Small businesses face many roadblocks
Designing and building a great product is only the beginning. Small businesses are faced with setbacks and difficulties that can be daunting - and seldom have extensive resources to deal with them. There can be challenges in every facet of the business:
Design
Manufacturing
Sales or Marketing
Administration
Company facilities
One simple technique for dealing with setbacks is 'brainstorming'. It is a useful means of getting new ideas and finding innovative solutions to problems.The best brainstorming sessions are where you have:
- A focused review of a major issue or problem
- The right people to involve (experts AND key employees)
- Rules for Safe engagement (no idea is a bad one)
- A comfortable, productive environment
Description of a good Initial Session
- State the problem clear terms
- Define a goal (dollars, savings, outcome, etc)
- What actions are needed to achieve the goal?
- What are barriers to the actions?
- How can you overcome each barrier?
- How to measure improvements/success?
- Assign the actions to responsible parties.
- Write it all down - Agree.
- Determine when to review progress.
Plans are only plans without action- Brainstorming is planning - but followup counts.
- Action is the means to achieve the goals.
- Each responsible person must fulfill their assignments.
- Measurements must be made for each action.
- The goal should be continually restated by all.
Regular reviews/adjustments are critical- Are improvements coming about?
- Where are weaknesses in the plan?
- What is not working?
- What is working?
- Fine-tune, Fine-tune, Fine-tune.
- Actions that bring success = procedures.
Does this seem too formal for your small business?
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