How can you start improving your company’s operations?
You became an entrepreneur because you love the entrepreneurial way of life, but you hate that you don’t get exactly what you started it for. Maybe you envy those who work 8 hours a day and can go on vacation.
Well, that’s when it comes in handy if you see from an external point of view what you can do better and more efficiently.
Does the situation sound familiar?
- You’re trying to get the most out of your company, but you keep hitting walls. You feel that something could be better, but you have no idea what you should do, after all, you don’t learn company management in school, but on your own.
- You start somewhere, but … , and there is always the but, which eats up a lot of your money.
- You listen to a lot of lectures, and you set off enthusiastically – in the wrong direction.
This not only damages your self-confidence, but also your liquidity.
Would you like to minimize this “development cost” and cross the glass ceiling?
My guest today is the Ops&Roll Group, who help entrepreneurs in such situations.
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The Ops&Roll Group: Melinda Pecséri Bence Varga Melinda Borda
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What area does Ops&roll Group Ltd work within exactly?
In brief, our company specializes in corporate process improvement, business development consulting, and project management.
After years of continuous collaboration and joint work, we have formulated a plan to start a business as we wish to work together for long, doing what we are good at and what we are passionate about. The three of us have come together to found Ops&roll, and we each bring different areas of expertise to the table, which complement each other professionally and in terms of skills.
We believe that process improvement is at the heart of our business. It is our mission to help other businesses operate as efficiently, successfully and problem-free as possible. While many excellent professionals work in various businesses, the current competitive landscape demands more than just technical expertise. We strive to be efficient, innovative, and prompt in recognize changing needs and keep pace with industrial and social development.
Our field of expertise is operational development and project management. Within operational development we help increase operational efficiency, conduct operational audits, design and improve processes, and provide business continuity support.
Our project management services encompass the classic management and coordination of business projects from the emergence of needs to the implementation and follow-up. As part of our professional background, our top project areas are organizational change, supply chain optimization/logistics development, management of project work to tenders, modernization, and of course operational development itself.
How can one recognize that they need to make changes to their operations?
There can be various triggers for change during a company’s lifespan. Here are a few common examples:
- Cases where the financials are problematic, and it is not the fault of customer numbers or revenue.
- Unexpected situations or market events that require an immediate response.
- Growth and/or transformation.
It is important to note that whenever something does not go as planned, or when we want to bring something new or innovative to our business, change is required. Based on these factors, it is relatively easy to recognize that something needs to be changed. However, determining what, when, and how to make changes… it can be a more challenging.
What can a business expect from you, and how can you help them?
Based on the previous question, here is how we can help:
- If there is a need for change due to business performance indicators, we map out the current operation and create a plan for more efficient and cost-effective operation.
- In case of unforeseen events, we assess the tasks that are of utmost priority for business continuity and offer recommendations and bridging solutions.
- In case of growth and development needs, we create a project plan and follow through with the entire project work implementation, and if necessary, we provide direction.
Every situation and need is unique, and we can provide the best help by quickly finding common ground, viewing the agreed-upon goals as our own, and creating implementation and development plans. We will share our founding with you on what’s not working, what we think should be done differently, and we won’t keep anything from you, because our partner’ success is the most important for us. We make suggestions according to the needs. Then everyone can decide whether they can carry out the implementation plan on their own or whether they need our participation, and we continue to work together. We can also provide full project management, or occasional consultation or mentoring, which supports implementation with similar effectiveness.
No one needs to know everything. A successful entrepreneur is someone who knows what they are good at and recognizes when they need help. While we focus on our own services, serve our customers, direct production, or take care of other business matters, the consultant works for us and does the work that he or she is expert in. Yes, it costs money, like any work, but if they do it better than us, we can focus on what we are better at, which will finally improve our financials.
What impact can change have on a business?
Change is good. This is obviously a cliché, but in most cases it is true, especially if we are in control. If we let things change on their own and do not take action in time, then the outcome depends only on circumstances and luck.
Recognition is an important milestone. If the need for change is identified, it is advisable to examine exactly what kind of change is needed and what we want to achieve with it.
If the change brings the desired result in achieving our goals, then its impact is clearly positive for the operation and results of the business. For example, process optimization leads to lower operating costs, which allows for higher profits, growth opportunities (development, expansion), or even hiring further workforce. It may also be for simply to survive. Many people feel it negatively, but with proper preparation and planning, it can actually result a stronger outcome.
If we do not notice the need for change, or notice it but do nothing, it can cause problems later on. Therefore, it is worth paying attention and investing energy, time, and money if necessary, as it brings significant returns.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to improve and optimize their business operations but does not know how?
The most important thing is to recognize that they need to develop and optimize their business operations.
Define exactly what they want to achieve, what the goal is. It is very important that this is always measurable and achievable and has deadlines.
They should definitely examine their professional, financial, operational, and resource possibilities. Here, it is necessary to take into account what kind of help they can count on in their social and professional circles.
Finally, a plan must be prepared that summarizes the necessary steps, includes the time and cost schedule, involves experts, which may include everyone from different consultants (such as operational, financial, human, creative, etc.) to construction professionals (such as expanding a workspace) to an accountant. Possible risks must be assessed and, last but not least, the return on investment must be evaluated.
When is it advisable to involve an expert?
It is advisable to involve an expert in any case of change; the question is rather what kind of support is needed in which cases.
To give some simple examples:
if we know, see, or feel that something is not working properly, for example, if revenue is not coming in, there are mistakes in the work, or we cannot follow growing customer demands, but we don’t know the cause, it is advisable to seek help to understand the rootcause. In such a case, an operational expert can assess the operation during an audit or with the help of a simple checklist and identify the areas that need improvement.
Or another example:
I want my business to grow; I know what I want, but I don’t know how to start. In this case, a specialist in operations development and project management is a great help.
Or if I simply want to increase the efficiency of my business operations to decrease the operation costs and save in profit, it is also advisable to examine the optimization of internal operational processes or other cost-effective operation supporting advice with the involvement of an expert.
The simplest if we know exactly what we need, know that we need support for it, and also know who can help us. This is the ideal case and is quite rare.
Even if we are not sure about our situation, it is still worth consulting the an expert, as we have nothing to lose, most places offer the first consultation absolutely free, and by choosing the right partner, we can learn a lot at the first conversation.
Our first consultation is also free as it is important to find out first what our client needs and what we can offer. Furthermore we think the first impression, trust and sympathy is crucial for great cooperation.
In Hungary nowadays, most businesses are reluctant to seek experts help. The reasons for this can be varied, but the most common ones are:
- Distrust: they do not want outsiders to see their internal operations or have had a bad experience with consulting.
- Money: there is no budget for this purpose, or they simply do not want to spend on it.
- Uncertainty: client doesn’t know that there is easier way of solving their problem with help of a expert.
If one does the right decision to find a consultant, they will be in better position in their problem solution as if they would do it on their own or start fixing their issues without professional experience.