0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

36 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
“We have 25 trucks on the road every day,” said Peter Winslow, who
bought the Randolph, Vermont–based company in 1963. Customers from
70 miles away rely on Magee’s to keep their shelves stocked. One way they
compete with office superstores is by belonging to a purchasing cooperative
that serves 250 small office supply dealers.
Another secret of their long-term success is cross-training all employees
to do multiple jobs. That way, people can fill in for each other as well
as understand what it takes to get every job done. “The more and different
jobs you can do, the more valuable you are,” said Todd Winslow, Peter’s son,
who runs the company with his father’s counsel but does not have a title.
“We don’t have job titles,” said Todd Winslow. “Everybody has a job
to do, but they can all do more than one job. That’s how we survive during
recessions.” (Bloomberg LP is another company that frowns on job titles.)
The Winslows also believe in rigorously testing people, from the time
someone applies for a job to the day they leave the company. They rely on
a variety of personality and aptitude tests, including Meyers-Briggs. “You
never know what people are good at until you test them,” he said. “We tested
a guy for a sales job but he ended up being great at collecting (money).”
GREAT
Create a Disaster Recovery Plan
N
IDEA obody likes to think about the possibility of disaster,
but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a comprehensive
disaster recovery plan for your business. You may not be hit with
a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake, but even a broken pipe or minor fire
can temporarily wipe out your business.
Big companies have committees and consultants to deal with recovery
planning. Smaller businesses are finally recognizing the need for similar
plans, according to Judy Bell, founder of Disaster Survival Planning
Network in Southern California. She’s written several books, including
Disaster Survival Planning: A Practical Guide for Business, available on her
web site for $19.95 plus tax and shipping. Her company offers a seminar to
help small business owners prepare for disaster at a cost of $6,000. The fee
includes a software template to create your own plan.