Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. They spend their days resolving situations for the public, clients and colleagues. While they may be good at quickly identifying fixes for frequent issues people and other companies face, business owners need to also concentrate on uncovering new inefficiencies and missteps, focusing on becoming better problem finders.
Failure to unearth potential problems, whether they’re internal or apply to a businesses clients and prospects, leaves a business owner vulnerable. Failing to address where things can go wrong can lead a company to make a significant mistake, or even miss out on providing a solution and bring even more revenue with a new service.
Consistently Seek Improvement
As a company grows, it can become more difficult for entrepreneurs to see where potential internal difficulties lie. But just because a problem has not arisen yet, that doesn’t mean it never will. Business owners should always be thinking of ways they can enhance processes within their operations to promote efficiency, better serve clients and eliminate the possibility of making a mistake. Internal solutions are never perfect – entrepreneurs should keep in mind they can always improve, they just need to find the areas in which they can do so. Whether the solution calls for adding additional staff members or better utilizing existing technology, it’s important to identify an issue before it becomes a significant hindrance to the company.
Besides ensuring internal processes are always undergoing improvements, it’s also important business owners refrain from becoming content in regard to their current client offerings. Entrepreneurs should be constantly thinking about what potential problems their clients may encounter in the future and how they can provide the solutions to mitigate any associated risks. Finding new problems leads can lead to better opportunities in the future.
Determine What’s Really Going On
As a company grows, it becomes more difficult for an entrepreneur to manage day-to-day operations and remain on top of all business happenings, meaning they often rely on department managers or other executives to keep them in the loop. However, briefings from these individuals may not include small details that could hint at inefficiencies or prospective problems. Managers may not deliberately be trying to hide anything, but merely think the information isn’t important or not even realize there are potential issues that could be resolved.
To get ahead, business owners should not merely rely on managers to convey information. Rather, they should analyze processes and data for themselves and actively search for and issues that could arise if current practices are left untouched. It can also help to speak with junior employees who may be more willing to speak up about how their days could be made easier or things the management teams could be doing more efficiently.
It’s also essential to make sure internal communications are ideal. Employees should be encouraged to reach out if they think up a way to streamline processes or encounter difficulty each time they complete certain tasks. Asking for input can help generate ideas, and knowing what’s actually going on and where teams have difficulties will help a business owner determine how to fix the issue.
Stay Engaged to Remain Aware
Entrepreneurs are always engaged with clients or management teams, but it’s also essential they expand their frame of reference if they want to actively find problems and fix them before they become significant issues.
There are many ways business owners can figure out what problems other companies are facing, whether they are looking to enhance their own processes and ensure similar issues don’t arise internally, or whether they want to offer additional solutions for their loyal clients. By getting involved with industry groups, an entrepreneur can get a sense of how other companies are finding and eliminating potential problems for themselves and their clients. Social media can be another place to turn, as business leaders may turn to networking platforms to seek advice, vent about an issue they’ve encountered or discuss solutions they’ve found.
Actively discussing potential problems with clients can be another way for entrepreneurs to ensure they’re addressing relevant concerns as they arise and continually offering the best services possible. Scheduling regular talks with clients allows business owners to remain aware of the problems their partners face on a continual basis and determine if there is a way their services can be tailored to offer a viable solution to the issues. Not knowing what clients want or need can leave a company behind, especially if other providers are actively seeking solutions to new problems and customizing these to fit business requirements.
