Behind the Scenes at Global-Roam

No, we’re not dead.  We’re doing decidedly better (even) than an “ex-parrot” nailed to the perch.

1)  Where we are doing well

In fact, just last week the guys in the office put together a document listing a large number of things we have going for us, or are doing right.  Here’s my short summary of what they said:

(A) Business Vision

There was universal agreement that the underlying vision for the business was sound (after all, most employees, and even a few ex-employees, have invested in the company in Round 3 or Round 2).

It was also reiterated that our chosen business model was also one of our advantages.

We are also not afraid to pause for introspection, such as discussed here.

(B) People & Culture

The consensus was that we have smart, dedicated and hardworking people in the company (and we also benefit from great input from a bunch of active external shareholders – whenever they can find the time).  Our employees have also demonstrated a willingness to change, when that has been required.

The working environment is very friendly, respectful and flexible (so long as the work gets done) – which enhances everyone’s enjoyment of work.

We have a commitment to continuous learning for everyone, which is shown (for example) in the book reviews progressively popping up on this blog, and in what we learn at seminars and elsewhere.  Coupled with the learning is our willingness to tolerate mistakes.

It was also noted that we have open communications (such as sharing financial information on company performance), which is different than the experience some have had in other companies.

(C)  Products

It was noted that individual responsibility for the quality of our work was a positive.

It’s good that we actively seek feedback on where our products fall down, and we generally respond well to criticism (though it was noted we’re sometimes not as good at implementation, as discussed below).

(D)  Clients

We have a great (and diverse) bunch of clients, who generally love us – or, at least, the products we provide!  Quite a number of clients have invested considerable time in providing us feedback – to the point where they feel some sense of ownership of the enhancements that result.

Most of our clients from the early days have stuck with us since the early days, and our retention rate is high.

Generally speaking, it was felt that we treat our clients as friends.  We have received compliments from a number of clients in this respect, which is always nice.

(E)  Results

We have grown revenues from software sales consistently every year since we started in 2000-01.

This should set us up for ongoing, sustainable, expansion of the business – if we manage ourselves properly.

2)  Where we could be doing much better

At the completion of 2008-09, we decided it was time to take stock.  We had done a number of things right, but we had still missed some of our targets for the year.

In a nutshell, we’ve been experiencing some of the growing pains discussed in the book “Ready, Fire, Aim” – though in our case we’re experiencing several of the challenges at the same time.

Hence, we convened a 1-day planning session recently, during which we dissected many aspects of the business to identify the root causes of the disappointments we had inflicted upon ourselves.

The list the guys put together (above) was prepared mainly to provide a starting point for discussions about all the various ways we’re not meeting our potential.   The summary above came from the good points, but there was a longer list of areas in which we could improve.

No, I’m not going to include the full listing here, but will outline some of our main challenges at present:

(A)  Product Development

There are a range of different ways we are not currently meeting our potential, in this respect.

Shane has already noted, in his own inimitable style, how we goofed in the process of developing NEM-Watch v8.  This was a good example of how we are not always actually getting things out on time, and to the instant satisfaction of clients.

In addition, we’re generating a load of good ideas for new products in-house, but still grappling with the best way to get them into the market quickly, to test them out.

(B)  Marketing & Sales

We’re certainly not meeting our potential in terms of marketing and sales.

We are growing, but we could be achieving a whole lot more.  This is due, in part, to the non-streamlined way in which our marketing & sales processes run.

We have a project underway already that is seeking to address that (Kim commented about one part of this already), but there are also a number of things we can do in the shorter term – a number of suggestions were made by the guys.

We’ve also tried, and failed, at a number of initiatives, which has dented our confidence somewhat.

(C) Reporting

As noted above, we are very open in terms of sharing financial information (about the company’s performance) with everyone in the company.

It was generally agreed, though, that the reports provided (whilst they might be useful from a management point of view) were confusing or misdirected for the staff (and external shareholders).

3)  What were the outcomes?

Here’s a brief summary of some of what was implemented during the day:

(A)  Restructuring

The guys resolved to restructure themselves – with the main purpose being to allow each a better focus on different aspects of our business:
1)  Some will focus on the nitty-gritty of coding better solutions
2)  Some will focus on determining where our mature products will head for the future, and on managing upgrade projects such that these upgrades are delivered as planned.
3)  Others will focus on more effective and efficient prototyping of our crazy ideas for new products.
4)  etc…

Makes sense to me – though time will tell how we go in the delivery.  To this end, we have set ourselves some defined targets to be achieved in the months ahead.

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In my view, it was important that this decision was made in this way (i.e. decided collectively by the team), in order to ensure that it gains traction over time.  If the exact same solution had been imposed from “on high”, it would not achieve the same results.

Despite the fact that I read the book 15 years ago now, my recollection is that this was one of the core points in Semler’s book – i.e. it’s a big step beyond just being nice to employees (and in my view it’s not even the same as activities spoken loosely labelled under the “empowerment” banner), it is devolving holistic responsibility to them and allowing them to sort themselves out to deliver whatever’s required.

Of course, such an approach to management operates hand-in-hand with the concepts of trust, which are well outlined in “The Speed of Trust”.

It certainly aligns with my personal beliefs.

(B)  Marketing & Sales

We spent some time outlining our general philosophy of Marketing & Sales, as it aligns with our business model.

Turns out, some guys were not fully aware of all that we have been doing to date (there is some method in our madness).  It was certainly beneficial, however, as:
1)  It did give us the opportunity to identify a few “quick wins” that will be implemented immediately; and
2)  Our Product Managers will now be able to base their planning on a fuller understanding of what our Marketing Department (massive institution that it is) requires.

(C)  Reporting

After a bit of navel-gazing, we did identify a number of ways in which we can improve the clarity of the financial reports released internally with respect to the company.

For external active shareholders seeking more details, I’ve added some additional notes here (finally on 14th Nov!), accessible under your log-in accounts.

4)  Closing thoughts

Whew!  I’m glad that one’s out of the way.

For a couple of reasons:

1)  First and foremost, we really needed to do it. We’ve been spinning our wheels in some ways for a while now with these growing pains, which has been disappointing for everyone.

2)  Secondly, they are not fun.   Only a sadistic crazy-guy would enjoy the process of having their weaknesses viewed collectively under the microscope (I might be crazy, but I’m not sadistic). Hence, we do it because we need to do it - a bit like a visit to the dentist to fix a tooth ache.

I distinctly recall that we have done this a couple of times in the past – each time there were different challenges, but the emotions and stresses were the same.  Each time we were able to come out the other end, reinvigorated and were pleased to see the fruits of our labour emerge over the following months.

We will see, in the months ahead, the degree to which the changes we have just made have improved our performance – stay tuned for more…

Tags: business growth, entrepreneur, growing pains, management of software company, Marketing & Sales

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Retrospectives, Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.