Some members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) were asked “What do you feel is most important when it comes to building solid operations?” Operations are the processes and resources used to efficiently produce products or services.
1. Setting Team Expectations
“Twice a month we bring all managers and executives together for a big meeting to discuss each department and their accomplishments and challenges. It is also a time for other departments to give feedback to management. At the end of these meetings, everyone leaves with follow-up tasks.” — David Schwartz, Wireless Watchdogs
2. Managing Without Ego
“Solid operations come from management who can admit when their systems are failing and are willing to change to improve.” — Travis Steffen, MentorMojo
3. Having a Clear Process
“Having a clear process that every team member understands is extremely important. … This improves efficiency and reduces the chance of fumbling information and having things slip through the cracks.” — Michael Quinn, Yellow Bridge Interactive
4. Creating a Foolproof Foundation
“You have to start at the very base of your business in order to build a successful enterprise from it. For me, that is having a solid core team. I try to look at the first couple of people I hire when assembling a new business as a new family. … They need to share my ambition and drive.” — Rob Fulton, AudioLumin
5. Soliciting Feedback from Your Team
“It’s important to gather feedback from your team often to make sure you’re addressing inefficiencies and constantly improving as you grow.” — Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.
6. Keeping Everything Transparent
“Cross-checks, social collaboration tools and breaking down silos are all ways to ensure that each operation is optimal. … Across levels and departments, operations should be communicated, tested and approved.” — Maren Hogan, Red Branch Media
7. Documenting Your Processes
“Documentation makes it easier to onboard new employees and saves your business from being reliant on any one person.” — Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
8. Building for the Future
“You have to look ahead and plan for all plausible changes in your business to ensure the operations you’re building do not become quickly outdated.” — Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
9. Keeping the 3 P’s in Mind
“Building a solid operation is all about the three P’s: process, people and product. Build your operation to flow and operate well with that and you’ll have a successful business.” — Pablo Palatnik, ShadesDaddy.com
10. Providing Excellent Customer Service
“Provide the best customer service you can. … You will at some point have a dissatisfied customer. But how you handle it will give you a solid reputation in your industry. — Amanda L. Barbara, Pubslush
11. Owning the Operation from Start to Finish
Hire someone to own the operation from start to finish. This person should be obsessed with the details, the metrics, the numbers. They should be elated when they hit their goal and inspired to do better when they miss it.” — Phil Dumontet,DASHED
12. Choosing the Right People
“It all comes down to choosing the right person and personality type for each role so that no one is doing tasks that they resent. … Focus on leveraging strengths and passions. Then watch everything fall into place. ” — Amanda Aitken,AmandaAitken.com
From an article by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization composed of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.