Strategy & Tactics

Business Best Practices

At KnowledgeFest Indy, Chris Cook of Mobile Electronics Association discussed goal-setting, community involvement, team-building and much more.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

At KnowledgeFest Indianapolis this past October, Chris Cook of MEA led a casual discussion on business best practices, touching on topics such as annual reviews and delegating tasks—which can be complicated depending on a business’s specific situation. The main takeaway was to “always stay focused and never stop learning,” according to Cook. “I like to look at how people in other industries are doing things, too,” he said. “I like to make a goal to learn something new every day.” Brandon Green of The Car Audio Shop in High Ridge, Mo. led the workshop with Cook, helping in roleplay situations to demonstrate issues. For him, he said, delegating tasks to employees can be one of

the most difficult aspects of running his business. It can be hard, Green said, “to step back and allow them to do their job, and trust them to do that job.” Cook noted that while no team member will ever do a job or a task the same way the owner or manager would (each person is different, after all), “It’s still taking a lot off your plate.” While everyone handles tasks differently, Cook noted, “It’s getting the job done,” letting owners work on the business instead of in it. Here are five strategies drawn from the discussion, which business owners can discuss with their teams and begin applying today.

#1: Make Sure You’re On the Same Page

A business owner should always be on the same page with their team, so the group can collectively discuss issues and how to solve them. “In trying to get your business and employees on the same page, there’s a reason to try to reach the finish line,” Cook said. “You can’t keep adjusting goals. You have to put a line in the sand, own it and move forward with it.” While it can be adjusted when absolutely necessary, Cook noted that both team members and clients are seeking stability: “It helps [find stability] if we’re all trying to reach the same finish line, and trying to help the same people the same way.” To ensure everyone’s on the same page, Cook advised focusing on the business’s primary mission, which everyone on the team should already be familiar with. Additionally, make sure what you’re saying in your personal life matches your business life. “As soon as people find your Facebook page, you’re being judged by what you say. Avoid getting personal online,” he added. “Ignore all the outside noise. Find what works for you. What works for you may be different than what works for other people. Then, work to exceed the goals you set.”

#2: Set Attainable Goals

It’s important that goals be attainable. Larger goals can be split into a number of smaller ones, with milestones marked along the way to help keep a business on track, according to Cook. “If your goal is to double revenue, and you have a couple of years to achieve that goal, you have to have a strategy in place to achieve it,” he explained. “You have to have markers in place, and you have to get to each one. Each marker is a check-point.” Green said The Car Audio Shop is aiming to double its revenue by 2024. “We’re constantly working on growing the business so we can do that. That’s a long-term goal,” he said, adding, “Our short-term goal is getting the second shop completely set up.”

An important aspect of goal-setting, he noted, is that a date has to be set. “You have to set a time, otherwise you’re never going to get there.” Cook agreed, adding that goals can always change, too. “You might have a vision, and one goal just doesn’t fit that vision. Sometimes you have difficulty because you’re working on it by yourself,” Cook said, using cost-savings as an example. “Sometimes in cost-savings, a big company will announce they cut staff. Their revenue is higher. But soon enough, they have disgruntled employees, a labor shortage, and things start breaking down.” When he owned his own business, he noted, “I hired the right amount of people

to do the work and then worked to reach the next level.” He added that doubling revenue is a structural change: “You can’t double your revenue with what you have. [For example] at this point, I’ll need another employee. At this point, I’ll need another system. Every time you try to grow your business, there’s a structural change.” This is why splitting a large goal into multiple, smaller goals makes a goal more realistic to attain. A business should always be trying to reach the next level. “That’s where goal setting makes a difference,” Cook said. “If you have no goals, you’ll achieve nothing—no growth.”

#3: Learn Problem-Solving Strategies

Connecting with other business owners and learning how they handle operational processes can help offer insight, according to Cook, who recommended getting involved in some kind of local community leadership group. “I got involved early on in Toastmasters International, which helps you learn public speaking, but I also met a lot of other business owners from my town, and we were able to develop partnerships,” he said. “Find something that helps you, but also gives you that opportunity to network in your community.” Learning and applying problem-solving strategies can be difficult, he added, because of time constraints. A business may have a problem they need to solve, but the owner hasn’t had the time. That’s where delegating tasks to employees can help free up time for the owner to work on the issue at hand. “Pose the issue to your employee or employees. Offer them lunch if they sit and think about this topic,” Cook suggested. “Then, have them come to you with whatever they think is the best solution. It gets them engaged in your business and offers you a different perspective.” While the brain-storming session may or may not help solve the problem, the owner is still getting team members involved to help do the work, which will have a positive impact on team-building. During the session, Cook invited audience members to share and discuss any issues they were facing in their businesses. One attendee said that during the vehicle check-out procedure, his team members often missed something, like checking over a door panel. He grappled with how best to face this problem. Cook cited photo documentation and systems put in place that help make check-in and check-out easier, such as a computer program the attendee was already utilizing. Then he suggested creating incentives to motivate employees to follow all the steps. According to Cook, he implemented a “points system” that proved useful. “The installers got different levels of points for different things they installed,

and then they would be rewarded outside of their regular pay,” he explained, adding, “They got zero points if they didn’t complete vehicle check-in and check-out. That’s an incentive, and the points are easy to do.” He advised starting with asking employees directly, “‘What do you guys think we could do to make this work?’ Once you involve them, getting to 100 percent is easier.” Instead of separating oneself from team members and dealing with problems alone, Cook urged owners to ask for help: “Create a system to do it right every time.” Assigning employees to crosscheck each other’s work, he said, can be a good solution. “They’ll take five minutes, try everything out and make sure it’s working.”

#4: Understand Employees Are a Business’s Greatest Asset

Cook defined the concept of “available bandwidth” as whatever a business owner is able to handle: “When you go over your available bandwidth, you’ll start frustrating your customer and your employees and they’ll be looking for other work,” he said, adding that it’s important for business owners to know their limits. If a business owner doesn’t know his or her own limits, Cook stressed the business will run the owner into the ground.

“Right now, with business being up and labor short, it’s tough. But if you keep the same procedures, you’ll only do so much business. You only have a certain amount of bandwidth.” Owners should also be aware that their employees are their greatest assets, because without them, the business’s level of success wouldn’t be as high. He challenged attendees to consider what they do to care for their team members. “What are you doing to retain them and improve their abilities? [Are you asking] for feedback, for help in solving problems?” Cook recommended helping employees to hone their skills by encouraging continued education, such as training classes. “Assign them a book you think might be helpful to them,” he said. “If you’re helping them grow as a person, you’re investing in them. When you invest in someone, you generally get a return.”

#5: Celebrate Results With Your Team

When a business owner has involved their employees—creating a positive store culture, a team that’s invested in the business—positive results abound. Cook recommended celebrating milestones, even if it’s just beer and pizza at the end of a rough week. He asked Green to share how he celebrates the successes of his employees at The Car Audio Shop, which

has a relatively small team. “Sometimes I’ll give them a bonus,” Green said. “Or we’ll go out to eat. I might give someone a day off. Everyone is different, so you can’t do the same thing and expect every employee to enjoy it.” Cook said when he owned his business, he used to take one of his employees to lunch every other week. “Lunch seems like a small thing, but one-on-one time with the boss can create a special bond” that will motivate the employee and get them further invested in the business. “It gives them a chance to open up,” Green added. Cook agreed, noting that when an employee opens up to the business owner, a different perspective is shared. “You’ll get a different outcome from the work they do. Don’t forget the reward.” Cook advised not letting everything go until an annual review: “If you’re going an entire year before you sit down with a person and allow them to express themselves, that one yearly review will have a lot of pent-up frustration,” he explained. The Car Audio Shop only has three employees, according to Green, so certain techniques and strategies—such as lunch with the boss—may work better for a smaller shop than a larger one. One workshop attendee stated that with 21 employees, he finds annual reviews especially difficult. With a large group, Cook acknowledged that even staggering the annual reviews month to month would still be stressful. He suggested recognizing an individual’s accomplishments in front of everyone else when the staff is gathered together for a meeting. “It motivates the person you’re recognizing, as well as the others,” he said. “It’s the simplest motivator. Also, don’t underestimate buying lunch for the team on a busy day. That’s a motivator, too.” Finally, Cook and Green agrees that every business owner—and every person—should strive to be better than they were yesterday. “Focus on what you can add,” Cook said, “and learn from the mistakes you made yesterday.” After all, he noted, “Your mistakes are good teachers.”