Every business needs to adapt to change to survive, but nowhere is that more essential than in the computer industry. And Bill Julka has a proven track record of doing so at Smart Solutions Inc., the company he founded in 1983, when computers in the workplace were uncommon.
Originally a hardware-specific business, Smart Solutions has switched focus several times to maintain its relevance to its customers. Now it helps other businesses make the most of the e-business revolution, whether that means setting up a wireless network or selling software to school districts.
Since the inception of Smart Solutions, president and CEO Julka has expanded the business to 100 employees, four locations and $35 million in revenue in 2005.
Smart Business spoke with Julka about the challenges of running a business.
Know when you’re needed.
It’s important for the CEO to recognize when he needs to step in and when he needs to step back and let the organization function.
A lot of times, I think of myself as the lubricant in the machinery. The machinery is supposed to run itself, but I’m there as the oil to make sure it runs smoothly.
Most people don’t like to be micromanaged. I lay broad goals and try to monitor (them). I step in when the goals are not being met or when strategies need to be fixed.
Like the captain of the ship, sometimes you need to make minor changes in the course, but if you’re running into a roadblock, you need to make radical changes in the strategy. I look for the signals and get input from my staff on where the roadblocks are happening. I don’t step in every step of the way.
You need to make sure of the broad direction to see whether profit objectives are being met, whether the new initiatives are being met. It could be dollars and cents goals, or more to the end of improving communications or organizational structure.
As long as we are moving in the right direction and heading toward meeting those goals, I stay in the background, but if we are slipping in our documented business plan or strategic plan, I step in at that point.
Keep an eye on industry changes.
Things are changing very fast. It’s almost like whitewater. We have rapid changes not just in technology, but in what services are provided. How the entire customer base is acquiring those products and services is changing as well.
The speed of change is enormous, and unless you have your eye on the ball, you can go out of business. A lot of companies have gone out of business because they have not been able to adjust, and I’m talking about multibillion-dollar corporations that have slipped and no longer exist.
That’s the greatest challenge, to make sure we are relevant to our customers, that we are providing a product or service that is needed by them.
There is a huge amount of turmoil and obsolescence in this business, and we have to keep up with it and we have to constantly look at ways to improve our customers’ bottom line, and that’s the only way we can improve our bottom line.
Develop the skills of your workers.
Creative thinkers need growth, and by growth I don’t mean just in terms of just money. People have to know that they are growing, they are learning, they are adding responsibility and they are moving forward in their careers.
We evaluate each person, we evaluate the skills they have, the additional schooling they have and the mentoring they need. We don’t just hire them and forget about them, or put them in a slot and forget about them.
We have annual reviews to look at what they see as shortfalls in their skills and where they expect to be in the company.
Communicate with your employees.
Of course you need a good strategy, a good implementation plan, and you need the right people. The question is, ‘How do you put all of these things together?’ and that is through good communication skills.
It is really important to be able to communicate your ideas, your plans, your strategies and your goals to your team, and really every member of your organization is part of your team. Each person needs to be clear on what is expected of him, not only right now, but what is expected next month or next year.
What are the skills they need to have? What are the skills that they have? We make a skills repository and we need to know what skills are lacking, so in the review process, we try to find out if there are any skills that are lacking that can be supplemented through additional training. Then we have a mentoring process where the current employees mentor the newer ones until they are brought up to speed.
It’s not dictatorial, it’s more collegial and more like a coach where I’m there to guide them and develop their skills.
Be good corporate citizens.
Reputation is established every single day, and it’s not one person or the company establishing that reputation but it’s every single employee collectively that makes the reputation. It’s not just how we deliver our products or services but it’s how we behave in the community, how we help others within the community.
We’ve made it a point to do a lot in the communities where we have our offices. We set up scholarship programs, work for needy school districts or the United Way. We try to be responsible corporate citizens, and the same philosophy is encouraged across the board to every employee.
So reputation is established not just in how you support your customers but in how you behave in the community. Our aim is 100 percent customer satisfaction, not 100 percent profit on every sale made in every account. We’ve done a lot of things and spent a lot of money to make sure that every customer is satisfied, even when that meant a financial loss in that account
HOW TO REACH: Smart Solutions Inc., (330) 494-1243 or www.smartsolutionsonline.com
