Dan & Ian: “What Operating System Powers Your Business” – MicroConf Europe 2013

The MicroConf Europe 2013 Hub Page with all the information can be found here Speakers: Dan Andrews (@TropicalMBA) / Ian (@AnythingIan)

Get the SOD and a lot more information over here.

Background Story

• Just 2 normal guys back in 2005
• We believed that building a successful business would set us free

Started in 2008

• Pre-Sold equipment for valet agents with no design, no manufacturing
• Now biggest manufacturer of valet equipment
• Then started cat furniture business
• Then started portable bar company
• Now doing ValetUp.com – a SaaS application

Perception of career choice by family

• 2007 – Crazy
• 2008 – Crazier
• 2009 – Lost it
• 2010 – Potentially gone forever
• 2011 – What is it that you do again?
• 2012 – …..

How can we help?

• How we cut our internal email volume by 30-50%
• How you can create a business that serves you instead of the other way around
• How to manage a team of 14 with just a few phone calls a week
• How hiring decision can be easy to make and manage

Excuses not to hire

1. I can’t hire, I’m broke! –> cut back on other things
2. I can’t stand the drama! –> it is less drama than not having a team
3. My cash flow won’t support hiring! –> sell expensive products

Strategic Operating Document

• Mission –> Principles –> Processes
• “dreamy” Mission
• General Operating Principles as a general guideline on how to work the business (e.g. Every customer fault is basically OUR fault)
• Processes spell out exactly how everything works in your business

The Implications Of Working the System

• Before: Only I can do this
• Empowering employees/contractors to do the work
• After: Faster, Better, Cheaper.
• When should we hire? – After writing your SOD the conversation is way easier – you know what it will cost
• Weekly reports:
  • This week’s big initiative
  • Last week’s big initiative
  • KPIs
  • At the same time/day each week

Guerilla Hiring

• Lived on minimum possible salary
• Paid first employees more than we made
• Went to Vietnam (to hire Drupal developers)
• Went to the Philippines (to hire marketing people)
• Realized a lot of people want to travel
• Create a company worth working for…
• Understand cash / time / mobility as a system
• There are people in the world who want to be just like you – make them your apprentice / intern

The mistakes we’ve made

• Thinking somebody else will grow your business for you (Hiring for growth rather than hiring for management)
• Thinking somebody else will care as much as you
• Spending too much time on interns
• Not firing fast enough (implement 90 day review)

5 Things You Can Implement Today

1. Start your SOD document. Build a culture document from day 1. Write the operating system of your business
2. Identify a few ways you could “race” to your first full time hire
3. Write your mission statement
4. Start a habit for writing processes for every repeating task in your business
5. Stop work on repeatable tasks, start working on solving the unknown

 

-Christoph