Getting from $1m to $3.5m is extremely difficult for small businesses
You are out-growing current resources, but not yet cash-rich enough to get what you need.
This used to be a business graveyard or plateau.
Not anymore, here is how to cross that chasm...
... With the myriad of automation software, no code tools, integrations, and connectors (smb.joshuaschultz.com), you can scale your operations without hiring someone new, and without needing to be a computer engineer.
Here's how to continue scaling with little to no cash!
When looking at streamlining the operations of your SMB, consider this scale on where the most value can be added.
Different functions allow more upside than others, so to really increase
cash flow
lower time
make an impact
Apply automation in this order:
1. Human Resources
Much of people related work up to 20-30 employees is
forms
records
sending / signing docs
storing info
collecting requests
Look at form automation, cloud storage, auto emailers.
You want creativity and thought, and that isn't something machines do well. But that doesn't mean you should be doing it.
6. Customer Service
Lots of tools here!
But this NOT something you want to automate.
use the tools to lower customer friction rather than automate the service.
You need a person to do this well and stand out.
7. CEO / Leadership / Strategy
To my knowledge, not automatable at all.
This requires thought, experience, proper thinking, etc.
You can use 1. research services, 2. consulting agencies, and 3. coaches to help ...
They should help you clarify and direct, not done for you.
As you can see, I took you from easiest to automate, to impossible.
Work through the various parts of your company
1. Eliminate what you don't need 2. Automate non-judgement decisions 3. Delegate non core parts of the biz 4. Build tools to help you do the rest faster
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Its hard for a company or group of people to work together, if everyone is unclear, not in agreement, confused, or not in the know on:
How the company delivers value.
This is not about what the value is or why... its about how do we, as a company get this to our customers.
The idea of Value Delivery is crucial, and many leaders 1. assume every knows 2. assume when they spoke, everyone heard the same thing 3. assume they don't need to know
This is so wrong. You NEED ever single person understanding how the operations are setup
Why are incentives here and not there?
Why do we hire faster in that area?
It seems all the tech is built in that division?
Is there a reason the employee manual is more lenient with them?
Issues in finance, HR, operations, and IT - but all because of operational misalignment
Just because you need to submit financials in GAAP, doesn't mean its the best way to look at your financials.
I have been teaching an alternative method of breaking down your finances that allows you to see 1. How the machine runs 2. How well it is doing
Here is how. 👇🏼
1. The realization buried in this technique is that you have two machines running at all times 1. operational machine 2. finance machine
The finance machine is leveraging up and down your operational machine.
So we need to separate these to better analyze
Separating these components has the additional benefit of making forecasts and analysis more accurate given less volatility in the individual components than the combined.