Are you spending too many weekends stuck in your business?
The main reason why most business owners become overwhelmed by their businesses is that growth creeps up on them and they are completely unprepared for it. To grow successfully, businesses need to effect a major transformation in their operations. Business owners need to let go of operations and get other people to do things that they used to do. At the same time they need to remain in control. Many fail to successfully navigate this transformation. Some fail to let go. Others let go, but fail to stay in control.
According to Thabo Nkalane from the National Productivity Institute (NPI), the biggest mistake made by entrepreneurs when it comes to operations is not having adequate measurements in place.
Palash Moodley, owner of Olympia International Paints, says that training is key to letting go. "Many business owners expect that someone will get the job done as well as they do, first time. I allow my staff to make mistakes without serious repercussions. Rather, I counsel and train." Moodley adds: "In the early days, a small business focuses on high levels of service. As the business grows, the business owner needs to move from being hands-on to focusing on administration. Often, business owners don t want to go forwards because they fear mistakes.
"What we did years ago was embark on a program of multi-skilling. Now, a paint operator can work in distribution, for example. This means the business can operate at the same or even better levels of service even without the business owner being directly involved." But the way that she remains in control is through planning and measurement. "I have a five-year plan," says Moodley. "I look at what I want to achieve and the operational capability I need. This guides my decision-making. If you can t measure, you can t manage it. You need to have measurements for each of your key systems to stay on top of things."
Charles Rickens, co-owner of Rovic and Leers, says that many business owners get too bogged down in the nitty gritty of their operations, which need to be firmly rooted in the strategy of the business. "Once a year we reflect on our business, where we want to go and how we will achieve that. We measure our production and production costs on a weekly basis. When we achieve targets, we set new targets in small steps so that we are continually improving."
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