Cheeky toon by Robin Dickinson.
Your thoughts:
In your opinion, do people tend to over-complicate their business? How do you keep a business simple?
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6 Responses to this post
June 27, 2012 at 1:29 am |
A good example of your salient point, is when business owners with good intentions, overcomplicate loyalty programs for their customers.
Who hasn’t experienced the loyalty program, where you are required to jump through hoops. For instance, after registering online, you rock up at the counter to collect your freebie, only to be turned away empty handed, because your registration is not recognized. You’ve either failed to confirm your email, or provide every detail of your life.
Exhausted from the process, you take take your business elsewhere.
Too right!!!!!! Only recently, I walked out of Strand Bags and thought what a bunch of nobs!
June 27, 2012 at 2:46 am |
A plan. At least a simple business plan that focuses on the core emphasis of the business or on the current critical issues.
I used to push for full-blown business plans- financials, projections, etc. The people that I work for usually resist a full blown plan. When I realized that I can do 80% of what is needed in 4 pages and suggested that as an option, they jumped at it.
Of course, a 4-page plan doesn’t work long-term, to raise funds, or really get every area of the business in line, but it is a simple way to go.
June 27, 2012 at 7:29 am |
As a ‘just me’ business, uncomplicated is the only way to go.
While I appreciate the myriad of ‘rules’ bigger businesses must cope with, I sometimes wonder if they don’t end up freezing a business and preventing them from providing excellence.
Perhaps technology adds a dimension of complication for many. I avoid self-checkouts at the grocery shop because they nearly always need the intervention of a staff member because they don’t function properly. Besides, I like to say hello to a person.
June 27, 2012 at 7:49 am |
People Definitely over complicate things, this can be either from a customers perspective as mentioned above where a business loses business because their process is too complicated. Whether it be they ask for too much detail or add just 1 too many steps to their sales funnel. But sometimes is more problematic can be the processes and procedures. They should be just enough to ensure that a quality product is produced and developed in line with customer expectations. Too often they are over complicated and mean that lead times are extended and the customer becoming dissatisfied. There is a lot to be said about the KISS principle… just Keep It Simple Stupid!
June 27, 2012 at 11:32 am |
tee-hee …
your salient detail in this toon Robin is the name at the very ‘top’
Hobbyville
People filling their time from a hobby-style business definitely over-complicate things … it’s how they get to be ‘busy entrepreneurs’ or business owners.
Business people, you know, the ones paying wages, overheads and, oh yeah, themselves, generally keep things simple. Yes, they often put more steps in the system than they need as the business grows, but ROI to real business people is critical … and generally keeps things simple.
June 28, 2012 at 6:53 am |
Ours is nice and simple, a mom and pop team:) I can’t stand it when we have big corporate clients who have to get a zillion people to sign off and agree on things. It makes things slow, painful and generally less creative too.
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