It is what you inspect, not what you expect

The new year is well underway and some goals have already been implemented or at least the end product is getting clearer. My hat off to all new business owners who have beaten the fear and paralysis of starting a business and have finally picked that courage to start that side hustle.

You have overcome the naysayers, probably borrowed money as your startup capital or it was money saved or even donated by family and friends after you had convinced them of the viability of your business.

If you are running the business yourself, I am sure you will do whatever it takes to ensure you get a prospect or make a sale every day and run a successful business. You will have thought through the product quality, pricing, place to market, target market and the expected level of customer experience that will bring you new customers and referrals. It is not a walk in the park to start and sustain any successful business.

For purposes of this article, I will focus on a business where you might have to employ someone else to support you to run this business. As soon as word gets out there that you need help to run your business, all sorts of applicants will come your way, some claiming they are the best thing that happened to the world since sliced bread! CVs are tweaked to meet the criteria wanted, other applicants will claim a huge following or accounts they are managing, which they will come with. Some times it is that relative who has become a couch potato (no pun intended) or a friend’s child and why not get them an opportunity to earn.

First forward, you transferred the couch potato from your home or their former job into your business. They do not care to understand how the business is run, they do not care about your customers or potential customers. They just do not care about the hand that feeds them! Shocking!

This week I visited a shop on the basement floor at Ntinda Capital shoppers building near the post office and found such couch potatoes. Two women in the shop, one of them lying down on what ought to be the clients seat, the other seated next to her both of them on their phones.

Although my initial attraction was an item outside the shop, once I got in, I would have imagined the girls should have attracted me to buy what was in the shop. Madam princess did not move an inch from her lying down position and continued speaking to me while on her phone.

Why do we kill people’s hard-earned business! You honestly do not need a business degree to know that the more sales you make for your employer the higher the chances for better pay and promotion.  Do you honestly need any level of education to know that a customer treated well might buy and even refer other people or it is just outright bad manners?

Fortunately, the shop signage had the owners’ mobile numbers. I just had to call her! She sounded like a sweet lady and was very apologetic. She even offered to deliver to my home. I hope she can get better employees who will help her run the business.

Maybe some business’s that have been condemned as non-profitable might actually be profitable, it may be the people we employ that are driving customers away.

My message is really simple, to those who are looking for employment, once you have been given an opportunity to work, do it earnestly and honestly. Just don’t be a business murderer going around killing business after business. Word goes around but also Karma exists; you might just meet someone like you who will kill your business too.  Just don’t cut the arm that feeds you, it has never been a good idea.

For the business owners, please make time to actually practically know and run your business. Get onto the shop floor, spend time in your saloon, spend time on your farm. When I say time, I mean time and not those five-minute phone calls or drop in’s once in a while. Don’t wait in your cozy office and rolling chairs just for the reports. Fold your sleeves, show your employees, teach, measure and remunerate them fairly. Do mystery shopping on your business. Install CCTV cameras if the business can afford them, they keep people in check. Find out what happens to the mice when the cat is away. Great business results are not automatic-indeed as a renowned Ugandan coffee farmer said “it is what you inspect, not what you expect”.

Now for the concerned citizens, let us not wait for our friend’s or relative’s business to become a statistic of failure. If we see something wrong let us mention it to them. When you have had a great experience, talk about it too, appreciate and refer others.

Maybe, just maybe by doing these two small things we might even be fulfilling our earthly purpose.

Babra Mehangye Kahima, Customer experience enthusiast