Search for Answers

I am at a starting point in my career that after 11 years I’m starting over.  Using what I’ve learned through experience, consultants, seminars, reading, and any other form of absorbtion, its time to things differently.  I’ve learned after 2009 we’ve been not only running at a break even level, employee heavy, non performing managers, wrong people on the bus, lots of motivation with no direction.  Luckily our service has been good, no complaints on quality, but that won’t keep you profitable and in business.

We’ve tried different people in different positions, different positions with different organization charts and change after change, and we’ve gotten the same results.  So this is my conclusion, we need a second in command, someone who can work on building systems, setting measurements, coaching, team building, holding accountable, and running the business on measurements and performance.

So we’ve started our search for the second in command which we are calling a Vice President of Operations and Sales.  This person will act as a Sales Manager and Operations Manager, connecting the gap between sales and production.  The accounting will also be in the circle to set up measurements, give the necessary information for the measurements set into place.

Where do we start?  Becky McKinstry from Open Lines has posted an employment ad with the Department of Labor, she’s reviewed resumes, checked references, interviewed and taken the final applicants for an interview with me.  I’ve now brought all my interviews to two finalists to be interviewed by several people, one person from my company, a referral source of ours which is also a subcontractor, a friend that knows me, and an outside consultant that can identify an applicant for the specific position.  I’ve learned this hiring process of inviting people around you from our Mayor Tammy, and once I get their opinion I will have a final interview with my choice.

The next step is where do we start, setting a training program, set expectations, and most of all determining a clear communication process for them and I to work as one.  This will be the year of profit, 2010 we are building a foundation for future businesses that we are to start in future.  We will still have mistakes, downfalls but we will be on a path of success to fulfill my visions of UltraClean.

What do I blog?

I’m sitting here on a Sunday night and I’m thinking what do I want this blog to become.  I know in my businesses I have a lot of struggles just like others.  I have been to college but there is no school for this type of learning.  To survive in today’s economy in a service based business in an area that is gripped with fear and uncertainty what do you do?  Construction has stopped an overloaded our industry with competitors by the double digits if not close to a hundred.  What do you do when you all fight for the same work?  Do you drop your prices and make less, when you don’t have the volume to support it?  That isn’t proper business practices. 

What I am doing is accessing the creative part of myself to think and plan how to take advantage of the situation.  To take advantage is to stay ahead, change, educate, try something new, motivate your people and get them to perform.  Meet the right people, develop relationships, help others, find opportunities,  and find the right path.

This is my journal of business.  This is where I put the ideas down, then implement them, then measure, and manage.  I will give you my day of successes, hardships, failures and victories.

Where would I be?

I just came back from Colorado Springs for four days of being a member of a group called Business Networks.  Its not a leads group, its a group of restoration companies that are all about the same size in revenue.  We get together every six months and go to a different members location.  We spend the first day educating ourselves by having speakers about various topics.  The second day we spend 45 minutes on each company and review our goals, set new goals, discuss where we are at as a company, and we look at each others financial information.  What makes it special is we look at everything, owners compensation, direct costs, profit centers, net profit, gross margin etc.  The third day we interview all the employees, sub contractors, and owners of the company that we are at.  We look for two things.  One is that we find as a group and agree on 12 perceptions.  These are positive strengths that we see in the company.  Second thing is we find 12 opportunities.  These are things that we find weaknesses, or areas within their businesses that need to be improved or created.  However in order to suggest an opportunity we must be practicing what we are suggesting.  We then bring the suggestions to the whole company then meet with each part of the company to answer any questions they may have as to what the problems we see are, how to overcome them and implement the systems.

I wonder where I would be if I didn’t have a group to look at another company that does the same as me.  Why?  How am I supposed to know what a restoration companies margins are?  Or how to gain market share or technical advice from others that have been there and done that.  How is my company compared to others?  This group has some of my peers that push me to excel even harder than what I do normally.  They grow, fine tune, and become more profitable each month and every year.  If you don’t have a peer group you need to get one.  It’s what makes me a better business owner each and every time I go.

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