We have bid farewell to 2007, hoping that this new year 2008 will be full of blessings and successes. The beauty of each new year is to allow us to evaluate all those achievements that the year that is saying goodbye has left us.
For all those who work in the world of security technologies, 2007 has brought us many novelties and better prosperity for our environment. However, with the new year 2008 we have many new challenges, waiting for innovative news that sets the tone for the technological world.
By Adhir J. Uzcategui
This paper includes the fundamental aspects associated with the development of an essential work tool for the competitive performance of any security company today. In an increasingly competitive world like today, only ideas make the difference between those who open the doors to those methods and ways that solve the usual problems, in addition to facilitating the successful development of daily work, expand the universe of knowledge and thus understand and better understand what is happening around us and those who remain on the margins of progress.
Just as navigators rely on radars to know the position of other ships and guide their course, the survival of security companies will be subject to the speed with which information and knowledge are obtained, processed and distributed that are systematically and accurately, can be located, retrieved and shared when required, to undertake new projects.
Therefore, in this context everything that I am about to present to you is based on my experience and on the changes that we as a company have recently made and that I am willing to share with you.
In economics and business, the possession of strategic information on a global scale is a key component in gaining and maintaining competitive advantages; it is inescapable to advocate the creation of new spaces within them where you find out with modern methods, what is happening in that turbulent security business environment (for example, investigate what are the latest trends in the global security market, what are the emerging technologies or the lines of research of the competition, etc.).
In our company we have developed a complete "assistant" that we recommend for you as a security entrepreneur to implement for the creation of analysis and planning of projects of your security company, including a multitude of details about them and offering complete related data.
The process of generating a security business plan consists of three distinct phases:
•The first phase includes all the basic information and must be completed through simple and specific fields.
•The second phase will allow us to observe through tables and graphs the computation of data entered, generating in turn sales reports, cash-flows, income statements, balance sheets, break-even points and management ratios.
•In the third and final phase we write our impressions and logical results.
Now you have already done this custom analysis of your own company. What happens once it's finished? Think of this as a frequent reference. Now we will be able to analyze it in 60 seconds so that you can determine if the business is moving in the right direction or if it has deviated from its goal.
0:60 Schedule and review periodic business checkups
Many factors that affect your business are related to an annual cycle. To make sure your plan continues to be helpful, review and update it annually. Set aside time at the beginning of the year, the fiscal year, or when it's convenient for you.
0:49 Compare your current data with forecasted data
Compare the results you expected with the actual results. As your plan projects marketing, operational, and financial advances, you should carefully analyze the actual results against the goals and objectives you had set in your plan.
0:38 Make adjustments to your plan
Parts of your plan may appear complete and others may still need some work. Look for ways to improve what you've done so far. Incorporate into your plan the experience you've gained so far as a security business owner. Anticipate future events (good and bad) that could affect your business. Take the necessary actions if some of the goals you had planned have not been met.
0:25 It's time to use your resources
After you've changed and updated your plan, share it with a colleague or supplier. The suppliers are at the continental viewpoint, they have a lot of experience in helping entrepreneurs create and review plans of this type. Get help from your strategic partners and suppliers.
0:10: Now this process should be the map of your company
Your plan is a document that works for you to use as a reminder (also for your employees), of your goals and how you can achieve them. Respecting your plan as a dynamic document that changes over time is proof to you and others that you know your business and are aware of what it takes to grow and thrive.
As stated, the implementation of a business system in an organization is an activity of vital importance for the company, since it guarantees the continuous supply of the necessary information to get decision-making right. Regardless of its undeniable importance in this decision-making, the knowledge from the activity also contributes to improving the strategic planning of the company by reducing the response time of the company, being aware of the opportunities and threats of the business sector in question, reasons that definitely influence the progress of the company, allowing it to obtain numerous competitive advantages.
It is a very frequent mistake that some managers do not originally value this type of activity and that therefore, they do not incorporate intelligence information in their work when they think that they can master all the issues that occur in their sector.
If the organization does not have a formal process for the collection and synthesis of information from the various environments of the company, which allows the operation of the same to correspond with the movements of the business environment, the organization must advocate for a real change in its internal culture, that allows a better understanding and an authentic awareness about all these issues.
Surely we will have a lot to learn and continue sharing. Successes in the new year, a big hug!
Happy sales!!!
*Adhir Uzcategui is the General Manager of Security Warriors Group Inc., an extension of several electronic security equipment factories for the Americas. You can contact him by writing to the email [email protected]
