As an owner or entrepreneur, it is painful to watch your cash swing violently up and down over a period of time. Not understanding what is causing it makes it that much more frustrating.
What if I told you that you can have a steady stream of cash simply by adjusting how you approach production and sales? It is possible, even for the small businesses that don’t have sales and marketing staffs at their disposal.
Read MoreIn a previous article, "Pillars of Lean, Part 1: Eliminating Waste" we talked about how to build a LEAN culture by eliminating waste. We gave you 4 easy steps to start tackling your own mountain of waste.
Today, we are bring step #3 to life with a real world example from our shop.
Read MoreEveryone in the industry has their opinions as to why these tariffs are taking place. I have a few of my own, but for all intensive purposes, the shop owners that are buying these panels get stuck with the bill and if we are not diligent, then it can cost us our businesses.
It is an unfortunate situation and we do not have control of the outcome, but we do have control of our pricing.
Read MoreIn a previous article we talked about 3 ways to get 3 things every shop owner wants. Today, we are bringing strategy #3 to life with a real world example from our shop.
Let’s review our example to highlight the $1, $10, $100 thought process and then take a look at our video to see what it looks like in our shop.
I will admit that, at first, I did not understand the purpose of a vision statement. I just thought it to be something of a website filler or a cool banner hanging in the shop.
On the contrary, a vision is much more than that. A vision serves as a guide for every decision the company and employees make. It is your guide for the present and the future.
In the last two weeks, we dove deep into the lean pillars of Eliminating Waste and Continuous Improvement. This week are diving into Adding Value for our customers.
Remember, understanding these pillars on a deeper level IS WORTH IT. Once you understand and see the implications of lean in your shop, you will jump in with all you’ve got and NEVER look back.
Read MoreIn last article, we laid the foundation of pillars of lean and discussed the impact of eliminating the waste. Understanding pillars of lean on a deeper level IS WORTH IT. Once you understand and see the implications of lean in your shop, you will jump in with all you’ve got and NEVER look back.
Read MoreIn our last article, This is Your Brain on LEAN, we laid the foundation that we will build on for future articles about building a LEAN culture. In that article we established 3 pillars of LEAN. In this article we will dig deep into the pillar of eliminating waste.
Read MoreHave you ever walked into your job and it’s just one of those days when you wish that you could just fire yourself?
Well I say, let's quit talking about it and just do it!
As we mentioned before, firing yourself is absolutely key to your shop succeeding and growing in value and it's one the most rewarding experiences I've ever had as a business owner.
Read MoreIf you grew up with my generation you no doubt remember the anti-drug ad with the frying pan and the egg. The message was simple and the ad if nothing else left a mark.
Before writing this article, I was driving down the road thinking about our production flow and thought to myself that I am brain fried right now with this LEAN stuff! You can’t unsee waste. Once you start viewing the world through waste goggles you start realizing it (waste) is everywhere.
Read MoreTake a deep dive into your cabinet design and see what things you do that maybe are not necessary or creating more value for the customer. Are there things you do just because ‘that’s the way we have always done it’?
Start with those items and see if you can standardize them to make them easier and better.
Read MoreBetween our corrections and his input, we are building a foundation of excellent processes and quality control that produces reliable, consistently high quality product, day in day out.
Systemizing your own processes and prioritizing quality will result in three things every shop owner wants: happier customers, the ability to provide products on a schedule, and few defects, if any.
Read MoreWhen you first start out in the cabinet business, excitement and possibility fuel you, but soon a reality hits: It is really, really hard to make money. With that reality comes the question we all hate but can’t help but ask, “Is there any money in the cabinet business?”
This is a question that I have asked myself on more than one occasion and if you would have asked me in the first couple years of my business, then I would have answered with an emphatic, “No!”
Read MoreWhat do you want?
Seems like a simple question, right? I am not talking about right now but what do you want for the long road? Do you want to retire, sell, make a million dollars, or make a billion? Do you want to have a business that gives as its mission and that drives sales?
What do you want?
Read MoreLast week, we went through the first three steps that will get you on your way to fueling your sales engine and escaping the vicious sales cycle.
We laid a foundation for your sales plan and now, if you've started tackling steps 1-3, you are ready to rev up your sales engine in a way that will blow you (and your customers') minds.
Read MoreDoes “increasing sales” to your shop generally mean you got a few extra referrals? Maybe your best builder pulled a couple extra permits?
While both situations are a welcomed event, they were not planned, and more importantly not under our control.
Read MoreIn this day of super connectivity, it seems that social media is the stage for looking as good as we can. This is not going to be that kind of article.
As a manufacturer, one of the most important things we do is control our quality. Without quality, we will not have customers.
I am sure we have all heard the quote, “When it rains, it pours.” For me, this week was a monsoon when it came to trouble with quality.
Read MoreWe have been a custom cabinet maker for about 15 years now. What I have been noticing in the industry, post recession, is the need to outsource for most small shops.
I have committed my business to automating as much as possible, and making standardized systems for everything we do. In doing this, we found our company was changing into a niche component manufacturer rather than a custom job shop.
Read MoreNo doubt we have all heard it before, “Great businesses are built with great people.”Easier said than done.
Learning how to truly team build changed our business and it will change yours too. There is no better feeling as an owner when you make a great hire and it moves your company forward, closer to your goals.
So how do you go about making those kinds of hires? How do you go about building an A-team?
Read MoreI recently interviewed Paul Akers, CEO of Fastcap, on The Push Thru Podcast and learned about how their company implemented LEAN thinking. The results are nothing short of amazing!
Several weeks ago I posted an article on TOC, Theory of Constraints, and explained that in our operation a single bottleneck was needed to control the product flow. This thinking goes against the teachings of LEAN.
Read More
![[VIDEO] - Eliminating Waste](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595d631c099c01fedba4bded/1534860274106-25JZRCPRG71G6XXT6Y5D/UCC+Article+Thumbnail+New+2+%286%29.png)
![[VIDEO] - $1, $10, $100](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/595d631c099c01fedba4bded/1534860187428-CRV86HYRDXPDDVJSQLWZ/UCC+Article+Thumbnail+New+%2811%29.png)
