Let’s break the old bonds and head down the path less traveled.
I was told by a coworker recently that the last couple of blogs have focused on the challenges that Kitchen and Bath Dealers face…. so, I grabbed a bucket of sunshine, poured it over my head and set off on a journey into the happy lands where you can find sugar and spice blogs!! 
I am actually excited about the direction that we are headed. Now you may think that I am a daft dog by saying that but wait until you hear me out before coming to any conclusions. (It’s very likely it will end up there anyway!) .
Hey, a down year is just part of the roller coaster ride that each and every industry faces. And guess what? The lower the market goes the more people dig hard to make their business better. You certainly don’t have much time to focus on changing your business when things are rolling because in reality you’re just trying to keep all the balls in the air.
I hope during this slowdown that you stop being overwhelmed by your job which is causing you to work too many hours and miss the things you enjoy doing. (Ha! I’ll bet that never happens) Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of learning at the School of Hard Knocks. Looking back now, I realize I spent far too many weekends down in the coal mines to make our company more successful. Now that I‘m as old as the hills, I see that I wasted a lot of that time due to the mere fact that I was working harder but not smarter. I know it’s an absolute cliché to say that, but it couldn’t be truer especially in our industry which has always been wrought with manual processes and archaic systems. This just equates to more time getting something done than it should. Let’s look at an example and see it from another perspective.
Say your job is to mow the lawn. Here are the 3 tool options you have on hand.
- Hand clippers
- A push mower
- A riding mower
The people that have hand clippers can work very hard at cutting the lawn, but the progress is going to be slow. Time + Effort ≠ Productivity. What’s missing in the equation is Efficiency. When changing the clippers in for a push mower, you’ll find that your job is going to become less stressful because the work required to get that lawn mowed isn’t as overwhelming. Plus, you will be able to mow even more lawns and get additional financial reward. Now imagine if you upgraded to the riding mower! How many lawns could you mow now that you’ve taken your business to a whole other level by adding processes and systems to the mix?
This is where you start turning your business into a well run and seamless machine that affords you the opportunity to work less and make more money. This might sound like hocus pocus fantasy land but it’s absolutely true. You just need to sever the ties to the old ways of thinking and running your business. Yes, it’s going to be a huge leap of faith, but if you take the time to rebuild your system which allows you to get both KPI’s and metrics in place, you can finally start understanding the areas that need improvement.
I would like to reacquaint you with the idea that your job can be fun along with making additional money and finding a lot more happiness in your life. Is it hard? Yes. Most change is hard. What happens if you don’t change? Good question, not so good answer. If you do change, will it be worthwhile? Hell yes! And you will wish you had done it earlier.
Challenge yourself to look at it differently. I’m sure you’re going to find there are a whole mess of things that can be improved upon! It all comes down to your desire of wanting to live a life outside of work.
Best of luck! I am always here to help! Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
