Corbin Archer, the president of Glass Mechanix Solutions spoke about getting up-close and personal during his “Morning Coffee With” session at Auto Glass Week (AGW) held in Indianapolis, Ind.
The session was designed to provide a relaxed environment for auto glass owners and managers, especially those with less than five years in the industry, to receive advice from experienced businesspersons.
Archer kicked off his session by stepping off of the stage and wandering through the audience, reminding attendees of the importance of having and building connections.
“Business is all about people,” Archer said. “Almost every product has a human interaction at some point, and auto glass is no exception.”
Important Questions
Archer stated a good business model can be created by asking three crucial questions about the services you provide and how you provide them.
What?
The first thing to establish is the foundation or “the gears” as Archer called it, relating to his audience. This is the product the company is offering. Archer advised attendees to be very specific about what they do and do not provide in their business and not to bite off more than they can chew.
The temptation to keep up with all the latest technologies and trends is a huge factor for many, but Archer warned not to get too caught up and forget “what your business is truly good at.”
Why?
Archer also advised business owners to regularly do a “pulse check” to re-examine the heart of their business and remember why it was started in the first place.
“You’ve got to have the heart behind the why,” Archer said. “Otherwise, that lack of conviction will get projected and people pick-up on that.”
How?
This final question related to Archer’s initial expression: the importance of people. The roles and responsibilities of a business are accomplished through its people. Archer said owners and managers should be very clear in defining what the roles and responsibilities are for each person. His advice—cast vision but do not micromanage.
“We all have this need for structure but we crave independence,” Archer said.
Steps to Success
Archer concluded his session by summarizing it:
- Know your engine: create a process that is repeatable.
- Dedicate roles: help team members take ownership of their position by being precise about goals.
- Establish diagnostics: find ways to measure success and progress toward the goals you have set.
- Control your destiny: always have a back-up plan.
- Investigate: constantly ask yourself why.
