Business Strategy Is Useless Without…

Recently, while writing a bio that detailed the progression of my career for a local feature, I had an a-ha. 

I’m not doing this work because I’m good at small business operations–I’m doing it to elevate the operations profession and the “invisible” work done by operations professionals.

Allow me to explain. 

Much of the work that operations professionals do is behind-the scenes. Its impact is felt through the company’s overall efficiency, not through direct, visible actions. 

It almost seems more like a feeling or vibe, rather than something tangible.

Except it is tangible. 

Operations professionals are responsible for aligning day-to-day activities with strategic goals. We do this by creating plans + processes and aligning the company’s people to both of those things. 

And in this digital world we live in, our work is becoming increasingly tangible in the form of digital assets and tools that we create and customize to organize plans, processes, and the people that run them. 

I would go as far as to say that the best business strategy is actually useless without the operational execution to carry it out. 

I don’t mean that to be harsh, but you can only get to a certain point without intentionally building out your operations. 

Often, this happens around the time that you grow from solopreneur to having a team. Or, when your team grows exponentially in a short period of time.

At that moment, everything you’ve already built to run your operations either breaks or is simply inadequate to support the new growth. And you’re probably also too busy to do anything about it. 

Enter: the operator. Whether it’s a part-time team member, full-time team member, or consultant/coach who works with you and your team, someone with an operator’s brain is going to have to step in and help you rebuild and optimize your operations. 

You can try to do it, but let’s be real–that’s not how most visionary small business owners’ brains work. And it’s not in your highest and best good to do this work anymore because your best efforts are usually spent visioning, strategizing, and driving revenue. 

Here’s an analogy (shared by the king of analogies, Greg Grimes):  A small business is a lot like a race car. The owner is the race car driver, and the operator is their crew chief.  The crew chief keeps the car running, and the driver navigates the course the best they can to get the car across the finish line first. 

The best way I’ve ever seen this relationship described is in the book Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman. Check it out and let us know if you agree.

And if you need someone to take a look at your operations, book a Discovery Call and let’s chat!