I set up in business around 10 years ago because I wanted to prove I could do it for myself, and create a business from scratch. I reached a point where frustration got the better of common sense and I needed to say that I had tried to control my own destiny and not be faced with regrets in later life.At Cell Pack solutions we make custom battery packs, and essentially what we do is solve problems for other manufacturers; they may be making a piece of equipment that requires a battery to fit a certain space or size, and we help to solve that problem.
A significant factor in our company's success was the early adoption of IT systems and in particular E- Commerce websites to generate both direct sales and lead generation for the Pack Assemby Division.
Last year we had hit a major milestone - our first ever £1 M turnover. I decided to set up a new division for my company, but to some extent I took my eye off the ball of our core focus. I made a mistake by not thinking the whole thing through properly and I didn’t fully engage everyone in the initial decision process.
It was not totally unconnected to our main interest, in that it was a division specialising in remote control hobbies, and in the batteries and chargers that are used by the hobbyist in this market, but we also got into selling planes and helicopters and spares.
The recession in the latter part of the year did have some effect on sales, and I did not appreciate how tight the margins would be and also the extent to which this division would utilise the resources of the rest of the company.
Last October I went on a trade mission to China, where I spent almost two weeks in the company of a number of very experienced owner managers that were operating in many diverse business sectors. This was a long time to be out of my business and I had plenty of time to chat and discuss lots of issues.
When I came back I made the difficult decision to shelve the division and refocus on our core business.
I also realised that I should communicate my vision more clearly to the rest of my company. We have been a relatively successful company over the years but as I previously mentioned, I thrive on continual improvement.
I could see that with a bit of hard work and luck we would manage to maintain our turnover, although our margins would be down because of the diversion. But considering we have all been through a very tough 6 months I think we had done reasonably well.
I now want to take the company up a level and move initially to the £2m level and then beyond. In order to do this I feel that the company needs a big shake up, but the starting point of any major change was going to be a comprehensive review of our business from top to bottom.
I decided that in order to get some impartiality into the process we should utilise the services of an independent person. With the help of Business Link and a LEGI Grant, we were able to secure a suitably qualified person (Doug Clelland), and we are now in the middle of a ten day programme.
We initially designed a questionnaire to encourage individuals to discuss issues, but generally the interviews carried out independently by Doug were frank and open and some very interesting issues were raised.
Doug then carried out a review of our current management processes and put together a preliminary action plan. In conjunction with my management team we are currently refining the action plan to put dates and give responsibilities to the actions.
We are also giving some time to the principals of mission and vision statements, and we will be setting and agreeing Key Performance Indicators. The keyword in this whole process is STAFF involvement.
At the moment there is so much doom and gloom on the local news – businesses are going bust, big companies are reducing staff and making redundancies.
We believe it is really important to send a message to our staff that although we are bucking the trend, we do still need to make efficiencies and we do have to improve our processes to continue our growth.
It’s not enough to just get by. In my opinion, there is never a bad time to become leaner and meaner, but to do it when times are slow should hold you in good stead for when the times are better, making you more robust and sustainable for the future.
One of the issues raised by the programme was that internal communication could be improved. We tended to assume that all our staff realised that we were busy, but sometimes we get too busy to do the simple things like telling them about future plans.
Our Business Improvement programme is our mechanism to make some big changes, take in the opinions of our staff and take focus of everyone’s efforts. Part of my own vision is to understand the ambitions and aims of my own staff and help them bring the best out of themselves.
The big issue from my point of view is that in general most people do not like change, and would prefer to keep within their comfort zones. However, if change has been forced upon them, people are often surprised about how well they can cope.
The current market climate is forcing changes on many people and, often through necessity, it can reawaken a drive in them to succeed. It has to be a good time to go for your dream.
If you have an idea for a business, think about and talk to someone about it, and there is no time like the present as there has never been so much help available."
You can read more about Eddie's journey by viewing his profile
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