by MHolland | May 15, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
Business (and life!) is full of exciting ideas, clever strategies, and grand visions…
Sorry to be blunt – none of the above makes your business special. Slide up to any drunk in any bar on the globe and that person will regale you with equally grand plans and ideas!
Failure to Implement is what stops a great idea from sprouting. It is when the buzz, the high, of the idea begs for action and boom, something else takes priority. You know, those annoying urgent daily tasks that continually crop up and get in the way.
And those great ideas die untried, unproven.
None of the above applies to you. You are in business. You had a grand idea, and you implemented it.
So, what is the problem?
The problem is that there is something worse than not getting started…
You Have Systems
You started. You created systems. Process maps. Standard Operating Procedures, commonly known as SOPs.
You have documented your systems, so what could be missing?
Failure To Implement
Wait, you are thinking, did I not just say that Failure to Implement is what stops people from getting started? And did I not say that you all got started because you are in business.
True. Okay, so what exactly is the problem?
Monitoring and Managing Adherence to Your Systems
To prove to me, in your business, that you have not failed to implement you must demonstrate two things:
- Your written, or software-based systems. I need to see what is documented.
- Then, and this is critically important, I need to see your systems in physical reality being performed (or not performed).
A Simple Example
You have a documented system for evaluating quality control after your business manufactures a particular product.
There are detailed steps involved in this process. You even documented who in your company is responsible.
Step (1) – documented systems are done. Great!
Now, I am looking for Step (2) – implementation. I need to see a checklist, either physical, or virtual of a signed Quality Control Audit checklist. The items on the list need to be perfectly corelated to the documented process maps and systems.
Without being able to observe a system being followed in action then there has been a Failure to Implement.
Another example is a company like McDonalds. They are clearly very systematized. (How else could they have spanned the globe selling a lowly hamburger, of all things?)
The system is that each server at the counter, must ask each customer, “would you like that meal super-sized?”
It is easy to test adherence to the system to determine easily and quickly whether there is a Failure to Implement. Just observe them in action.
Outcomes Must Be Defined
First, outcomes must be clearly defined.
The step-by-step systems must be designed to produce the planned outcomes – excellent products/services delivered on-time with awesome service.
It is obvious that beautiful systems, terrific outcomes, and simple documentation are not enough, right?
Without implementation and management of adherence to the documented systems, no predictable outcomes will ever happen.
That business is living inside of chaos, even with brilliant systems.
Test Your Processes
To ensure that your desired outcomes are achieved, you must test your processes and practice CANI. Constant And Never-ending Improvement.
In Summary
- Ideas are as common as beer in a bar.
- Implementation, getting started is hard.
- Failure to Implement at the systems/process level leaves you with managing semi-organized chaos.
- Test your processes.
- Practice Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.
- Your adherence to your systems must be seen in physical reality – audit reports, things being done or not done by witnessing the processes.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | May 9, 2025 | Business Tips, Cash Flow, Systems
If you want a thriving business, it is not just about hard work, talented people, or even brilliant ideas. It is about systems.
Systems are the hidden engines driving your business forward (or holding it back). Here is why they matter — and how they can supercharge your performance.
Your business are the systems; the systems are your business. No systems equal semi-organized chaos.
Systems Eliminate Chaos
Without systems, every task becomes an ad hoc scramble.
- Who is doing what?
- When is it due?
- What is the process?
A solid system gives your team clarity, reduces firefighting, and makes work smoother. Less drama, more results.
Systems Make You Scalable
You cannot grow on hustle alone.
Growth needs repeatable, reliable processes — ones that do not break when you add new customers, hire new staff, or open a new location.
Think:
✅ A sales process that works without you in the room
✅ An onboarding process that does not depend on memory
✅ A reporting system that shows performance at a glance
Systems Improve Accountability
With clear systems, everyone knows the rules.
It is easy to measure performance, spot bottlenecks, and fix issues before they explode. No more finger-pointing.
Good systems shine a light on:
- Where time or money is leaking
- Which tasks are stuck?
- Who needs help to hit targets?
Systems Unlock Profitability
Disorganized businesses bleed cash — through wasted time, errors, missed opportunities, and inefficiency.
Tight systems mean:
💰 Lower costs
💰 Faster turnaround
💰 Happier customers.
Bottom line? More profit.
Systems Free Up the Owner
Here is the big one: without systems, you are a bottleneck.
Every decision, every approval, every fix runs through you.
With systems, you can step back and lead, not micromanage.
Final Takeaway
Businesses do not rise or fall just on effort — they rise or fall on systems.
Want to improve performance?
Start by improving your systems.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | May 5, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
Let us be honest — most businesses do not fail because of bad ideas.
They fail because of bad execution. Clever ideas are a dime a dozen, as the saying goes…
And behind every strong execution?
Three boring but unbeatable forces: discipline, consistency, and habits.
I have a good habit of writing a Blog every single week. And…then…I forgot…to write a blog last week. I really hate that! 😊
So, what am I going to do? Write 2 blogs this week. This one for Monday morning, and then I will get back on track for my weekly Friday blog.
In business, consistency is everything! We never miss a monthly Controller’s meeting with our clients, no matter what. (**NOTE** exception for a small few who are very, very busy, and often on the road. In these cases, I record the highlights of the Results of Operations from the month prior).
Discipline – Doing What Needs to Be Done
Discipline is your ability to stick to the tough tasks even when you do not feel like it.
It is calling that customer back, reviewing the cash flow, or tightening expenses before they become a problem.
In business, discipline means:
✅ Saying no to distractions.
✅ Sticking to the priorities that matter.
✅ Keeping your team accountable, even when it is uncomfortable.
Without discipline, you drift. With it, you grow.
Consistency – The Power of Small, Repeated Actions
Anyone can have a good day.
But can you have five good days in a row?
Or fifty?
Consistency compounds.
That means:
- Regularly reviewing your numbers.
- Routinely improving your processes.
- Constantly communicating with your team.
It is not about giant leaps; it is about steady steps in the right direction.
Habits – Your Autopilot Advantage
Habits are your secret weapon.
Why? Because once something becomes a habit, it takes less energy and willpower.
It is not about Massive Action. That is grossly overrated. Habits beat Massive Action every time. Because Massive Action equals burnout.
Habits equal CANI – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.
Examples of winning business habits:
🔹 Daily huddles or check-ins.
🔹 Weekly financial reviews.
🔹 Monthly customer feedback loops.
🔹 Regular training or upskilling sessions.
Build good habits, and your business starts running smoother — on autopilot.
Final Word – Small Wins Equals Big Impact
Discipline, consistency, and habits do not sound glamorous.
But they separate the businesses that just survive from those that thrive.
Start small:
✔ Pick one habit to improve this week.
✔ Commit to one consistent process.
✔ Strengthen one area of discipline.
Over time, you will see the difference — in your numbers, your team, and your own leadership.
Thanks, as always, for reading…
by MHolland | Apr 24, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
Today I am writing about productivity…
What does this have to do with accounting or business?
Everything!
Today in a blog I will share shortly, they talk about Doom Scrolling and how it is purposely designed to distract, addict you, and destroy your ability to focus.
I remember when my dear Irish mother would call me during the week to share the latest disasters and crimes with me. She used to watch the network news every night before bed. It was a ritual for my mom and dad.
I told her it was not a good idea to take all that negative energy into sleep! She didn’t listen. She was addicted to the news.
In a way, she was my Doom Scroller. She would call me the next day at times, ask me, “did you hear about that train wreck in Missouri?” “The famine in Bangladesh?” “The murder in Toronto?”
No mom, I did not. Thanks for informing of this wonderful news! LOL
Anyway, here is this really stunning Blog on Doom Scrolling:
Doom Scrolling
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Apr 2, 2025 | Business Tips, Systems
You have heard the phrase “take massive action” more times than you can count. It is the rally cry of entrepreneurs and their coaches. Push harder. Go bigger. Move faster.
And there is a time and place for that.
But if you are running a $3 to $20 million business, especially a family-owned one, “massive action” might not be the magic pill it once was. In fact, it could be exactly what is holding you back.
Let us talk about what really drives consistent, low-stress growth.
🚀 When Massive Action Works (and When It Does not)
Massive action can be a powerful tool. It is how you:
- Launch a new service line or product.
- Make a bold marketing move.
- Rapidly pivot in a crisis.
But it is also:
- Hard to sustain.
- Risky without a solid financial foundation.
- Draining for your team (and yourself).
We see this a lot with high-growth businesses—especially in industries like construction, property management, and even cross-border logistics. There is a sudden burst of growth… and then a scramble to catch up on systems, staff, and cash flow.
You are “winning”, but it does not feel like winning.
🎯 The Power of Precision – Rifle Shots + Daily Habits
What separates thriving $10M businesses from the ones that stall at $5M?
Not hustle.
Discipline. Systems. Focused execution.
We call this the “rifle shot” approach—making smart, well-aimed moves backed by rock-solid daily and weekly habits.
🛠️ What You Can Do This Quarter
You do not need to burn out to grow. Try this instead:
- Pick one high-leverage improvement. (Pricing, collections, margin, etc.)
- Set up a repeatable habit. (Weekly review, monthly scorecard.)
- Use the tools. (Xero + HubDoc + ApprovalMax + Plooto = less stress.)
- Avoid “growth at any cost” mindset. Target profitable, aligned growth.
Thanks for reading…
by MHolland | Mar 28, 2025 | Business Tips, Cash Flow, Systems
The following is a reprint of a Four-Part series of Blogs I wrote in 2028.
In the previous 3 Blogs I wrote about the first 3 ways to grow a business, any business.
Way number 1 is to increase the number of customers/clients (of the type you want)
Way number 2 is to increase the transaction frequency (or in business terms, the number of times they buy)
Way number 3 is to increase the average value of each sale.
And, way number 4 is to increase the efficiency of how you do the first 3.
The measurements of the first 3 ways to grow your business are a breakdown of what is in your total sales figure:
Number of active customers
X
Number of times they shop/buy
X
The average sale per transaction
=
Total revenue
All 3 of the above can be measured and when you increase each one as an independent strategy you can achieve some explosive growth!
So, you may be wondering….
How Do You Measure Increasing the Efficiency of Your Systems?
The measurement for the efficiency of your systems is the cost per transaction.
For your variable costs it is your gross profit margin.
For your fixed expenses it is the total fixed costs divided by the number of transactions.
And, this is where it can get very slippery!
Because we all know that Profit is equal to Revenue less Expenses, then it would seem that the way to increase profit is to reduce expenses!
And this is a huge mistake, if applied without further thinking …
Even Huge Companies Really Get This Wrong
I read the other day that stock repurchases (something that was illegal under SEC rules in the past) are all the fashion in the public company world.
In other words, large companies increase stock value by using internally generated cash to buy their own stock back.
This increases the share value, and then the Executive stock options are worth more, which they cash in on.
Do you see a motivation here?
All this is done at the expense of the people who are generating the bulk of the share value – the people who work there.
So, am I saying that a business should not reduce its costs?
No, I am not. What I am saying is that a company must use a different way of thinking when they examine each cost of the business…
Before Axing a Cost, You Must Ask These 3 Questions
As I mentioned above, because revenue – expenses = net profit, it would seem logical to think that reducing expenses will increase net profit.
And, this would (in most cases) be totally wrong.
Why?
Because costs drive value.
I will repeat that – costs drive value.
And if you reduce them willy nilly, you will end up cutting the heart out of the business, and revenues will eventually, sometimes quickly, decline with the cost-cutting.
There are 3 Vital Questions to Ask Before Eliminating or Reducing any Expense
They are:
- Does this expense help to increase sales?
- Does this expense help to increase Return on Investment?
- Does this expense help to increase cash flow?
If the answer is “no” to any of those questions, then either cut it, or replace it with a lower cost alternative.
Let’s look at some simple examples. Take rent – perhaps you are in a high-traffic location for a retail store and you are paying $500 a square foot. You find another location for $250/ square foot.
If the high-traffic location can generate more than twice the sales per square foot, then it is a better investment than the lower cost alternative.
Coming back to my example of the share re-purchase schemes by public companies. Imagine that they – instead of buying back their own shares – invested in better infra-structure, team training, and higher wages. Perhaps those drivers of value can result in higher sales and thus higher net profit.
From the higher profit, dividends could be paid to the shareholders, and everyone wins.
The Best Way to Create Effectiveness and Efficiency is Systems
As Michael Gerber said in his underground bestseller, The E-Myth, the systems are your business.
Put another way, without good systems, there is just you, “doing it, doing it, doing it”. You may be good at the technical work of the business, but that is not what is required to create a sustainable business. For that you need systems!
Your systems must revolve around what your customers truly value so that you can deliver a consistently awesome product or service in a manner that has people feel cared for and appreciated.
Start by flow-charting every vital customer-centric function of your business, and eliminate steps that add no value, and add steps that do.
One way to find out what your customers value is to run a Client Advisory Board, where you meet (or rather someone else meets with them rather than you as owner, so they will be more honest) with a select group of your best customers and ask them what is working and what is not working in your business.
It takes guts to do that, yet most good(A) customers will not trash your service offerings – they will offer constructive feedback that will help you run a better(and hence more profitable) business in service to them.
Thanks for reading….
