It was great to meet with Dan and Aaron at Milan Stoneworks in Portland, OR. Easy-going and charismatic, we joked with Aaron, the owner, about his being able to take more time to golf now that they use CounterGo and Systemize. We chatted about the way they’re using the software and what features they’d like to see – like drawing unique shapes.
Being new to this industry provides an interesting takeaway from each shop as we toured them that I think differs from the veterans of the stone world. At Milan Stoneworks, I was impressed with their confidence in their process, a contentment with their business, and an importance of valuing their employees and coworkers.
The software works for you, you don’t work for the software
One of the things that stuck with me was that at Milan Stoneworks is using file folders. It’s just part of their system and it works well for them. That’s the beauty of Systemize, each shop can customize it based on how they prefer to work. All that matters is that Systemize solves the business problem that prompted the user to sign up for it in the first place. In this case, it’s solving Milan’s need for a scheduling tool and that is pretty great to hear.
The importance of knowing your limits
It seems to me that right now more than ever, shops are contemplating whether going digital is right for their shop. During our tour of Milan Stoneworks, we saw a clean and organized shop with a tried and true system in place. We discussed the temptation of going digital and expanding the business. Aaron explained that it just isn’t right for his shop. They do well, they just can’t justify the expense in economic terms. That is a highly important quality to have as a business owner, knowing the limits of your business.
For a smaller shop, it’s tempting to want more and more and keep up with technology. If increasing your business and going digital is something you really want, you’ll need to do your research, set realistic goals, and create a smart financial plan. Ultimately, you’ll need to ask yourself if spending more money achieve the results you want to see or are you already there? Either way, if you’re at that crossroad, you’re doing a pretty great job running your shop.
Your employees don’t just work for you, they represent you
Aaron ended our tour with some insightful views on employee retention. Such a great topic. People being good to people. It sounds so simple, but then why do so many companies have such a high turnover rate? And when I got to thinking more about it specific to the countertop industry, doesn’t this affect the success of a shop when it comes to using systems and processes? If your employees don’t love coming to work, is that showing when they interact with your customers?
The answer if obvious. Of course it comes up. Aaron was right. Treating your employees well encourages them to be their best and do their best, even if they don’t stay with your shop forever. The secret is, though, they will probably want to stay forever.
I really enjoyed visiting Milan Stoneworks and hearing firsthand how CounterGo and Systemize have enhanced their shop’s output.
