business modelsI was channel surfing (no pun intended) last weekend and ran across an old movie about a women’s surfing competition.  I watched for a while.  Time and time again, young competitors would paddle their surfboards out into the ocean, sit straddled over the boards, and wait.  They looked out over the ocean for what they hoped would be a good wave.  Not just a good wave to ride, mind you, but a big, great wave to ride into shore. The better the wave, the more opportunity to score higher points for their surfing prowess.

 

Sit – Wait – Hope; over and over.  From a small business perspective, this would not be much of a business model, would it?  As you can imagine, there were quite a few times when things didn’t go quite the way competitors planned.  Some competitors exhibited excellent skills during their ride to shore.   Others ended up in the undertow after a crash and burn experience.

At the end of each ride into shore, competitors turned around and paddled back out to wait.  Again.  They watched and waited for another great wave; another chance to show their surfing skills.  Sit – wait – hope.  There were no guarantees that the ideal wave would ever come.  There was no assurance that they would be the competitor to claim the big one.  Somehow it seemed there must be a better strategy – similar to a successful business model.

Surfing as a Business Model?  Uh — No.

It was interesting how much this surfing process reminded me of the way many small business owners approach their businesses.  Many entrepreneurs don’t even think about the best business model for what they want to offer to the world.  There are so many new models for them to consider.  When making that critical business decision – a business model – there are a number of factors to consider.  Who will your customers be?  What will your customer relationship look like?  What channels will you use to reach them?  What key partners will you need to work with?  What will your key resources and activities be?  The list goes on.

Without a clear business model in mind, other key concepts will be skipped over.  No processes or systems are put in place to bring in new clients and projects. Nor have they determined how they will service the customers once they arrive.  They just sit back and wait for something to come to them, taking whatever comes their way.  What they do spend time on is hoping ‘It’ will be something big and really, really good.  They hope it will be very profitable and highlight their abilities in the best possible light.  Sit.  Wait.  Hope.  Sit.  Wait.  Hope.

This is NOT a business model you can rely on for success.

Managing a business is about putting systems and processes in place to bring continuity and clarity to each transaction.  These processes don’t just enable business owners and managers to bring in new customers and projects.  They also bring in the ideal projects and customers they really want.  Not every lead is a good one.   Hopefully, your marketing brings the best customers to your firm.  Put organized systems in place so projects and sales can be processed quickly and smoothly.  Clearly formulate processes that will support achieving the best possible results with a positive profit margin.

Don’t use surfing as your business model. Don’t sit.  Don’t wait.  Don’t just hope.  Take time to put policies, systems and procedures in place.  Move your business away from chaos, potential to crash and burn and a whatever comes  approach.  Move toward organized continuity and success.

Need help getting your systems and processes in place? Give us a call – 330.666.0802 or email.