Can Overhauling Operations Transform Your Brand?

Aston Martin. Ferrari. Jaguar. Corvette.

...It’s not about the money -- it’s about performance. If these sweet engines didn’t deliver on the luxury interiors, and the sexy lines of the body... they would totally fail their customer base. We expect the response, the feel, AND the function of “quality.” And no matter what you're producing, or who your customer base is, so do they.

This is one of the difficulties of doing business for small operations -- the expectation of Aston Martin quality at Ford prices. In the zeitgeist of “the customer is always right,” this can frequently become the nightmare we are forced to wage war with in order to survive -- that small and independent may cost more, come slower, take more time to arrive...and with that comes the added expectations of a certain quality, and performance at a selling price-point not at all equal to the output. This means to survive we need to concentrate on ways to work smarter, tighter, more efficiently, as well as keep our costs at their most minimum.

The most basic way to achieve this in any industry, from warehouse work to running a restaurant kitchen is spending the effort upfront in Operations focus:
Meetings now avoid miscommunications in the future.
Quarterly planning gives you blueprints to follow in the coming months ahead.
Having an emergency procedure provides focus and clear lines of flight if your team ever needs a step-by-step exit route.

Investment in the oiling, repairing, fitting, and tightening of your team and company operations is just as important as in the engine of any top-performing sports car. Every connection is essential to function cleanly, every screw tightened, every spark firing, every transition as smooth, and all of that takes incredible time and effort for which, unlike the Ferrari, you can’t put a price tag. It is difficult for a lot of small business owners to commit to the fund-less hours this requires, so they end up skipping steps essential for regulating quality control and performance.

There are no shortcuts for achieving greatness in building and implementing systems, processes, and training structures. It is an immense amount of work, and you can’t just add the cost to the cup of soup or piece of furniture on the customer end. However, the investment you put in toward Ops acts like the long-term investment of a Government Bond or your 401(k). The time and funds you invest in preparing your team, continuing their education, developing mentorships, building quality expectations, these things will build upon themselves with time. Because clear communication and expectations, good training, and marked strategies act as a company-wide long-term investment. Each participant extending their talents into the pool, further feeding the nest egg of the investment fund you once built. The more you continue your investment, the bigger the payoff will grow.

You can’t build a Mercedes overnight. It takes time, talent, and supplies. It takes artisans working at top performance, designers of peak imagination, and a team that works as smoothly from transition to transition as the motor under the hood.

Make a plan that leads to excellence. Be the founder now who will one day set the standard for your industry.