Darn Near Perfect Business
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What would a “darn near perfect” business look like? Most owners would envision a business that would run without them having to be there.
Moreover, a profitable growing business that allows the owner to come and go whenever they please.
Yep, that’s tantamount to owning a golden goose, laying golden eggs daily.
Okay, but what about an existing owner, with a business that’s NOT SO PERFECT?
For example, those small business owners unable to leave their facilities, without things falling apart. Or owners doing extra work, buying time to sneak away for a while.
Unfortunately, for those owners, they don’t feel like an owner, they just own a difficult JOB. In other words, THE BUSINESS OWNS THEM! For some, they are on a fast track to burnout.
How do I know this?
When first starting a small print shop in 1988, visions of financial and personal freedom danced around my naïve head. As with all dreams, reality paid an early visit that put those dreams on hold.
However, being a character who doesn’t easily give up — one who sought answers to how to build a darn near perfect business — the dream stayed alive. Admittedly, burning with only a small ember of hope.
Thank God for friends and customers who will speak TRUTH!
It’s all documented in the book, 'System Busters: How to Stop Them in Your Business.'
Zero Defects – The Goal of “Darn Near Perfect”
When listening to or reading books by those who have achieved a darn near perfect business, the one word mentioned repeatedly is SYSTEM. They learned that without a comprehensive business system, a business will NEVER get close to zero defects. To be blunt, a darn near perfect business without systems is an illusion.
Considering this, many business owners and managers only look for quick-fix solutions/software that TRACKS jobs and/or services. Unfortunately, they leave the QUALITY of those jobs and services to mere happenstance.
The right solution does BOTH; it tracks the job or service, and tracks all performance of work.
No matter how comprehensive a tracking system may be; without addressing and tracking the quality of performance of jobs and services, a business will never achieve “darn near perfect,” much less, zero defects.
Therefore, to achieve a darn near perfect business, an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) system is a MUST-HAVE. I’m talking about a system that tracks AND leaves nothing to chance in ALL areas of operations, and the performance of ALL work.
Did I mention? Great systems work darn near perfectly!
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.
