Ocean Omega 2007 Reflections on how we do business
"Let the past and its bad habits be done with."
Author-Unknown
I have asked myself the following series of questions and have had some
thoughts and reflections regarding doing business as OO as we move rapidly
towards 2008:
We are all creatures of habit. Most of us get up at the same time every day
and go to sleep at the same time every night. We tend to do the same things
the same way we did them before.
As a business owner we've developed processes to deal with situations that
occur frequently. How do you know when the processes in place aren't working
or could be improved? Do we have a process in place to reassess the way we
do things?
The topic or re-evaluation is on my mind at the moment as I'm currently
taking stock of the past year. I'm looking at things I've done well and
things done not so well in an effort to improve our business in the coming
year. My recent decision to change my active involvement in the hands on
affairs of OO is a first step along those lines.
When is it a good time to reassess how we do things?
At specific intervals - We might decide to take stock; every six months of
every year for example.
After a successful or failed project - The end of a project can be a good
time to evaluate not only that specific project, but business in general.
When we feel like we need to - Not necessarily the best method, but the one
that usually transpires.
The most common approach is to re-evaluate where we are on a consistent
basis at a set time. Year end might be a good time and likely how most New
Year's resolutions came to be. When we decide to assess things is less
important than making sure we do assess where we are from time to time.
Chances are there is some aspect of our business we're taking for granted
and a period of reflection can help identify what it might be. A look inside
can also help when it comes to taking our business in a new direction should
it need a new direction.
Can Taking a Step Back be the Best Way To Move Forward?
Sometimes the shortest distance between two points isn't a straight line.
Imagine you're working for a company and making $20/hr. It's not a bad
salary, but you want more. Unfortunately there's really no place to move up
in your company and at best you'll gain the occasional cost of living
increase while waiting and hoping for the possibility that some opportunity
will find it's way to you.
What if instead you left that job for another that paid $15/hr, but had a
much greater upside? Less money today so you could earn significantly more
tomorrow.
Stepping outside our comfort zone. The habits we all have are our comfort
zone. Our habits are safe, because we did them yesterday and know what to
expect from them today. Safe maintains the status quo. Safe is not
remarkable.
Giving up our comfort zone to take a chance on the unknown can feel like a
step back. It can also be exhilarating. Is it us? Depends on where we are
and how happy we are to be there.
I plan on spending some time this month as the year winds down evaluating
where I've been, thinking about where I want to go, and deciding if what
I've been doing will get me there.
When was the last time we took a long look at the way we do business? Is
everything running smoothly or could it stand a little improvement. When was
the last time we re-evaluated how we do things?
"The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person
doesn't like to do."
-Thomas Edison
I totally understand. In retrospect I have gone back and re-read some of the posts and my own responses. You have been one of the best venues for promoting health in animals.
Sometimes it takes a problem to get people up and moving one being the pet food recall. While I find that prevention and constantly re-inventing the wheel makes more sense to me others seem to wait and see. I am not being critical of those who wait but my insight is to find issues before they develop. If something works well then you do not have to fix it however nothing is perfect and when we are dealing with animals health an almost daily assessment seems necessary as dynamics change quickly. Kind of like Maine weather. I have found that staying one jump ahead of trouble is a necessity. Prevention is the Mother of Invention.
In one of my past feeding plans I found that while the raw diet is good my dogs did not take well to it. They seems to have a problem processing rich mixes probably from years of being on dry commercial foods. At this particular time I have had to modify my diet for them and I think I have done so. I now par-boil raw meats and cut back on raw bones and supplement with veggies and their stomachs seem to be adapting better. I have removed all dry kibble from their diet. It is more work for me but their health is more important and I can better modify my time usage. They now are totally free of any chemicals including water as we have our own well. Did you know that freezing water in plastic bottles allows the chemicals of the plastic to enter the water? Small thing but vital to our health as most of us do use bottled water at times.
I have found the OO business to be very easy and reliable for me but I also understand how they want to improve it and increase their clients. I too would like to see this as their growth means access to more products for all of us. They work to make our lives better. It is a very competitive world and the drug companies are beyond anything we can stand up to and mostly because society has been lulled into believing without questioning. Pop a pill and everything will be ok. So I can only say that before you use a product question it inside out. Whether it is for you or your animal friend. After the recent recalls of about everything we use let us not fall back into the dull style of believing because big money says so. Perhaps we should be taking a step back into a time when we had to do more for ourselves and spend more time than money.
This has again turned into a rant of mine. I just cannot understand how we cannot look at our lives and want to improve them.
Posted by
BarbaraDecember 11, 2007 03:20 PM
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