It’s all about your Changeability

• Capability 
• Sustainability 
• Marketability 
• Manageability 
• Profitability 
• Scalability

The question is – do you have the ability?

If you want to scale, increase profits and manage your business better then there are three key abilities you can work on to increase your ability – Capability, Sustainability and Marketability. These things all affect your Changeability.  

Capability

• Work out what you want to do, where do you want to go? 
• Do a skills matrix of who is who in your zoo, what skills do they have and are they on the right seats on the bus?
• Do a planning matrix of the steps you need to take to get there a few work out what skills you’ll need to achieve this.
• Lay them side by side. Do you have gaps?
• Can you upskill, promote or retask your people? Maybe you could delegate some tasks off of your own to do list. 
• Locate funding to help you train your team (see the skilling and training assessment grant)
• Look at the courses available to get your team upskilled (TAFE, Micro Courses, WorkSafe)
• Apply
• Plan the training timetable so it does not affect day to day operations

Start the process of changing

You have 3 options 

1. Train existing staff to fill the gaps 
2. Employ new staff to fill the gaps
3. Stay exactly where you are on the cusp but never moving upwards

You will find that giving your staff actual training and upskilling them as humans will increase the tether they have to your business. Yes some staff may leave eventually, but do you want to have unskilled workers managing your business (even for a short time) or well trained focused individuals who make a difference?

Operational Assessment

Look at your manufacturing operation and workshop floor. Is it functional, tidy, lean?

Do you have Quality Management systems in place? 

How do you rate your manageability of your business overall?

If it needs improving add this to your road map and look into funding to help pay for this – it does exist

• Would you like to be an ISO 9001/ 14001 accredited company?
• Do you know what you would have to do to comply?
• If not – there are a bounty of experts in the market who will work out what you have what you need to do and get costings to manage it. 
• Look at what funding opportunities there are for this, if you want to supply to the defence force there is funding for this. See this Capability Grant

Capacity building

• Could you increase capacity right now? 
• If not – where are the bottlenecks. 
• Can you figure out how to address them now or do you need help, better equipment, more skilled labour, better systems?

Once you have worked out what you need to get where you want to go you will have a roadmap filled with options, to do lists and opportunities

This may mean training, restructuring or shuffling the layout around but it is worth its weight in gold. 

Supply chain

• Is your supply chain intact, resilient and  functional? 
• Has covid affected the supply of raw materials or components? How have you managed this?
• Are there any Australian suppliers who can fill the gap? 
• Can you manufacture your own components for a similar price? You’d be in charge of your own supply that way and not have to pay import duties or wait for ship/plane to get all the way to Australia.

Safety

• How safe is your operation?
• Do you find that you are stopping and starting because of safety issues?

There are a multitude of companies who are all trained in how to make manufacturing companies both functional and safe. Talk to them. 

If your business is truly in a growth phase there is funding to help you with the Scalability Journey – Growth Fund

Sustainability 

• Do you manage waste properly? 
• Are excess materials disposed of properly, is hazardous waste managed in a compliant manner?

• Could you reuse some things? Do you know what a Circular Economy is?
• Use the Aspire platform to sell or swap waste materials 

• Do you measure your carbon outputs? 
• Do you offset them in any way? 
• Have you heard about buying carbon credits? 

• Where do you source your energy? 
• Could you swap this for a renewable source? 

• Do you have a green space around your office? 

If not, consider creating one for the well-being of your team – sustaining a happy culture is fundamental to getting the best out of your team and being happy. 

Did you know that the Qld Government has a bounty of useful info and programs to help you make your business more sustainable?

• Do you know about the 17 SDG’s? Do you work towards achieving them?

• Could you become a B Corp? ((Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose)

Marketability 

• Is your business visible to your target market? 
• If not – what do you think they are not seeing about you?

• Does your website showcase what you do, what problems you solve, who you work with and how you can help to solve the users problems?

• Is your website user friendly or do you have plans to upgrade it?
• Look for funding for this because it is there. See E Commerce Grant, 

• Do you have the right tools for your team to sell your products and services to your targets? Are you speaking their language – do you say how you solve their problems?

• Do you have certifications, alliances, associations and affiliations you don’t leverage? Start! – This is why people will trust you. 

• Do you tell the story of who you work with and your successes in the industry? You should. Case study wins trust and work

• Do you think outside the box, customise, do things differently? This is your usp (unique selling proposition) – tell people about it. 

• Have an opinion, collaborate, join in, network (online and in person), be active. It all helps to solidify your brand as an expert in your field. 

Once you have worked on your Capability and Sustainability these things all have Marketability and paint the picture about your organisation and its level of professionalism, passion and purpose.  

Going through this process will ensure that your people, products and persona are remembered and your profitability will rise with your brand identity.  (so many p’s)

Running a well oiled machine takes consideration and a collective of conscious humans who genuinely want to change.

Managing this requires a roadmap, you’ll need to be aware of what you need and what the overall goal is and remember that along the way. Navigating the path can be tricky, there are a lot of moving parts. Seek out help, there are plenty of people out there who help companies like yours for a living. 

Your profitability depends on your ability to manage change. Ask yourself – do you have the Changeability?

I am available for a Changeability review and will help you manage this process, connect you to the right sources and guide you through the process of scaling up to become a socially responsible, self sustaining, capable company that makes profit.

Contact me to make a booking 0422623781 or email angie@garnish.com.au