As the saying goes, if it is not broke, do not fix it. While this can ring true in many circumstances, in terms of business operations, the jury is still out. While there is certainly something to be said about having a smooth process in place, long standing team members that execute it, and a group of loyal clients that help keep the lights on, if you want grow, you probably have to withstand some operational changes.
You Do Not Track Your Fleet
Leaving the whereabouts of your fleet to chance is a huge mistake. First off, this method signifies that you, as a business owner, do not have any control over the routes being used, if rules and regulations are being followed, or even if performance metrics are being hit. It is great to have a road team that you can trust, and take their word and run with it, but that is not a good operational process for growth.
If you want to drive measurable ROI for your business, you should consider investing in dash cams. Do not think of this as a big brother situation, meant to micromanage your fleet team. Instead, this is a proven way to protect them, increase efficiency, save money, and monitor compliance issues. You can review a guide on how to select the best dash cams for your fleet, and see what best suits your budget, needs, and comfort level.
Small business owners who have made the switch from chance tracking to actual tracking, often find themselves wondering what took them so long to switch up their process. These dash cams enable managers to have a level of control that both supports autonomy and places accountability on drivers. It is going to be critical that you introduce this new process with the tone of, these cameras are meant to be an ally, not a tattle tale, and something that makes many people’s jobs easier, and not more criticized.
You Do Not Invest in People Power
If your hiring strategy is to simply fill positions, then the constant, and high rate of turnover you will likely experience is not going to help you get ahead. Many business owners know that investing in the right team is essential but have trouble executing this process. You need to not only spend the money but spend the time.
Every tier of employment should be created equal in terms of how they are hired, how they are trained, and their on-the-job experience. This is going to create cohesion and a culture of teamwork that the smartest business owners know cannot be discounted. Training should be an ongoing element of the company’s overall business plan. If you approach training like it is simply something to check off your list and move on from, how can you expect your employees to be receptive to change, or rally around you when the business pivots even slightly?
You Never Review Your Budget
Before you even opened your business, assumably you had a detailed business plan that included a budget. Too many business owners allow that original budget to transition with them through various stages of ups and downs, and that is a mistake. One of the best ways to reduce expenses for any small business is to review the budget often.
If you are not already diligently tracking expenses, you need to start there. Once you have a formal understanding of cash coming in and cash going out, you can tweak your larger budgetary process. Looking at a large number of ‘this is what the business spends in a month’ is not enough, and makes it way too easy miss little, specific, and sometimes reoccurring expenses that could be costing you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
You Resist Technology
Fear of technology is incredibly common, and certainly valid. It can be really intimidating to see things like artificial intelligence popping onto the scene and have no clue what half the associated words mean, let alone how you would ever work that into your specific business operations. However, ignoring the role that tech can play in boosting your business into the future leaves you vulnerable to being swallowed up by competitors who have no such fear.
This might be a good example of an opportunity to bring in a consultant. Someone who’s entire career objective is to bring reluctant business owners up to speed in terms of technology. Research how to find the right consultant and meet with a few. This is potentially someone that you personally will be spending a lot of time with, but who will also be spending time with your staff, and trust, and a good rapport needs to be established so that you have something to lean on during the tricky times of this changeover.