Business is complex, right? Ever thought that before or ever been told that?
Walk with me on a journey for a moment … a journey through the life of your business.
Your journey …
In the beginning, there was this idea that turned into a start-up business. While the world tends to glorify the concept of a start-up, having been there, you realize there is little glory. It is simply a matter of survival to get those first paying customers before you run out of money.
However, you were one of the fortunate/lucky/expert ones to beat the odds, and there was a light at the end of that tunnel where the sales started coming in. Everything was great … the customers kept calling. You kept saying yes to every new order, every new service call.
The customer wants red widgets whereas you have only made blue widgets … no problem!
Oh, the customer needs 10,000 red widgets … no problem!
Oh, the customer needs them next week … umm, no problem!
Oh, the customer needs them shipped to Europe … gulp, no problem!
With each new customer and each new custom request, a little more complexity is added to your business. You probably did not even notice at first, but now it feels like 1,000 pounds on your shoulders.
Instead of having fun each day, you are now dealing with customer quality issues, shipping problems, meetings about meetings, and add in a few personnel issues on top of that.
Is this what you signed up for?
What if it was possible to go back to the “good old days” where business was simple and fun? It is …
The idea here is that saying less is more – simplify and condense everything down to just the essential parts:
- People… The right people, sitting in the right seats …
- Purpose … That all share your culture, mission, and strategy …
- Playbook … That are all working from a common, proven playbook …
- Performance … Executing in a transparent and efficient manner
The ability to simplify your business and run in a truly entrepreneurial fashion is about identifying and focusing on the essential parts.
