Green means go, yellow means caution, and red means stop. That’s true in traffic flow – and now it’s true in order management, too. (more…)
Tag: analogy
Inventory Management Software That’s a Perfect Fit for Your Business
If the shoe fits, wear it. Of course, in order to have shoes to sell in the first place, a store needs to have a solid inventory system in place. Thus, it’s important to find inventory management software that is a perfect fit for your business.
There are many inventory software options, so how do you pick one that is right for you? I’ll tell you with a shoe analogy. (more…)
The Importance of Turnovers in Business and Sports
“Turnover” is an interesting term with multiple meanings. In sports, such as basketball, football, and soccer, a turnover is a good thing for the team on defense and a bad thing for the team on offense. It means the offense has lost possession of the ball.
For businesses, “turnover” is a good thing when it comes to managing inventory because it measures how they’re cycling through their parts and products. But it’s generally not a good thing when a company has high turnover in its workforce. (more…)
10 Everyday Products You Only Need to Buy Once
Grocery shopping. Everyone has to do it on a regular basis, whether it’s for fresh fruit, dairy products, toiletries, etc. Thankfully, there are some things you can just buy once and then almost never have to worry about buying more of them.
I’ve come up with a list of 10 common household items that I have never had to buy more than one of – and I’m married and have three kids, so it’s not like I’m a hoarder who never uses these items. As a bonus, I’ll relate this to inventory management software so stay tuned for that at the end.
Let’s go down the list in alphabetical order: (more…)
To Thine Own Shelf Be True
When Marcellus famously says, “Something is rotten in the State of Denmark,” in Act I of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he could just as easily be referring to spoiled products as he could to Hamlet’s murdered father. (more…)
PO Is the Master at Purchasing from Vendors
You don’t have to be a Kung Fu master to purchase products from vendors. But it certainly doesn’t hurt. (more…)
Inventory Management Software Spells Success (But It’s Not Magic)
There’s no witch’s brew that can transform inventory management into an absolutely simple process. (more…)
Look Through the Right ‘Glass’ to Get a New Business Perspective
I recently found myself trying to explain a very simple (or so I thought) concept to my six-year-old daughter. Whether at school or with friends, she had picked up on the notion of a glass being “half-full” or “half-empty.” (more…)
Fishbowl Inventory Lets You Reap What You SO
When you sow a seed and nurture the plant that grows from it, you eventually get to reap the benefits of your efforts. This metaphor can be applied to virtually every aspect of life, from cultivating relationships to starting a business. (more…)
Business Is as Easy as Sort, Wash, Repeat
Life is a matter of upkeep.
What do I mean by that? Well, there is a constant trade-off of between having what you want or need, and the precursory effort leading up to those things. You need to improve your health? Then you need healthy eating and exercise. You need a new windshield? Then you need to pay for it. You need a better relationship with your kids? Then you need to spend more time with them. Yes, I’m being general, but you get the point.
Call it the law of the harvest, cause and effect, even Maslow has some things to say about it, but it boils down to: put the energy in to get energy out. Keep in mind, this continues to be applicable in regards to maintaining those “things.”
But do you know what upkeep I personally hate those most? Laundry.
Doing laundry. The whole process of washing and drying and sorting and hanging. Ugh. If we can put a man on the moon… well, I don’t know how that relates to laundry, but someone figure out a better solution. Like printable pants. So why do I go through this unpleasant process? Because I want to be clean, and not offend the olfactory senses of others, and a fresh warm shirt straight from the dryer is good thing. But apparently I have to keep doing that laundry.
Ready for a smooth transition? The exact same processes of necessary repetition exist on every level of our businesses and organizations. We all have those personal favorites to dislike, but how can we make them less so? It’s like doing the laundry; you have to Sort, Wash, Repeat. (more…)