If You're not Growing, You're Shrinking

Why do you and your Shop need an Operating System?

RAPID, a quick turn sheet metal and machine shop, grew from five to over three hundred team members over fifteen years.  A big part of the success and growth was putting in place a formal process for operating RAPID.  Why?  It moved RAPID from being run by a “Rugged Individual” (the entrepreneur/ owner) to “Team”. The process by default then created constant communication, helping the team understand RAPID’s goals and what made the company unique.  Then growth was accelerated by putting in place a meeting structure to regularly measure and execute the goals. RAPID team members felt in the loop and they had a sense of mission and purpose.
As the entrepreneur/ owner, I do regret that RAPID did not implement an Operating System sooner than we did, and when we did start, that only myself and the top two managers used it.  Only over time did I realized the power of getting everyone involved.  As more people were included in the system, it got easier and easier to run the company.  At the time of RAPID’s sale, we had gotten everyone in the company involved daily in the process.

Jay Jacobs, CEO & Founder