Organizing Your Business for Success Part 1A
Planning Your Way Out
Organizing your business part One-A
Monday November 14, 2005
Writer’s note: I have begun a multi-part series called ‘Organizing Your Business for Success’ and posted part one. This article plus several additional parts were written by me in 2004 for a group of investigators, repo-men, and skip tracers throughout the world and received it’s fair share of success. I will be interjecting these applicable pieces along with the new articles to give you a comprehensive guide to managing your business instead of being mired in it. Thanks for reading.
This article will help you begin to look at your business as an investment and not as a job.
Planning your way out of your business without losing the income your business provides or the ownership you have takes planning.
I am a business consultant who owns a couple of businesses. I spend time planning, writing, and designing how a business has to be designed for it to run on its own.
Designing a business that runs on its own does not mean you get to lie around and play while others work but it is meant to specify the kind of work a business owner should be doing.
Part One: Business Systemization and Franchise Modeling
Most entrepreneurs are doing the wrong kind of work.
Business owners should be on top of their business instead of in it.
If I am confusing you with cliché statements, I am sorry.
Business systemizations and franchise modeling are pretty much the same but their meaning is easily lost because 90% of businesses do not follow the two methods that have made Merry Maids, McDonald’s, Mrs. Fields Cookies, and many others into multi-million dollar organizations that have long outdistanced the life or capabilities of their original owners and run on their own.
For this week I want you to weigh the substance of the following story.
Year 100 BC.
In ancient Rome there stood a village near the country of Gaul. This village sat between two mountains and for centuries had a stream of water that ran down from a mountain lake to a central pond shared by all who lived there.
One night while the village slept a powerful earthquake struck causing a lot of damage. Many homes were snapped apart as well as the central meetinghouse. But one piece of destruction would not be known until morning when the ruffled villagers desired bathing and drinking water for their families; the stream was no longer running and the pool which had never seen a loss of its source was now empty.
Many wells were dug but no source worth drinking could be found.
A meeting was called and soon two young men were appointed to seek out the problem and a solution.
Aquatis and Domino, both recent returns from the city of Rome and eager for the challenge that would begin the next morning.
Their job was to figure out what had happened to their stream and once ascertained they would have to figure out how to bring other available sources of water into the village well.
The first leg of their journey followed the stream bed that brought them to the mountain lake a half days journey away.
The lake’s source of water was deep beneath the ancient volcano on which it stood. Now the opposite side of the cone was gone and the water with it. Had the damage been on the side facing the village, all would have been killed in the rush of water filling the valley; sweeping all in its path to their death.
Both men sighed, turned away, and sat down. Aquatis and Domino thought about the problem and began scanning the area. Down the valley, along the eastern flank of the village sat a gorgeous blue lake. After a short rest the men continued on their journey.
Arriving at the lake both men walked its perimeter and found it served neither village nor farm save the many wild animals that were drinking from it.
The diameter was twice the distance of the mountain lake and after a length of rope, tied in segments, and lowered by a weight could not reach the botton, it proved to be very deep.
Aquatis and Domino drank heavily and drew silver cisterns full of the water to bring to their village.
Again a meeting was held to honor both men and to test the water. The water was more desirable than their former source. The elders called Aquatis and Domino and said a large brick well would be built where the pool once stood and they both needed to get the water here as soon as possible. They would be paid for the water they supplied.
To prevent a battle over who ran what or who collected what, the elders ordered both Aquatis and Domino to start separate operations and provide the water.
Domino began his business immediately. He organized his family members including his sons, many cousins, uncles, and aunts to begin making the journey with clay buckets and containers to bring the water from the lake to the well.
For four months Domino charged sizeable fees for his labors while he and his family traveled the two miles many times per day to fill the well.
In the fifth month, Domino ’s problems began.
First his grandfather who took care of all the ledgers and journals died. So at the end of his day, Domino began tackling the books.
The next week one of his sons was bitten by a snake and could no longer work as his leg became infected and was amputated. Domino had to create a temporary new route. His family suffered several broken legs and arms from the falls over the uneven ground. Domino also had to hire an exterminator to remove the nest of snakes.
Now Domino increased his labor time to make up the shortage and continued doing the books when he was done.
One by one, Domino’s family dropped from the business. Either through problems with getting paid, illness, or plain fatigue, the family labor force was now gone. He tried to hire several laborers but the pay wasn’t equal to the work and complaints as to how the water was drawn and filtered began from the sediment, bugs, and branches that were now in the well water.
Domino now exhausted from the extremely long days missed the ledge crossing coming back from the lake, fell into the ravine, and broke his neck.
Eleven months from rich businessman to death. Domino's family having not the drive or desire to continue the business closed all operations at once.
As the village mourned, Aquatis, Domino's old friend came to console the family. It had been some time since anyone had seen him.
The elders seeing Aquatis for the first time in months went to him and pleaded for a reason for his absence.
Aquatis said he would explain everything in the morning.
Early the next morning the village shook with a bang. All the citizens marched into the center in their morning clothes expecting to see more damaged houses but to their surprise they saw a fountain of water pouring out of the end of a brick wall that had the top layer of bricks u-shaped to allow the water to have direction while it emptied into the well.
Eleven months before when Aquatis began his operation, he understood that he and his wife would tire too easily laboring to bring the water to the well. As the village grew the needs of the people would only increase. For the next two weeks Aquatis drew out a plan.
Then for ten months, Aquatis laid down a series of pipes, drilled through solid hills, and created his brick waterway to bring the water from his collection well that stood halfway between the lake and the village. In that separate well sediment and branched were removed by a series of separators that would push the water upward and onto the brick waterway that flowed into the village.
A test site was setup to bring water to his house and the houses of his brother and sister. Several types of piping and cement were found faulty and Aquatis made the changes and tested again.
Once the system or methods of aquiring and delivering the water were sorted out, Aquatis finished the distribution network to within a few yards of the well until last night when it was finished for this morning's grand opening.
Aquatis sold his water for a penny per gallon but it flowed constantly, on its own with minor labor to free debris and fix leaks.
Within a year, Aquatis Ductus set up the Apian Aqueduct Company and created similar operations throughout the Roman Empire. The water flows without stopping and has continued in operation, in some respects, to this day.
Aquatis Ductus made a fortune many times over without his labor. He makes money while he sleeps, he makes money while on vacation, and he continued to make money when he retired.
***
“Most Entrepreneurs are doing the wrong kind of work!”
What kind of work are you doing?
See you next week!
***This story was inspired by Michael Gerber who wrote the E-Myth.
Please send all feedback to billritchotte@bjgordonandcompany.com
Organizing your business part One-A
Monday November 14, 2005
Writer’s note: I have begun a multi-part series called ‘Organizing Your Business for Success’ and posted part one. This article plus several additional parts were written by me in 2004 for a group of investigators, repo-men, and skip tracers throughout the world and received it’s fair share of success. I will be interjecting these applicable pieces along with the new articles to give you a comprehensive guide to managing your business instead of being mired in it. Thanks for reading.
This article will help you begin to look at your business as an investment and not as a job.
Planning your way out of your business without losing the income your business provides or the ownership you have takes planning.
I am a business consultant who owns a couple of businesses. I spend time planning, writing, and designing how a business has to be designed for it to run on its own.
Designing a business that runs on its own does not mean you get to lie around and play while others work but it is meant to specify the kind of work a business owner should be doing.
Part One: Business Systemization and Franchise Modeling
Most entrepreneurs are doing the wrong kind of work.
Business owners should be on top of their business instead of in it.
If I am confusing you with cliché statements, I am sorry.
Business systemizations and franchise modeling are pretty much the same but their meaning is easily lost because 90% of businesses do not follow the two methods that have made Merry Maids, McDonald’s, Mrs. Fields Cookies, and many others into multi-million dollar organizations that have long outdistanced the life or capabilities of their original owners and run on their own.
For this week I want you to weigh the substance of the following story.
Year 100 BC.
In ancient Rome there stood a village near the country of Gaul. This village sat between two mountains and for centuries had a stream of water that ran down from a mountain lake to a central pond shared by all who lived there.
One night while the village slept a powerful earthquake struck causing a lot of damage. Many homes were snapped apart as well as the central meetinghouse. But one piece of destruction would not be known until morning when the ruffled villagers desired bathing and drinking water for their families; the stream was no longer running and the pool which had never seen a loss of its source was now empty.
Many wells were dug but no source worth drinking could be found.
A meeting was called and soon two young men were appointed to seek out the problem and a solution.
Aquatis and Domino, both recent returns from the city of Rome and eager for the challenge that would begin the next morning.
Their job was to figure out what had happened to their stream and once ascertained they would have to figure out how to bring other available sources of water into the village well.
The first leg of their journey followed the stream bed that brought them to the mountain lake a half days journey away.
The lake’s source of water was deep beneath the ancient volcano on which it stood. Now the opposite side of the cone was gone and the water with it. Had the damage been on the side facing the village, all would have been killed in the rush of water filling the valley; sweeping all in its path to their death.
Both men sighed, turned away, and sat down. Aquatis and Domino thought about the problem and began scanning the area. Down the valley, along the eastern flank of the village sat a gorgeous blue lake. After a short rest the men continued on their journey.
Arriving at the lake both men walked its perimeter and found it served neither village nor farm save the many wild animals that were drinking from it.
The diameter was twice the distance of the mountain lake and after a length of rope, tied in segments, and lowered by a weight could not reach the botton, it proved to be very deep.
Aquatis and Domino drank heavily and drew silver cisterns full of the water to bring to their village.
Again a meeting was held to honor both men and to test the water. The water was more desirable than their former source. The elders called Aquatis and Domino and said a large brick well would be built where the pool once stood and they both needed to get the water here as soon as possible. They would be paid for the water they supplied.
To prevent a battle over who ran what or who collected what, the elders ordered both Aquatis and Domino to start separate operations and provide the water.
Domino began his business immediately. He organized his family members including his sons, many cousins, uncles, and aunts to begin making the journey with clay buckets and containers to bring the water from the lake to the well.
For four months Domino charged sizeable fees for his labors while he and his family traveled the two miles many times per day to fill the well.
In the fifth month, Domino ’s problems began.
First his grandfather who took care of all the ledgers and journals died. So at the end of his day, Domino began tackling the books.
The next week one of his sons was bitten by a snake and could no longer work as his leg became infected and was amputated. Domino had to create a temporary new route. His family suffered several broken legs and arms from the falls over the uneven ground. Domino also had to hire an exterminator to remove the nest of snakes.
Now Domino increased his labor time to make up the shortage and continued doing the books when he was done.
One by one, Domino’s family dropped from the business. Either through problems with getting paid, illness, or plain fatigue, the family labor force was now gone. He tried to hire several laborers but the pay wasn’t equal to the work and complaints as to how the water was drawn and filtered began from the sediment, bugs, and branches that were now in the well water.
Domino now exhausted from the extremely long days missed the ledge crossing coming back from the lake, fell into the ravine, and broke his neck.
Eleven months from rich businessman to death. Domino's family having not the drive or desire to continue the business closed all operations at once.
As the village mourned, Aquatis, Domino's old friend came to console the family. It had been some time since anyone had seen him.
The elders seeing Aquatis for the first time in months went to him and pleaded for a reason for his absence.
Aquatis said he would explain everything in the morning.
Early the next morning the village shook with a bang. All the citizens marched into the center in their morning clothes expecting to see more damaged houses but to their surprise they saw a fountain of water pouring out of the end of a brick wall that had the top layer of bricks u-shaped to allow the water to have direction while it emptied into the well.
Eleven months before when Aquatis began his operation, he understood that he and his wife would tire too easily laboring to bring the water to the well. As the village grew the needs of the people would only increase. For the next two weeks Aquatis drew out a plan.
Then for ten months, Aquatis laid down a series of pipes, drilled through solid hills, and created his brick waterway to bring the water from his collection well that stood halfway between the lake and the village. In that separate well sediment and branched were removed by a series of separators that would push the water upward and onto the brick waterway that flowed into the village.
A test site was setup to bring water to his house and the houses of his brother and sister. Several types of piping and cement were found faulty and Aquatis made the changes and tested again.
Once the system or methods of aquiring and delivering the water were sorted out, Aquatis finished the distribution network to within a few yards of the well until last night when it was finished for this morning's grand opening.
Aquatis sold his water for a penny per gallon but it flowed constantly, on its own with minor labor to free debris and fix leaks.
Within a year, Aquatis Ductus set up the Apian Aqueduct Company and created similar operations throughout the Roman Empire. The water flows without stopping and has continued in operation, in some respects, to this day.
Aquatis Ductus made a fortune many times over without his labor. He makes money while he sleeps, he makes money while on vacation, and he continued to make money when he retired.
***
“Most Entrepreneurs are doing the wrong kind of work!”
What kind of work are you doing?
See you next week!
***This story was inspired by Michael Gerber who wrote the E-Myth.
Please send all feedback to billritchotte@bjgordonandcompany.com
posted by William J Ritchotte II at 1:54 PM
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