SBDC workshop set on making your business run without you

Most small business owners do not operate from clearly articulated, and documented policies and procedures and few have any internal training program. Even many mid-sized organizations lack written policies and procedures that are used to guide the company and provide clear steps that any employee can follow. This is one reason why these companies have a management style described as “crisis management” or “putting out fires.”

Internal workshops provides a simple method to not only create written policies and procedures within a company, but they also allow everyone within the organization to participate and learn from each other during a workshop training session that lasts less than one hour each week. During that time everyone will be focused on working “on” the business by developing systems, as opposed to just working “in” the business. These workshops could be the most profound things a business owner could do to help the company run better, increase sales and profits, and improve every function within the organization.

The workshop’s purpose is to develop policies and procedures that will establish the best guidelines and steps that result in improved operations and consistent outcomes for the company and customers. Some other benefits of internal workshop training include:

Some of the best ideas are never communicated, for various reasons, and these workshops provide a forum for staff to share their ideas.

Workshops help the organization to work together in harmony. Employees will learn from each other the best procedures for accomplishing a task and improve their productivity.

It provides an opportunity to create real synergy. As people implement better procedures and realize the outcome, the combined individual efforts will produce surprising results.

There is greater buy-in for the ideas when it comes from the individuals who will implement them. People tend to incorporate changes in their behavior when they have some “ownership” in the idea that precipitated it.

In the workshop given by Rik Villegas, participants will understand the benefits of holding in-house workshops, learn how to conduct a workshop and write a memo, and how to follow-up and implement the ideas from the workshop. Each participant will receive a report and a list of almost 200 workshop titles to help them create a tentative list of workshops they will work on during the year. The report will include sample memos and step-by-step instructions to follow when the business owner decides to conduct his or her first workshop.

This workshop will be presented on Monday, June 14, from 6pm to 9pm, at the NMC Small Business Development Center (Building T). Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. There is limited space available so reserve your seat by calling the SBDC at 235-1551.