In most companies and startups I’ve seen, the same few problems come up again and again. Here’s how I’d usually approach each one. Every business is different, so treat this as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
Work spread across Excel, WhatsApp and a few apps.
Your work is spread across spreadsheets, WhatsApp and a few apps that don’t talk to each other.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens because each tool was added to fix one problem, one at a time, and nobody had the time to connect them.
What I’d look at first. I’d spend time with the people doing the daily work and list every tool they open, and which ones hold the same information.
What fixed looks like. Your team works from one place built around how they already work, and it already knows what happened yesterday.
The Operations System
The same thing typed into three places.
The same thing gets typed into three different places.
Why it usually happens. Usually it’s because each team has its own tool, so information has to be carried across by hand. It isn’t the people. It’s the gaps between the tools.
What I’d look at first. I’d find the one piece of information that gets typed most often, and follow it through the business.
What fixed looks like. Something is entered once, and everyone who needs it can see it, without anyone copying it across.
The Operations System
You only find out what went wrong at month end.
You only find out what went wrong at the end of the month.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens because the numbers are put together at month end, from records that were kept in different places all month.
What I’d look at first. I’d ask which numbers you wait for every month and trace why each one takes so long to arrive.
What fixed looks like. On any ordinary day you can see how the month is going, not weeks after it ended.
The Operations System
Software you paid for, that the team works around.
You pay for software that your team quietly works around.
Why it usually happens. Usually the software wasn’t built for how your team actually works, so people keep their own spreadsheets alongside it.
What I’d look at first. I’d look at the workaround spreadsheets first. They usually show exactly how the work really happens.
What fixed looks like. The workarounds disappear because the system follows the way your team already works.
The Operations System
Approvals and purchase requests stuck in WhatsApp chats.
Approvals and purchase requests get stuck in WhatsApp chats.
Why it usually happens. This usually happens because requests are asked for in conversation, and conversations scroll away.
What I’d look at first. I’d follow a few recent requests and see who asked, who had to approve, and where each one waited.
What fixed looks like. A request goes to the right person with its history, and is approved or sent back the same day instead of getting lost.
The Operations System
Enquiries slip through the cracks.
Enquiries slip through the cracks, and you never quite find out why.
Why it usually happens. Usually enquiries arrive through many doors and depend on whoever picked them up. Often what the tools report and what really came in are quite different.
What I’d look at first. I’d compare where your last several customers really came from with what your tools say. That usually shows where enquiries are being lost.
What fixed looks like. Every enquiry is traced from first contact to paying customer, so you can see which sources bring real business.
The Growth System
You don’t look as good as you are.
You don’t look as good as you are, online or anywhere else.
Why it usually happens. Usually the work is good, but the photos, films and designs were made quickly and never caught up.
What I’d look at first. I’d ask what your best customers say about you. That’s usually what your photos and films need to show.
What fixed looks like. Someone who hears about you looks you up and finds photos, films and designs that show you as you really are.
Content
If this sounds like your company, message me on WhatsApp with a line about how you work today. I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help.
