Here are ten great reasons to attend the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement, coming to St. Louis, Missouri, this May:

1. Bizmanualz will be there! Look for our booth, where we’ll be showing off our new policies and procedures management software.

2. One of the strongest ASQ sections (#1304) in the country is here. Any of our knowledgeable and personable members will be more than happy to assist you while you’re here.

3. The largest gathering of quality professionals in one place means a myriad of opportunities for exchanging quality information and ideas.  A wise dude once said, “Ideas flourish best in the light of day.”

4. There will be dozens of quality training opportunities. Register early for a seminar…or two…or more!

5. The ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement takes place in late May. That’s generally one of the best times of year — weatherwise — in St. Louis, though as someone once said about St. Louis weather, “If you don’t like (it), wait a while…it’ll change.”

6. St. Louis is home to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Crown Candy Kitchen, Forest Park (one of the largest city parks in the nation), and the St. Louis Cardinals.

7. Arm+Leg > Cost of Parking. Same goes for the cost of meals, lodging, entertainment, and just about anything else you can think of.

8. The Cardinals aren’t in town (they’ll be in San Diego), so you’ll be spared the huge crowds. On the other hand, you’ll miss the game-day sea of red shirts and caps that washes into downtown. (More than awe-inspiring, it’s scary!)

9. Quality speakers like:

• Alan Mulally, Ford CEO;
• Robert Stephens, “Geek Squad” founder; and
• Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.

10. First one to register for the Quality Conference after March 24 AND send me their proof of registration gets me as a guide for the evening of May 24. (We’ll work out the details.)

There are many, many more outstanding reasons to be here! Don’t miss this event! The World Conference on Quality and Improvement is only two months away, so make your plans!

See you in St. Louis!

We sometimes hear from small business owners who wish to replicate their successful business and expand to one or more new locations. They often say that they “…need someone to come and package up (their) business from head to toe so we can expand.” That’s what they say — but is that what they need?

Most companies that expand successfully do so with a combination of:

• Researching and documenting “best practices“;
• Process documentation, in the form of well-written policies and procedures;
• Customized employee training; and
• Implementing a quality management system (QMS)

so they get consistent results across all operations.

After a few e-mails back and forth between the small business owner and Bizmanualz, the gravity of the situation — their “replication strategy” — becomes apparent. The process of documenting best practices, implementing policies and procedures, training employees, and implementing a quality management system is no small undertaking — any one of them alone would be daunting, let alone all four. While the owner’s first inclination may be to have someone to come in and do it, seldom are they in a position to budget for it.

Nor would it be advisable, in most cases. For most of our customers, existing staff — labor — is the largest cost, by far. When you dig down for what the owner really wants, it’s to enable the current staff to achieve the desired growth without spending more money than they’re already spending on employees and related expenses. Given our customer’s practical concerns, our approach has evolved into guiding and enabling growth, not sending in a “hired gun” to do it for them. We guide growth through training and workshops, and we enable growth with our products and services.

Saving Time with Pre-Written Policies and Procedures

Our pre-written materials save you time by giving you a starting point and a framework. But, in the case of the business owner seeking growth, he’s asking, “Which procedures do I need to customize, why are they important, and once I’ve customized them, how do I know they’re working?” These and other questions are answered in our two-day roll-out training.

In our Implementation training, we help you find the answers you need and help select the right procedures to sustain growth. That way, your staff can build the best-practice procedures you need.

But wait! There’s more! With the training, you get a year’s worth of phone consultations. Once you’ve taken the Implementation training, pick up the phone and ask us anything you want. Contact us, or download a one-page flier about the roll-out training.

The training will show your team how to build — and sustain — a system of best practices for growth. We’ll help you select, modify, and apply our procedure templates to improve your current operations, making it cheaper for you to provide your service to your customers. Not only do you make your operations more effective and more efficient — saving you money and increasing your profits. In this tough economy, you’re better able to answer price challenges from competitors.

Supporting your Growth and Expansion with Software

Our customers have taught us that when their businesses expand geographically, they often face challenges in coordinating, controlling, and distributing their policies, procedures, and best practices among their locations. That’s why Bizmanualz is currently testing a new software platform that will help you handle these challenges. Once this platform is available, you’ll be able to rent access to our software platform and upload your procedures so that when you’re ready to expand, all your locations can access controlled releases of policies and procedures, as well as other key documents.

Furthermore, you’ll pay only for what you need! Billed monthly, our web-based software will be particularly cost-effective for our small-to-medium-sized customers. You’ll get the convenience, control, reporting, and smooth operations that you want, with none of the hassles of maintaining the software in-house. It will come pre-loaded with your Bizmanualz policies and procedures. All you’ll need is an Internet browser.

If you want to help us test our upcoming web-based policies and procedures management software release, please comment below or contact us via the Web. Our job is to help you grow efficiently and with as little risk as possible. Share your growth challenges with us, and we’ll reply with ideas and products to help you.