Business Operations Consulting | Custom scope, pricing, and duration determined during a discovery call
Are you out of screws again?
Who locked the keys in the truck?
Why is the material order late?
Who forgot to confirm the installation details?
Why are we paying overnight shipping for something we use every week?
If these questions sound familiar, you may feel as though you are playing Whac-A-Mole every day. One problem pops up, you knock it down, and before you can catch your breath, another one appears somewhere else.
That kind of chaos is common in the closet industry. It is also exhausting.
But most recurring shop problems are not simply bad luck. They are usually signs that a process is missing, unclear, or not being followed consistently.
The Daily Game of Business Ownership
Whac-A-Mole is an arcade game in which soft toy moles pop up from different holes. Your job is to hit each one with a mallet before it disappears. The faster the game moves, the more difficult it becomes to keep up.
That is exactly how many owners spend their days:
- Looking for screws that should already be in stock
- Driving across town because a key was locked inside a truck
- Rushing a last-minute repair or correction
- Paying extra for overnight material because nobody ordered it
- Answering an installer’s question at the job site
- Chasing a delayed delivery
- Picking up a customer’s check because the payment was not collected during installation
- Solving the same problem the same way, over and over again
We often tell ourselves that this is simply part of owning a business. Some problems will always be unexpected. That is true.
But what about the problems we already know are coming?
If you know a particular “mole” will pop up again, then you can anticipate it. You can plan for it. You can create a contingency, a backup plan for when the expected problem occurs.
The goal is not to become faster at whacking moles. The goal is to stop building your business around the game.
The Four-Step Framework for Eliminating Recurring Problems
When we work with a business owner, we do not begin by blaming people. We begin by examining the problem. We ask questions, look for patterns, and identify where a simple process could make the work more predictable.
Here is the four-step framework.
1. Know It Will Happen Again
The first step is honest recognition.
Has this happened before?
How many times?
Who usually discovers the problem?
At what point in the workflow does it appear?
What does it cost in labor, time, materials, customer confidence, or stress?
If the answer is, “This happens all the time,” then we already have useful information. We know this is not an isolated event. It is a recurring operational issue.
That means we should stop treating it as a surprise.
For example, if your shop runs out of a specific screw every few weeks, the issue is not merely that someone forgot to buy screws. The deeper issue may be that no one knows the minimum quantity, who is responsible for ordering, or where the inventory information is recorded.
2. What Did You Do Last Time?
When the problem occurred previously, how did you solve it?
Did you write down the solution?
Does anyone else know what you did?
Could another team member follow the same steps without calling you?
A solution that exists only in the owner’s memory is not yet a business process. It is personal knowledge, and personal knowledge disappears when the owner is busy, unavailable, or eventually leaves the business.
We need to capture the answer in plain language.
Ask:
- What happened?
- What decision did we make?
- Who handled it?
- What materials, tools, or information were needed?
- What communication took place?
- What was the final result?
Documenting the answer turns a stressful event into useful company knowledge.
3. Did Your Solution Work?
A temporary fix is not always a successful fix.
Did the problem return?
Did the solution prevent the next interruption?
Did it create a new problem somewhere else?
Did it cost more than necessary?
For example, perhaps someone solved the “no screws” problem by making an emergency trip to the supplier. That got the installer moving again, but it did not prevent the problem from happening next week.
We need to look beyond the immediate reaction.
What would have worked better?
Should we have set a minimum stock level?
Should a different person have been responsible for ordering?
Would a weekly inventory check have helped?
Could a simple reorder card or shared digital list have made the need visible sooner?
A process should be tested, reviewed, and improved. We are not trying to create paperwork for its own sake. We are trying to create a reliable way to get the right result.
4. How Do We Stop Playing the Game?
This is where we move from reaction to Systems, Process, Procedures, and SOPs.
An SOP, aka Standard Operating Procedure, is simply a written set of steps that explains how a recurring task should be completed. It does not need to be complicated. In fact, the best SOPs are often short, clear, and easy to use.
The question is no longer, “Who forgot?”
The question becomes, “What part of our process allowed this to happen?”
Assessment Example: The “No Screws” Mole
Let’s walk through a practical assessment.
We know we need the screws. We know where to buy them. We know approximately how much we use. We may even know how many boxes provide the best price.
Now we need to define the procedure.
Inventory
- What is our minimum quantity?
- At what level do we place an order?
- Do we keep an emergency box in each vehicle?
- Do we track usage by installer, project, or location?
- Who checks the inventory, and how often?
Ordering
- Who is authorized to place the order?
- What supplier do we use?
- Is the order placed by phone, email, text, app, or online account?
- Does the person placing the order confirm the expected delivery date?
- How does the rest of the team know the order has been placed?
Storage
- Where are the screws kept?
- Is the storage location labeled?
- Are different sizes separated clearly?
- Does the truck have a designated location?
- What happens when the last box is opened?
The options are limitless. You could use a spreadsheet, an inventory app, a barcode scanner, a red reorder card, or a shared digital message. The technology is less important than the consistency.
The key is that everyone knows the procedure.
Assessment Example: The Locked-Truck-Key Mole
Now consider another familiar problem: someone locks the keys inside the truck.
What did we do last time?
Perhaps someone drove to the job site with a spare key. Maybe a locksmith was called. Maybe the truck had to be left behind while the team lost valuable time.
Now let’s assess the problem:
- Do we have extra keys?
- Who carries them?
- Where are the extra keys stored?
- Is there a secure key box at the shop?
- Does each vehicle have a documented key-control procedure?
- Can we use an app-based remote unlock feature?
- Who is responsible for confirming that keys are accounted for at the end of the day?
- Is the procedure included in new-hire training?
There may not be one perfect answer for every business. The right answer depends on your team, vehicles, location, budget, and security needs.
But whatever we decide, we need to write it down and share it.
A procedure that one person knows is fragile. A procedure that the whole team understands is repeatable.
Process Turns Chaos Into Capacity
Process is not about making your business cold or inflexible. It is not about removing creativity from the closet industry. It is about protecting your time and energy so you can use your creativity where it matters most.
When the basics are handled consistently:
- Your team makes fewer avoidable mistakes.
- Installers spend less time waiting for answers.
- Customers receive more dependable communication.
- Material costs become easier to manage.
- You spend less time solving preventable emergencies.
- Your business becomes easier to train, manage, and grow.
A process also gives us a way to ask better questions.
Where does work slow down?
Where do mistakes begin?
What information is missing?
Which decisions depend entirely on the owner?
What are we doing from memory that should be documented?
Which “mole” has appeared three or more times this month?
Those questions reveal opportunities. They show us where a small change can create a large improvement in the business.
Start With One Mole
You do not need to document every procedure in your business this week.
Start with one recurring problem.
Choose the problem that:
- Happens frequently
- Interrupts important work
- Creates avoidable expense
- Frustrates your team
- Requires your personal involvement
- Affects customer experience
Then gather the people closest to it. Ask them what happens, what they do now, and what would make the process easier.
Write down the steps. Test them. Review the result. Improve the procedure. Then teach it to the team.
That is how we replace reaction with preparation.
And that is how we begin to build a business that does not depend on the owner carrying every answer in their head.
The Answer Is Process, Process, Process
The next time a familiar problem pops up, resist the urge to simply hit it harder or move faster.
Pause and ask:
Have we seen this mole before?
If the answer is yes, then the opportunity is not just to solve today’s problem. The opportunity is to create a better way for tomorrow.
At Coleman Collaborations Consulting Group, we help owners in the closet industry examine their operations, clarify responsibilities, document procedures, and create practical systems that fit the way their business actually works. You can learn more about our business consulting services, specific project support, or back-office consulting.
You do not need to have everything figured out before you reach out. If you would like to talk through the recurring problems in your shop, contact us for a low-pressure discovery call. We can look at what keeps popping up and explore whether a clearer process could help.
Running a business is heavy work. You do not have to carry it alone.
Coleman Collaborations Consulting Group
Tim Coleman
Business Consultant | Speaker | Writer
Rachel: (330) 231-1107
Email:tim@colemancollaborations.com
Website:colemancollaborations.com
