Now that the economy has started to show signs of rebounding, the decision has been made to start up a hardware store in Glendale; the carpets and others supplies that will be used in this store are no longer manufactured in the United States, needing to be shipped from Asia, Africa, and South America; the same places that all hardware stores obtain these materials, and in regards to these materials in order to do better than the competition, high quality installation and exceptional customer service will be key in getting ahead of the competition.
Given that these materials are not manufactured in the United States, there are supply problems that may occur, including delays in shipments, or even lost shipments. It will be imperative for these potential supply issues to be planned for, in order to ensure that there are no issues with the customers that would result in lost business. Some possible solutions for these issues including advising customers of the potential for delays if there is not enough of a specific type of carpet in stock in the warehouse at that time, putting installation dates out at least one week after the date that the shipments are expected to be in, and making sure to keep a certain amount of each style of carpet in stock in the warehouse, reordering when supplies hit a certain point, well before a style is out of stock completely.
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Planning, such as that done for potential issues with shipments, is imperative in order to be able to run a successful business, regardless of whether or not a business plan was originally created before starting said business. Without careful planning, and a basic knowledge of the potential issues that may be faced by the company, the company has the potential to not only loose face with their customers, but offer decreased service to their customers, experience delays in getting orders placed and processed, issues with installations, and a host of other problems. Through the process of simple planning for these possible eventualities, the company will be seen as competent, and on top of things, able to handle any issues, and, in doing so, work to gain a loyal customer base.
There are many different resources to assist in this endeavor, including calendar software, payroll systems, online ordering, and, of course, employees. Calendar software would be used to be able to track the different shipment dates for carpeting and other tools and products offered by the hardware company, tracking installation dates, and keeping the schedules of employees all maintained in a single location. Payroll systems allow for the proper records for the IRS while ensuring that employees are paid accurately for the time and efforts that they put into the business. Online ordering works to ensure that there are no discrepancies like those that may be present due to language barriers that may occur when ordering over the phone and employees to assist in the stocking and running of the store, not to mention the installation of carpeting.
One of the reasons that the decision was made to open up the hardware store was as a result of being unable to respect bosses that were in charge in the past, and a disdain for coworkers who did not live up to the duties that were required of them, as per their positions held within the company. In order to work to ensure that I am able to maintain a staff that does not fall prey to these issues, I will work to make sure that my employees are challenged daily in their job duties, place them in the positions they are best suited to, as opposed to merit based positions, provide pay raises on a quarterly performance based scale, and provide bi-weekly incentives for my employees to ensure that they are staying on task and working to the best of their abilities. I will need to make sure that my staff is comprised of highly knowledgeable people with a high level of customer service skills. I will make sure that I hire those who are genuinely interested in the work that they are doing, as opposed to those who are simply looking for a paycheck, and I will need to ensure that each person I hire has at least a high school diploma, the equivalent thereof, or who are actively enrolled in school via a work-study program.
The managerial skills that I will need to contribute will start with the hiring of supervisors, one per shift that the store is open, allowing me to concentrate on the ordering of supplies, the receipt of shipments, payroll and human resources, and ensuring that all issues are properly resolved.
In order to ensure development in the workplace, I will offer additional learning opportunities for the staff in order to further their knowledge and skills, provide additional training opportunities that will serve as refresher courses for the staff, and offer meetings designed to determine if the staff has any other suggestions regarding optimization in the store, with those whose ideas are implemented to receive an additional incentive bonus for the creation of the idea.
By working to ensure that I am able to accomplish all of these different aspects, I am sure that the hardware store that I have conceptualized for Glendale will be a resounding success. It will provide top quality customer service with the highest skill set available being the key ingredient as opposed to those with the highest degree. I will provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere and follow up on the promises that I have set forth, ensuring high levels of customer loyalty, and I will make sure that I have plans in place regarding the different possible contingencies that may occur in order to ensure that I retain my customer base, thereby making this hardware store a success.
