 |
    
    
April's
Articles for Giftware News:
back
to articles>>
People Make the
Business
The Week of September 3, 2007
Business owners have plenty of challenges—aside from the very
weighty ones of keeping the world on an even keel through trade
while governments seem to push the world toward chaos we also
have the job of taking care of our business from the inside out.
While we strive to make our outward public presentation perfect
and marketable— the retail shop, the wholesale showroom, the trade
booth, the perfect sample, the best designed product, the most
appealing prices—we also are responsible for the inside of our
business. Not only the customers without, but the individuals
within. I truly believe that people make the business.
We want the best talent on board. We search for it; we try to
nurture and encourage it.
When you have somebody very gifted working for you, your company
grows to his or her talents. They influence with their abilities
the very nature of your business. Somebody smart with logistics
may feed your bottom line with freight savings and improve your
reputation with good deliveries; a talented designer may keep
you fresh, find you new business and bring you free publicity;
an excellent marketer will raise your profile, show your product
to advantage, find new customers and stroke the old; a gifted
accountant may save you money, find you financing, obtain tax
savings and find grants or rebates and incentives; sales people
— excellent ones — write their own paychecks and they assure the
company's success every day. They sell your product and tell your
company story. People make the business.
An excellent picker-packer doesn't make mistakes — the customer
receives their product as ordered, and an exceptional customer
service person quiets upset clients and improves the company's
reputation with every call. There are some employees who are so
multi-talented that their abilities branch over a number of departments.
A designer may also be a buyer; a buyer may have her eye on shipping;
a shipper may understand customer service, and an analyst may
understand margins, promotions, costs and freight. These people
are the wealth of a company, doing their job and keeping an eye
on the company's bigger interests at the same time. Importers
can develop people overseas, in other factories or agencies. You
can spot the talent and encourage, motivate and grow it. A good
vendor is just another link in your company's chain of excellence.
A bad one — like a bad employee — makes it hard to move forward.
We live by our staff — we are only as good as they are. They give
us their waking hours, and the best of them, probably more time
than we deserve. But they share our passion and our commitment
and help us to succeed. The long-term employee is like gold —
adding the wisdom found in layers of corporate culture and know
how. This is important. On the other hand, a new employee brings
the fresh energy and perspective that all businesses require.
They bring experience from other organizations and ideas of new
and changing markets. This is also important.
We need the balance of experience and inexperience. We need talent.
We need to spot good employees, like good opportunities, because
finally it is these people who will develop the opportunities.
If you can afford it, you need to nurture talent, augment your
bench strength and develop individuals for the future of your
business.
As the fall season begins, I say "thank you" to all of the talented
individuals around me.
Because, people are the business.
April Cornell
Burlington, Vermont |
|
|
