As a business owner, you’re probably proud of the fact that no one knows your company as well as you do. But, like any proud parent, it’s also possible that you aren’t always the best person to get the most out of your brain child.
This is especially true when it comes to inefficiencies such as production bottlenecks and unnecessary complications, which you may be entirely unable to address in any true sense for reasons such as the ones we’ll discuss here.
1. You’re too Close to the Problem
While it’s true that you’re the best person to first spot bottlenecks in your business, you also probably aren’t the right person to address them. After all, you implemented and possibly even designed the systems that might be causing those holdups. So, while you may be able to identify the overall problem, you’re never going to settle on an objective outcome.
In fact, you may blame inefficiency on entirely the wrong things, such as employee competency, rather than the fact that your computer systems simply aren’t fit for modern use. While anyone looking into these issues should work with you to understand in-house problems, it’s therefore vital that you leave them to the solution side of things. With an unbiased outlook, consultants or other outsourced services can thoroughly research bottlenecks and see where they stem from, rather than where you would conveniently prefer those problems to come from.
2. You Don’t Have Specialist Knowledge
As a successful entrepreneur, no one can deny the knowledge you bring to your business. But that doesn’t mean you have the specialist understanding to perfect every single element of what you do. In the same way that you wouldn’t know how to create the products managed by your warehouse team, you won’t always know how to address inefficiencies or other problems.
For that, you need to bring consultants onboard who are experienced in whatever you’re struggling with. This could include speaking with a business process automation consultant about the right digitization tools to take your processes to the next level. Or, perhaps you could benefit from product development expertise to bring your ideas to life. Even your car parking situation might need expert consultants if it’s costing you time in the office!
3. You Might Avoid Complete Overhauls
Considering that the cost will come out of your pocket, you may be predisposed to avoid complete company overhauls that require investment, retraining, and so on. Instead, you may get hung up on smaller-scale operational adjustments that simply don’t create the lasting impact you need to actually scale your business.
That’s bad news because, while complete structural or systematic improvements can cost upfront, they stand to save you money in the long run. So, until you listen to an outside opinion about where you could improve, you’re at risk of leaking money without even realizing it!
Your business might be your baby, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you think you’re blind to its worst inefficiencies in these key ways!
