3 Profitable Processes to Complete with New Hires for Business Sustainability
Doris Perdue-Johnson
Chief Trainer at Business Architecture for Kingdom Ambassadors
Rea was an excellent baker. She loved it. Baking has been a special passion since she was a teenager. Rea is known for her great breads and desserts all around her small town. She worked as an office assistant for several years then started to think about doing something in her life that was more exciting. Her friends and relatives suggested that she should open a bakery in the town since there wasn’t one there.
Rea had a good amount of money in a savings account and she sold a house she owned. She used the proceeds for additional start up money. Rea began the process with enough money to support her business for about 12 months. There were many places vacant in the town. She knew she could rent and fix up something for a minimal amount of money, so she decided to open a bakery.
After three months of preparation, the bakery was opened and immediately experienced success. Rea was able to run the bakery alone for about eight months. She hired someone to help with the cleaning but she continued to do all baking, displaying and serving customers as well as taking phone orders. It became too much for Rea, so she decided to hire someone to help do the baking.
Rea hired a friend, Pat, who was also a good baker and gave her the responsibility to bake the cakes and cupcakes. Pat was a wonderful decorator and her baking added to the beauty of the displays. After about three weeks, Pat noticed a sharp decline in the orders for cakes and cupcakes. So, she decided to do the cake baking herself and let Pat help with prep work. Of course, Pat was offended and quit. Rea was left alone again and after a short while, she didn’t have the physical stamina to keep up with all the work required to keep the shop opened. She finally closed it and continued to bake for a few customers in her home kitchen.
Rea could have had an extremely successful business. The customers were there and the quality of her baked goods was excellent. With a business builder mindset and a little planning, the business results could have been vastly different.
The real reason Rea couldn’t sustain her business is her approach to hiring. She thought she could just hire someone with the skills she required and that would be the end of it. It doesn’t work that way. Rea’s perspective and processes were different from Pat’s. There is no way another person can know your perspective and preferred processes unless you show them. Your perspective is unique.
Rea should have designed orientation and training processes before she hired anyone. Sole owners are very busy. Finding time to plan is something very few can think about. However, finding a way to put some time into planning can mean the difference between just surviving and financial freedom. Rea could close the shop for one or two days a week and plan a successful baking company.
“No one learns as much about a subject as one who is forced to teach it.” ―
Peter F. Drucker
For new hires, Rea should do three things that all successful entrepreneurs do:
Design and implement an orientation process. New hires should be given time to become accustomed to the environment and processes that have led to the success the business is experiencing. The new hire must first get to know how you operate (your systems) and what you expect him/her to do on a daily basis. You or your best employee must carefully teach the new hire what is expected and how to do it. If this is your first hire, it's the best time to shape your culture and work habits that you want to see throughout your organization. The real point is, the faster the new hire feels welcomed and prepared to do the job, the faster and more effectively he/she can contribute to your business objectives. We will assume Rea has a Mission, Values and Vision, if not written, at least in her mind. It is important to share this with each new hire.
Design and implement a training process. Using a simple step by step list, you can generally describe the processes you use to get the excellent results that you consistently see. Once this is done, the list can be used each time you hire someone to perform that job. This list will be your guide for training each new hire. Of course, you will make improvements to your processes as your business grows, but your successful processes will be your base to grow from.
Your basic training process will include giving clear examples of the skill as you incorporate your Values. The new hire will become aware of the business principles that have led to your success as he/she learns. You will also test for understanding as you go.
Design and implement a coaching process. Coaching simply means to carefully observe your new hire and make corrections as needed for at least 3 months or more. The time frame will depend upon the complexity of the job being performed. This is needed to completely transfer your excellent processes to the new hire. It’s natural to incorporate suggestions from the new hire, such as Pat’s beautiful decorations, but your standards must be learned by the new hire to continue the success you are experiencing. Owners can’t just leave new workers to do the job. You must continuously coach until your processes are mastered.
According to Candice Frankovelgia in a Forbes magazine article, “The Key to Effective Coaching”:
“…..give it time. It’s not surprising that managers feel they don’t have enough time for coaching. Even if you make learning and coaching explicit priorities, time is tight for everyone. But as your coaching processes and goals become more consistent and more highly valued, in-house coaching will take root."
As you, the solopreneur, begin to “think big”, you will see the benefits of planning your Systems as you are running your business. Your training and coaching Systems will become regular parts of your operations. You’ll have a mental model to guide your business decisions. You will also realize how much control you have over the fate of your enterprise. Manage well.