Simplicity Works!

by Dr. Michael Hudson
Filed under: Build Business, Expand Market, Get Results, Lead People, Take Action

We hear about it in business all of the time. Simplify. Focus. Do what you do best and leave the rest to others. Or, as Peter Drucker put it, “Stick to your knitting.”

Indeed one of the toughest decisions any business owner faces is deciding what the business is not going to do. It is easy to add products and services, to consider pursuing additional customers in markets where you are not currently operating, and to expand the scope of everything you do. But it is very difficult to say no, particularly when you are first starting out.

Yet time after time we see businesses that made that tough decision and said “No” succeeding on a major scale. Last week I encountered one in a little place called Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

This business is the definition of simplicity…

The menu is simple…they offer burgers, hot dogs, fries, and drinks. There are several condiments and add-ons that you can put on your burger or your hot dog, and there are large and small sizes, but that’s it. There are no chicken sandwiches, no salads, no other choices…just burgers, fries, hot dogs, and drinks.

The staffing is simple…there are five people working in the business. One takes orders and gives you a drink cup for the self-service beverage area, one makes up the burgers and puts them on the grill, one manages the cooking of the burgers, another takes the burgers off the grill and wraps them, and the fifth one cooks the fries and takes the completed orders to the counter. They manage to work the hot dogs into the process along the way and periodically one makes a sweep through the dining room to keep things clean.

The layout is simple…you walk in the front door and follow a direct path to the order area. After placing your order you move to the beverage station and fill your cup, then you find your table and wait for your number to be called. When your order is ready it is passed to you over the counter. When you finish there are convenient garbage containers in two locations for you to bus your table.

Even the name is simple…there is something to be said for being able to depict your entire business in the name of your business, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries pretty much says it all for this business. It not only tells you what they serve, but also how many of them are involved in preparing it for you and serving it to you.

Enough said. Your action step should be obvious…take a look at everything you do and ask how you can simplify it by narrowing the choices, how you can assign tasks based on stages in the service process, and how you can keep the process simple for both employees and customers. There is magic to be found in the right combination–have you found yours yet?

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One Comment on Simplicity Works!

Armand Morin on Sat, 14th Jul 2007 4:23 am

Armand Morin…

Thanks a lot for your blog post - definitely well written…

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and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

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Simplicity Works!

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