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
- I can’t hire, I’m broke! –> cut back on other things
- I can’t stand the drama! –> it is less drama than not having a team
- 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
- Start your SOD document. Build a culture document from day 1. Write the operating system of your business
- Identify a few ways you could “race” to your first full time hire
- Write your mission statement
- Start a habit for writing processes for every repeating task in your business
- Stop work on repeatable tasks, start working on solving the unknown
[…] Dan & Ian: “What Operating System Powers Your Business“ […]