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The goal

To promote the implementation of administrative management tools with the aim of systematizing the business processes and staff responsibility, which will result in increased productivity . The program assists with the continued development of the company by delegating operational management directly to the managers. This provides the business owner with the ability to carry out his or her responsibilities in the company professionally.

How did the “Business Owners Program” emerge?

We have been providing consulting services to various companies since 2004. There are several factors that we stress during our consultations: the direct involvement of the business owner (the company’s founder) in the project, promoting a correct sequence of actions, and providing the employees with a sufficient amount of training leading to a deeper understanding of management tools. We disagree with the usual consulting approach, where consultants spend a few months in a company in order to implement management tools. This method of consultation is often too expensive for small and medium-sized businesses. They are also ineffective. Based upon our experience, when changes in the organizational structure of a growing company are carried out solely by consultants without the active participation of the company’s founder, it is impossible to achieve long-term positive results.

In order to provide small and medium businesses with the highest quality consulting at a reasonable price, we developed our “Business Owners Program”. Our web-based “Einstein” training system provides our consulting services alongside our owner and staff training program.Since the inception of the “Business Owners Program” more than 270 companies have successfully completed the program. With each new client the “Business Owners Program” significantly improves and becomes more efficient.

The main parts

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Preliminary research

Management auditing is performed by a consultant at the very beginning of the project in the field. During the auditing, he or she conducts interviews with the business owner and key employees, gets acquainted with peculiarities of company activities, and collects data required by the consultant throughout the course of the project in order to provide successful customer support. During the investigation, the auditor will identify potential obstacles that may arise during the implementation phase of the management system. The audit is conducted in order to gain an understanding of the peculiarities of company activities by a consultant, whom will make an assessment regarding whether a successful implementation of the management tools is possible.

Modules and sessions of the consulting program

The Business Owners Program (BOP) consists of 12 interconnected modules, Each includes activities, some of which are carried out at the session and the rest are implemented directly in the client’s company. It takes about ten months to complete all the modules. The average duration of one module is 3 to 4 weeks.

The session is a group work that includes training and consultations, which are held in Visotsky Consulting’s office. Usually, the group work session consists of 12 business owners. The session model is designed in a such a way that there is an exchange in implementation experience among the company owners. The experience that they get can be compared with the experience of a consultant who has implemented the management tools in 12 companies. The schedule of sessions and the list of classes during each session is predetermined and is a part of BOP. Each module has at least one session, and the duration of the session consists of 2 to 5 days of classes.

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The sessions hold the following:
– learning administrative management tools at workshops and training conducted by lecturers. Our lecturers are business owners whom have successfully used the management tools within their businesses and have been trained as lecturers;
– independent study of written materials with a coach (instructor);
– development of diagrams, policies, guidelines, and regulations required for implementation together with a consultant, and taking into account the nature of business.

After the sessions, the work is done within the company:
– practical actions to implement this instrument(s), which are carried out at a regular support and under the control of the consultant;
– company inspections by the consultant whose purpose is to check the course of implementation, development of recommendations, and implementation assistance;
– evaluation of results of implementation actions, if necessary, to finalize or correct the actions recommended by the consultant.

The implementation of actions in each module is a step in the program; the implementation of all these steps leads to the achievement of program results. Each program module is a carefully reconciled combination of education, training, and practical activities. The consultant works individually with each customer and helps him overcome all of their difficulties. During the training, we give as much theory as is required for the implementation of management tools, whereas the practices and consulting support are provided in amounts large enough to cope with any problems that arise. We do not do implementation job for the owner, but at the same time we will continue to guide and support him or her throughout the program.

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The modules of the Business Owners Program


Module #1—Preparing for implementation

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This module allows a new participant of the Business Owners Program to properly prepare for further changes, coordinate his or her expectations for the program, study successful actions by experienced participants, and get acquainted with the Visotsky Consulting team, which he or she will work closely with over the next 10 months.

Results:

1. A personal action plan is developed for ten years, 12 months, a month, and a day.
2. Conditions are created for a coordinated implementation of management tools .
3. Key employees are familiarized with the upcoming changes.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Familiarity with Visotsky Consulting (VC) and Business Owners Program (BOP);
– Time management and personal efficiency: formulation of goals in various areas of life, scheduling and raising efficiency, and using a planner in everyday work;
– Self-motivation of the leader: source of laziness, unwillingness to do anything, and avoidance are identified, and an effective method to handle that is introduced;
– Meeting the consultant and acquainting with work rules during the implementation;
– Implementation planning within the company;
– Meeting the instructor and acquainting with session work rules;
– Testing;
– Communication training with a key employee involved in the implementation plan.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Coordinating the change plan with key employees.
2. Performing company’s due diligence.


Module #2—Raising manager’s efficiency

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This module enhances the skills of the company owner to learn and teach, as well as reproduce the new information, and prepares key staff for the upcoming changes within the organization.

Results:

1. High self-learning ability of the owner;
2. Understanding of key employees’ viewpoints in relation to their work in the company;
3. Described terms of cooperation of key employees with the company owner.

Includes classes in a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Technology for effective self-study of materials;
– Foundation of personal efficiency in achieving goals. The concept of ethics, foundation of morality and efficiency in various activities;
– Suppression: how to recognize suppression and cope with it;
– Nature of stress: determine the sources for the stress and possible solutions to regain proper composure.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Interviews with key employees
2. Signing an agreement with key employees on work conditions


Module #3—Effective communication skills of the manager

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This module greatly enhances the manager’s ability to influence employees and enchance performance without creating conflicts and frustration among personnel.

Result:

A manager is able to more effectively manage communication, deliver ideas and instructions to his subordinates, and enforce performance. An owner becomes more capable of settling disputes.

Includes classes in a 4-day session that focuses on:

– Communication formula and its main components;
– Skills to manage effective communication;
– How to communicate ideas and orders to subordinates;
– How to enforce performance by subordinates and get the job done.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Polling of customers in preparation to identifying the company’s “product”.
2. Description of the company’s main product.


Module #4—Role of a business owner

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Before implementing management tools, it is necessary to increase the knowledge base of the business owner, as it relates to his or her new professional responsibilities.

Results:

1. After training, the company owner is proficient in his new duties and responsibilities.
2. The Main Policy of the company is formulated and implemented.
3. After training, employees will be skilled public speakers and capable of performing their new roles within the company.
4. After training, the staff will be knowledgeable of the company’s goals and strategy.

Includes classes in a 5-day session that focuses on:

– Responsibilities of a business owner;
– Training to identify the owner’s product;
– The Ten Commandments of a driven business owner;
– Managerial tools, such as how to appoint an employee to a new position, delegate responsibilities, acquaint him with the desired results for the company, and motivate him to produce those results in the workplace;
– Proficiency in public speaking tools, such as examples, rules, control of the audience, creating interest, defrayal of attacks, and handling own physical and mental states while speaking.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Development and implementation of rules to use in company policies.
2. Formulation of strategy, purpose,and goals of the company.
3. Training the staff about goals and purposes.
4. Polling and data collection in regard to the company functions in order to prepare for the development of the organizational structure.


Module #5—Organizational structure

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The organizational structure of a company describes all business processes within the company and is the basis for daily management and development activities. After studying the laws and principles of the organizational structure, the owners, under the guidance of a consultant, develop organizational charts for their own companies.

Results:

1. Developed company organizational structure, completely ready for staff placement.
2. Completed staff training on company product and raising efficiency.
3. Developed personnel placement design on the organizational chart.

Includes a 4-day session that focuses on:

– Study of company’s organizational structure;
– Development of a draft organizational chart of the company.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Finalizing the organizational structure with a Consultant.
2. Staff training in order to study the company’s organizational chart.
3. Staff training on the subject of using the organizational structure.
4. Development of personnel placement on the organizational chart.


Module #6—Personnel placement and induction

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Personnel placement and assigning functions to them is a complex process, during which the owner analyzes activities and staff workload, as well as allocates responsibilities. In addition, it is necessary to speak to each employee individually so that he could start performing the duties of his position more effectively.

Results:

1. Personnel is placed on the organizational chart.
2. Regulations are developed and implemented for using the organizational chart within the company.
3. Staff is trained on how to use the organizational chart.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Final correction of the organizational chart;
– Study of distribution principles of functions on the chart between employees;
– Study and training in induction of a new staff member into position;
– Developing short job descriptions for new positions.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Organizational chart implementation actions.
2. Introduction of the company’s key executives and employees’ activities.
3. Staff training on how to use the organizational chart.


Module #7—Development and implementation of statistics

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It is necessary to measure not only the financial performance, but also the efficiency of advertising, quality of work of the support services, staff qualifications, debt liabilities (unpaid bills), reserves, etc.

Results:

1. A handbook is developed for a company, which includes descriptions of all the necessary statistics.
2. Regulations for using the statistics are developed and implemented.
3. Staff is trained on how to conduct a statistical analysis.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Study of the principles of statistical analysis (quantitative measures) for company management;
– Creation of a statistical handbook draft for the company as a whole, for each individual unit, and for an employee;

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Finalizing a draft of the handbook.
2. Implementing statistical analysis.
3.Training the staff on how to use the statistics.


Module #8—Councils and Coordination Meetings

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For a company to operate effectively, its managers need to plan activities of their departments and coordinate plans at Councils and Coordination Meetings.

Results:

1. Coordination regulations are developed and implemented.
2. Managers hold meetings in compliance with the approved regulations.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

–Application of planning technology by employees at all management levels.
– Use of statistics and condition formulas in the development of regulation documents and how to write weekly plans. – Studying the basics of management coordination: components, levels, the role, the products of councils and assemblies;
– Conduct simulations depicting the Chief Executives Board and staff meetings.
– Establish the development of coordination regulations.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Provide staff training on the planning of activities.
2. Provide training to managers in coordination regulations.
3. Conduct the first company-wide coordination at all levels.
4. Conduct the company’s first staff meeting.


Module #9—Financial Planning

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Proper money management aimed at development is the basis of success for the company. As the company grows, one person cannot effectively manage all of the money, Therefore, it is necessary that all of the department heads participate in this process. There needs to be rules in place for how staff members deal with money, in order to prevent abuse and ensure excess of revenues over expenditures. A proper financial planning mechanism will enable a business owner to get rid of routine while maintaining full control of the company’s finances.

Results:

1. Establish that the financial planning regulations and the necessary financial documents are developed and implemented.
2. Managers will successfully conduct weekly allocation of funds.
3. Financial control mechanism was implemented and is used. It brings improvement of company’s financial situation.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Study of principles of financial planning and money management;
– Study of mechanism of financial planning;
– Role play showing a financial planning model;
– Consulting in development of regulations on distribution of resources taking into account peculiarities of the company;
– Designing forms of documents used in financial planning.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Data collection for preparation of financial planning regulations.
2. Consulting and staff training of finance department and managers in basics of financial planning.
3. Actions to implement weekly financial planning.
4. Inspection and correction of work of the Financial Planning Council by a consultant.


Module #10—The system of in-house training and communication system

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Results:

1. Communication regulations are developed and implemented.
2. Company employees use the communication system.
3. Company employees have job folders.
4. Knowledge check mechanism for regulations and policies, that are in the job folders, is implemented.

Includes 2-day session that focuses on:

– Study of principles of effective communication;
– Development of communication regulations;
– Study of methods for development and using the job folders;
– Study of methods of work with the job folders;
– Training on development of owner’s job folder.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Development and implementation of communication regulations.
2. Staff training to use the communication system.
3. Actions to develop the job folders for all key positions in the company.
4. Actions to implement the control system for use of the job folders.


Module #11—Strategic Management

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Strategic planning is a tool that determines the speed of company development. It includes a number of actions: from definition of the weakest areas in the company, long-term planning and up to weekly monitoring of tasks to implement these plans.

Results:

1. Developed and implemented strategic planning and management regulations.
2. Developed strategic plans and their implementation programs.
3. The company implemented a mechanism of control for execution of programs.

Includes a 3-day session that focuses on:

– Study of the basic principles of strategic planning and management;
– Study of the strategy writing sequence: who is involved, how long does each stage take, your actions during strategy formulation;
– Learning how to make programs and use them in plans implementation management;
– Role play and consulting in development of company strategy;
– Development of strategic management regulations and their implementation in the company;
– Learning the principles of creating a company payroll system.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Development and implementation of strategic planning and management regulations.
2. Training of managers in development of programs and control for their execution.
3. Implementation of strategic planning and program development actions in the company.
4. Assigning the responsible for monitoring the programs.


Module #12—Human behavior

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When organizational change is implemented, not all of the employees are happy about it because conditions change, administrative workload is added, functions are modified and added. In order to successfully cope with people’s emotions, to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and if there is a need to hire new employees, one has to be experienced in people.

Results:

1. The company owner is able to deal with people in a correct way.
2. A successful methodology of recruitment and induction is used in the company.

Includes a 2-day session that focuses on

– Learning the scale of emotional tones, assessment and prediction methods of human behavior;
– Learning the methods of recruitment and quick induction of new employees.

Includes the following practical tasks:

1. Development of documents necessary for successful recruitment and induction of new employees.
2. Education of company owner through the “Quick induction” web-based training system.