Process Archives

Process, where to start?

Tom Coffin March 8, 2023 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

It’s Monday. Did you jump out of bed ready to conquer the world? The phone starts to ring. A tech calls and is running late. You're stuck in a traffic jam. Arriving at the office you learn the products needed for today’s work have not arrived. Your team is looking to you to solve the problem. NOW WHAT? Businesses of ...

Do you have a business development plan in place?

Jason Sayen February 27, 2023 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Skilled trade businesses start their businesses servicing a defined niche set of customers, which through word of mouth advertising, the business scales. Over time, the business continues to scale and you hire more employees to take on the additional workload. At some point, if you want to scale your business even further, you will need to create a business development ...

Service Plans – Things to Consider

Chris Smith January 23, 2023 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

I have watched as integrators overcomplicate the process of creating a service plan. Answering a few key questions will help to define the framework of your offering and be better able to price it accurately. Keep it simple! Seriously, one page, plain English, one price point (% of System Price), and non-optional. General Timing: Days/Hours of Operation Response Times: Acknowledgement ...

How to convey your value to your clients, builders, architects and designers

Jason Sayen January 16, 2023 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Architects and Designers use documentation to show the client their vision for the project and sets the expectation for the client. It’s also a key piece of information that aligns all of the trades involved ensuring everyone knows what the expectations are and what the end result should look like. Without it, the project will fail. Most integrators only use ...

How to identify waste that is making your company inefficient

Jason Sayen December 5, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

It’s easy to spot waste at the park or at the beach but how do you identify it in your business? I’m not talking about the overflowing garbage bin in the office, I’m talking about the waste that is slowing you down, creating bottlenecks and employee frustration. In Lean Six Sigma, we use various tools to identify waste in order ...

How To: Efficient Meetings

Chris Smith October 24, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Some companies don’t meet enough while others meet too much. Others meet an appropriate amount but don’t have a defined set of rules to make sure the time is well spent and effective. Now you do! Should we meet at all? Info Pushed AT People = Don’t Meet = Memo! Reason: IDS: Identify/Discuss/Solve (EOS Traction) Need: Agenda, Shared Ahead, ...

How to use a SWOT Analysis to build a strategic plan

Jason Sayen October 17, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Have you ever built a strategic plan for your company? It’s a daunting process that can take hours and leave you even more overwhelmed than before you started. The SWOT Analysis tool is a simple and easy to use tool that can help you build a strategic plan in a quicker and more organized fashion. What is a SWOT analysis? ...

Abundance vs. Scarcity

Chris Smith September 12, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Several years ago, as I began a more formal process of networking, I sat down to a coffee with a person who would quickly prove to be insufferable. In very short order it was clear to me that, for a variety of reasons, I would not be referring any business to this individual. But there I was, trapped. I sat, ...

How workflow documentation can help with software implementation

Jason Sayen September 5, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Implementing software into your business can be a daunting task. Sometimes we do it because we have to. For example, all businesses need to run some sort of accounting software like Quickbooks in order to pay for items, process invoices, etc. If you have a more mature business and are looking into making certain areas run more efficiently in order ...

Being A Pro

Chris Smith July 25, 2022 smartPRENEUR Blog Series

What qualities would someone have to have for you to consider them a professional, or pro, in the consumer electronics industry? A quick Google search of “professional defined” reveals a very low bar: “Competent, Skillful, Assured ... Engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.” Really!? That’s all it takes? As the former ...