Shovel instead of a spoon
I coined this saying once when I was aggravated with my sales staff. My sales commission structure had allowed many of them to become complacent, and compensation had grown faster than sales. Knowing the solution would be painful either way, I had to decide whether to make a clean sweep all at once or try to dish out the needed correctives in small increments. Always give careful consideration before deciding to use a shovel instead of a spoon. I had been tweaking the plan, but there was constant tension and it finally seemed like it was time to use the shovel. I discarded the old plan and installed the new one in one swift move. The high tension lingered for a while, but a few weeks later, everyone had settled in, sales exploded and soon the changes were producing favorable results. The months I had spent using that spoon were wasted.
I coined this saying once when I was aggravated with my sales staff. My sales commission structure had allowed many of them to become complacent, and compensation had grown faster than sales. Knowing the solution would be painful either way, I had to decide whether to make a clean sweep all at once or try to dish out the needed correctives in small increments. Always give careful consideration before deciding to use a shovel instead of a spoon. I had been tweaking the plan, but there was constant tension and it finally seemed like it was time to use the shovel. I discarded the old plan and installed the new one in one swift move. The high tension lingered for a while, but a few weeks later, everyone had settled in, sales exploded and soon the changes were producing favorable results. The months I had spent using that spoon were wasted.
Shovel instead of a spoon
an illustration by Gahan Wilson from Rons Book "Green Weenies and Due Diligence"
Small Business Consultant Ron Sturgeon's Areas of Expertise
- Consulting for Small Business Start-Ups/Acquisitions - As an entrepreneur who has started and built businesses from scratch, Ron can give you an expert's perspective on how to maximize your chances of striking gold with a small business start-up. In addition, he has purchased numerous small businesses and consulted extensively for clients buying businesses in a variety of industries.
- Structuring Offers to Acquire a Small Business
- Strategic Planning for Start Ups
- Capitalizing a Successful Small Business Start-Up
- Capturing Market Share Profitably as a Start-Up
- Compensating Employees as a Start-Up
- Consultant for Small Businesses as Going Concerns - As an entrepreneur with a 30-year record of accomplishment in managing businesses for long-term growth and profitability, Ron can help your small business thrive. He has consulted extensively with clients on the key issues in finance, marketing, and management for small business owners for over 15 years.
- Strategic Planning for Profitable Growth for Small Businesses (Both individual planning consultation and mastermind planning sessions with non-competitive small business owners are available from Mr. Mission Possible)
- Transitioning to Incentive-Based Compensation for Line Employees
- Segmenting Markets and Building Viable Wholesale and Retail Channels
- Creating Marketing Plans that Drive Sales for Small Business Owners
- Measuring Performance and Managing Objectives for Small Business Owners
- Raising Capital for Growth as a Small Business, including Private Placement Stock Offerings
- Reviewing the Financials and Creating a Financial Plan to Meet Tax and Management Objectives
- Scaling Systems for Growth from 250k to 2M per month - the Do's and Don'ts.
- Marketing Small Businesses Using the Internet - Effective Internet Marketing (SEO, SEM, and PPC for Small Business Owners)
- Consultant for Auto Salvage Yard Owners - Ron has specialized knowledge of the auto salvage industry from over 30 years in the industry. He built one of the largest auto salvage operations in Texas before selling out to Ford Motor Company. He was a co-founder of the industry association United Recyclers Group (URG) in 1997, a limited partnership of over 300 automotive recyclers that sought a new Management Information System superior to the existing systems. Pinnacle, the industry's most advanced system was created as a result. He has consulted extensively on every aspect of the auto salvage business.
- Strategic Planning for Auto Salvage Operations
- Growing Market Share Profitably in Auto Salvage
- Controlling Operational Expenses in Auto Salvage
- Improving Key Salvage Processes
- Setting and Understanding Key Performance Indicators, Metrics, and Benchmarks for Salvage Operations
- Increasing Sales of Used and Recycled Parts
- Developing Effective Marketing Programs
- Planning for Salvage Yards as Start ups
- Financing Expansion or Capital Improvements, including SBA Loan Options
- Owning the Real Estate (Financing, Improvements, Construction, 1031 Exchanges)
- Staying in Compliance - Licensing issues and Environmental Issues
- Valuation/Purchase or Sale of Salvage Operations, including Inventory Valuation
- Solving Management and Operational Issues for Multiple Location Salvage Yards
- Buying and Managing Inventory for Auto Salvage
- Working with Insurers - Recycled Parts and Severity Implications
- Improving Order Accuracy and Fulfillment in Salvage Operations
- Selling Warranties on Salvaged Parts
- Consulting For Small Business Turnaround Situations - Perhaps the most difficult challenge as an entrepreneur is turning around a poorly performing small business. Sturgeon and a pair of partners turned around a 700-employee multi-state auto salvage operation that they purchased from Ford Motor Company. It went from losing $1M a month to profitable in 24 months. If you need to zero in on the vital issues to get a facet of your small business turned around, Ron can give you the guidance you need.
- Diagnosing the Underlying Causes of Poor Performance
- Zeroing in On the Critical Issues for a Successful Turnaround
- Managing and Motivating Employees in a Turnaround
- Consulting For Small Business Owners During a Divestiture - As someone who has bought and sold businesses many times, Ron can provide practical guidance on how to sell all or part of your small business. As a consultant, he has helped countless business owners sell all or part of their operations. Experienced and objective, Ron can help you negotiate the tricky waters of selling a business.
- Properly Valuing Assets for Sale
- Structuring the sale
- Valuing Real Estate as Part of Sale of a Small Business
- Leading in the Transition
- Succession Planning for Small Business Owners - What will happen to your business when you are gone? Doing good succession planning can help make certain that the business you build endures. As a consultant, Ron has helped structure orderly plans of succession for small business owners in an assortment of industries.
- Creating Plans of Succession for Small Business Owners
- Structuring Succession Plans for Family Owned Small Businesses