if Jim’s technicians entered INCORRECT moisture and drying data, it could cost thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Moreover, wrong data uploaded to corporate headquarters, could add many hours, trying to make necessary corrections.
But, for a systematized company like Jim’s, this is not a problem.
With Written Systems | It’s a Matter of Tweaking Here and There
Our client was well ahead of the game to insure correct data input, due to having written Quality Control Checklists for every one of his production processes.Therefore, addressing any possible new, non-conformance in production, i.e. input of incorrect moisture readings, was simple. In fact, with just minor tweaking/updating of Jim’s existing Quality Control Checklists would solve the issue in a heartbeat.
Stay with me, we are getting to how to stop the frustration of lost business ideas. However, it’s important to see how business systematization works.
Flashback | Building an Operations Manual from the Ground Up
It was gratifying to look back to the time we built Jim’s Operations Manual. In fact, it was fun working with technicians and other members of Kent’s team. Whereas, we worked tirelessly on the step by step processes and the various checklist prompts that told the story how Jim’s business operated. In fact, how the business operated from front to back, from opening to closing. After hundreds of hours of writing, tweaking, and editing, it was rewarding to see the integrated systems working as advertised. In fact, his franchise headquarters, sent a top management team to tour his operation. That said it all!
Organization via Systemization | Jim Really Gets It!
The real surprise came when Jim asked me to read a marketing plan he had developed for his company. Whereas after reading, the reason for his excitement was self evident. Because, this plan had the potential of taking his business to a whole new level. In fact, I could envision him becoming a top leader in his industry. Now this is one of those ideas you don’t what to lose!
Before I could ask Jim how he would implement the plan, he said, “Philip, as I was writing my plan, I knew exactly how to implement it. I could envision it working because, thanks to you. Because, I now know the power of written systems. In fact, I realized that each element of my marketing plan must be infused into our current system. Therefore, using a series of prompts on control checklists will ensure the market plan is carried out consistently.” No lost business ideas in Jim’s future!
Written Standard Operation Procedures | Don’t Forget!
As I listened to Jim, I thought about all the seminars that companies spend thousands of dollars attending in search of new ideas. Sadly, only to return the office with nothing to show for the investment. In other words, often business professionals come away from conferences, fired up with visions of grandeur. However, upon re-entry, back to business as usual, those lofty ideas and plans often fade away into “Never Never Land.”
Whereas, seminar attendees that receive innovative ideas, for use in their company, should write down all the details. So, when they return to the office, they can then write the step by step process of just how the new idea will integrate into their current processes. The reason for lost business ideas is simple, they are not written and systematically integrated into a business.
Jim knew exactly how to go about systemization, as the foundation, his Operations Manual was in place. A little tweaking here and there would ensure his marketing plan had the teeth to take a large bite out of his competition.
Jim’s decision to utilize systemization in his company is there to ensure his company reaches its full potential. Consequently, his vision to incorporate written systems, which separates Jim, from ordinary small business owners, eliminates concerns of losing great business ideas to “Never Never Land.”
Did I mention? Great systems work!
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