Out of Comfort, into Growth: Lessons Learned About Business Transformation

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Are you afraid to step out of your comfort zone?


You’re not alone in that boat, many of us have these thoughts. Change can be intimidating, especially when it comes to the success of something you have poured your heart and soul into.


What if I told you that embracing change is the key to unlocking prosperity, I did in my business!

Intrigued?


I’ll share the game-changers that transformed my business journey.

I had quite an entrepreneurial journey of 33 months from the start until the actual purchase of this company. I purchased a company on July 1, 1997.

The company had been in business for almost 30 years. It was a manufacturing company in the Aerospace Industry.

As the new President and CEO, I knews the company was mine and I could run it. However, within just days I discovered the company was in dire straits.

We did government contracting; building aircraft cockpit control panels. Our local government inspector came into my office and told me we were in violation of government contracts and quality control and that he had the authority to shut us down and not allow us to build government products.


I had a lot of experience in running manufacturing facilities, but I was not prepared for a potential shutdown from the government.


Since I had just purchased the company, I asked the government inspector to give me a few weeks to correct our quality issues.


He did.

The product quality we were producing was also poor for others and several customers beyond the government were threatening to not buy from us. I got on planes to visit our upset customers and ask for time to set things straight and gain trust that we could build high-quality products.

Since we built panels for aircraft, quality was of the utmost importance.

Luckily, I had inherited several employees who had an interest in helping to build and make this a good company. I met with managers from all disciplines of the company, operations, quality control, engineering, human resources, and sales.


We knew we had to move quickly or else.

We decided to revamp our quality system and requested to enter and qualify for the Boeing D1-9000A quality program for suppliers. It was the best most stringent program on the market at the time.


Qualifying and having that rating would help us with Boeing company and others, especially the government.


For the next six months, we concentrated on qualifying for the Boeing quality rating, we were certified in December 1997.

Then we began systematically reviewing department-by-department personnel needs and defining what was needed to produce our products. One Lifeline we used to start the process was a book – “The Goal.”


No, it’s not just another business book; it’s a roadmap to success.


Written by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, this masterpiece unravels the mysteries of productivity and efficiency. It’s like having a mentor whispering sage advice in your ear. Our team was feeling overwhelmed by the thought of shaking things up.


“The Goal” was our reassuring companion, making change not only less daunting but somewhat exciting.

The fear of change, the fear of the unknown was gripping the company. People had been working there for years and they were not ready to embrace change. Some people had to be changed out and moved to other areas of the company and in several cases, they just had to leave the company.

If you’re thinking, “I’d be scared to make a move; what if I mess things up?”
We all have that fear but mine was real-time and had to be done now.

Our management team and I worked hard to effect change and get back in good graces with all our customers.

The good news was that the government inspector watched this entire process, he was there a lot to observe. As time went on and we improved, he and I became friends, and we were not threatened again with government contracts being pulled.

As we plodded through the next couple of years, we began to build the company, gained new customers, and grew sales year over year.


We made the company profitable.

However, it was about 5 years later that we discovered a process that tied everything together – lean manufacturing principles. Don’t let the word “lean” fool you; it’s not about cutting corners. It’s about efficiency, minimizing waste, and maximizing value.


Lean manufacturing is the unsung hero of business transformation, turning your fears into fuel for success. Implementing Lean was the best thing we did for growth and profitability.
More to come on the Lean Journey.

So, small business owners, get ready and trade the safe harbor of the status quo for an exhilarating voyage to greatness. Don’t sit and wait and hopefully, you never get in a situation like I inherited.


The journey was rough and trying, but the outcome was fantastic!

Thank you for reading this article.
Please comment on your journey to excellence.
It can be applied to any business.

287 thoughts on “Out of Comfort, into Growth: Lessons Learned About Business Transformation”

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