How Do Job Shops Build a Foundation for Growth?

I’ve seen too many job shops grow to a certain size and get stuck because they’re still trying to operate like a small shop and flying by the seat of their pants.

They don’t want to build processes and systems because they are focused on pleasing customers or they think it will limit their creativity and freedom. But it's possible to systematize and build smart processes in a way that enhances both profitability and creativity.

One shop in particular that I work with has always had a vision of providing enriching careers for their team of machinists and welders. But now that they've grown beyond 30 employees, it has gotten harder for them to uphold the level of quality their customers have come to expect without micromanaging their team and being the overbearing bosses they wanted to get away from when they first started their business. So we developed an onboarding and training process that would unify their team and get the newbies up to par quickly without taking up too much time from your best people.

So, what can you do to build a solid foundation that will minimize growing pains and maximize all the aspects of your business that you want to bring out.

1. Get really clear on who you are, why you’re here, and where you want to go.

2. Bring your team into the big vision, listen to their ideas, and understand their motives.

3. Infuse your big vision into everything you do and say, and create touchpoints for your team.

4. Build systems and processes to minimize busy work and maximize quality and creativity.

Ok, let's break these down.

Get really clear on who you are, why you’re here, and where you want to go.

Most of us are so busy putting out fires and trying to keep up to focus any energy on what we want. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we put together a quick year-end review, spend a bit of time putting together a basic financial forecast, and call it good. Anything more can seem like a waste of time when you’re busy and you have fairly consistent cash flow, but I’ve realized that this is the biggest difference between an ok company and a great one.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m running late, it seems like nothing can ever go right, which just makes me more frantic. But if I pause, take a few deep breaths, and remind myself of the insignificance of the situation in respect to the big picture, things tend to smooth out. Our businesses are the same way. When we’re always consumed by our never-ending task list and we don’t take the time to step back and think about WHY we’re doing what we’re doing, it can feel like we’re always fighting forest fires.

If instead, we take the time to dig way down below the surface and uncover the truth of what we really want out of our business, we can be more intentional in our approach. I’m not talking about sales and revenue here, I’m talking about your why–the thing that gets you out of bed every morning. The WHY is the most important part because it’s what inspires passion and shapes your goals. And when you have crystal clear goals and the passion to see them through, you will be unstoppable.

All the things become a million times easier when we know exactly what we want. Marketing and communications become easier because we know ourselves, so we know what feels authentic and real. We know how we want to show up in the world, which is what marketing is all about. Sales work is easier because we know what type of customers we want to work with–the people as much as the industry or size of the business. Operations become easier because we know which tasks are most important, so we can prioritize accordingly. Hiring is easier because we know what values truly matter to us and what kind of help we need to achieve our vision. Even training and team-building becomes easier because you now have a rallying point.

Getting clear on what we want is much harder than it sounds. Most people these days are extremely susceptible to shiny objects syndrome and fear of missing out or SOS and FOMO. Our options are limitless, but instead of creating more opportunities, it can paralyze us and make it impossible to prioritize and pick a course of action.

Bring your team into the big vision, listen to their ideas, and understand their motives.

You started a business because you wanted to do things your way, I get it, I did too. But if you want your company to grow and thrive, you need to bring your team into that vision and give them the opportunity to help create that future. Now, I know that welders, machinists, and mechanics are not always the most talkative bunch, but it's important to at least give them the chance to offer their input.

It's also important to get a good understanding of what motivates them and how they like to be recognized for their work. Teambuilding is difficult. It takes time and constant attention, but building a great culture is crucial to if you want to have a rock-solid foundation for your business to grow on.

Infuse your big vision into everything you do and say, and create touchpoints for your team.

In order to take your company from small to medium while maintaining its integrity along with all the energy and passion you have put in to get to where you are now, you need to infuse your big vision into all that you do. Every person on your team should be able to articulate some form of the mission and vision statements, and recount your epic origin story. This is not an exaggeration–by starting or even buying a business, you have done something that most people would not have the courage to try, let alone the grit to stick out. It IS possible to be humble while still acknowledging that.

But you can’t just make your team go home and memorize these things, right? You have to do it with subtlety and grace to build that foundation you need to grow smartly. The more touchpoints you create to do this work for you, the more powerful your message will be. Some of these things can be really simple, like t-shirts and hats. Other effective touchpoints might be training, procedures, and communications. An open house would be a great place to amp up the volume on your message and get everyone feeling all the feels.

This is a big, multifaceted objective that will take time and commitment. But if you break it down into a laser-focused plan, you can execute it in a few intensive “sprints” with your team. I believe sprints are the only way to execute projects like this. If done well, they create a huge amount of excitement and momentum for you to ride forward into the bigger, brighter future you envision!

Build systems and processes to minimize busy work and maximize quality and creativity.

Onboarding and training are two key processes that any growing job shop should have in place. And one really easy way to systematize these vital parts of your business is by using video.

Recent studies have shown that training videos are more effective for certain topics and comprehension levels, especially with younger generations. They allow candidates to learn at their own pace in the comfort of their own homes and offer better retention than in-person lectures. You can also get the videos transcribed to create worksheets for people who like to have written instructions as well.

An onboarding video would start out similar to a company overview video–and if you work with a great video producer, they will make sure to shoot enough footage to create both at once. You can get interviews of your leadership team and anyone else you think would do a great job introducing the company. You would tell the story of how you got started, any major growing experiences or turning points, and your big vision for the company. Make sure to get plenty of footage of your team at work to cut in to add more intrigue.

Next, someone would go over all the things you want new hires to know before they step foot in the door. These should be little details that don’t need to be explained or demonstrated at length and are straightforward enough to not prompt many questions. You could have an “entrance exam” as the final part of your hiring process to make sure they watched the video, and if you want people who look at the big picture, a written essay portion might be a good idea too.

For your more technical, difficult processes and tasks, you would do in-person demos delivered by whoever brings the most knowledge and energy to each topic. You would build a clearly defined itinerary for each demonstration to ensure consistency–surgeons, pilots, and astronauts all go through checklists before they commence their work, so this stuff works! These could then be easily turned into worksheets and/or exams for the trainee.

I also recommend naming the different levels of training and having “graduation” ceremonies and celebrations when each level is reached. This gives your people an attainable goal and a clear path to get there. Again, you can test drive this with current employees to get their input and bring them into the process. These programs will inevitably evolve as you test them out, but creating that foundation is key.