The Process and Outputs Come First

Growing Your Firm | Strategies for Accountants, CPA's, Bookkeepers , and Tax Professionals

Today, the founder and CEO of Jetpack Workflow, David Cristello is reflecting on a quote from Marcus Lemonis, host of the reality TV show The Profit. In the show, Marcus would go into small businesses and assess the three P’s: People, Process, and Product.

He’d determine where the biggest issues were and help the owners make corrections.

Typically, the people (staff) were great, and when they weren’t, it was obvious they needed to go. If this were the case, he’d advise the owners to get rid of them quickly so the rest of your team can perform at a higher level.

From there, he would assess how to get their products (which were also usually great) out of the door. This led him to a philosophy that resonates with David and many firm owners: “Look at processes before you look at the people.”

Oftentimes, confusion and lack of growth within your staff isn’t a result of the people, but a byproduct of a bad process. It leads your staff to a lot of wasted time trying to figure out what needs to be done, on top of all of the other work they are trying to complete. Eventually, burnout is the result.