So much attention in business news is tech, and I don’t just mean Big Tech. The word “innovation” is thrown around a lot when really what we’re talking about are gadgets…not ideas.
But innovation in business is often about what you do, not what you use. Processes, procedures, protocols and work culture — these can all be major innovations in a successful business model, and none of them require a degree in computer science or a garage in Palo Alto to develop.
Entrepreneurs have been making money trying to optimize other businesses long before there were CRMs. It’s a big part of helping companies grow and become more profitable.
Recognize that extraordinary mind? It’s Jeff Resweber!
Jeff Resweber and his company An Extraordinary Mind do just that. Jeff helps companies big and small reinvent their processes – the under-the-hood wiring that can get tangled and gunky and slow growing companies down. Jeff and his team embed with their clients, figuring out ways to make the less glamorous parts of their business run smoothly so the engine can hum. An Extraordinary Mind has worked with companies in a dizzying array of industries – finance, IT, education and energy. That’s why they call him the “instant expert.”
Running a good company isn’t just about making it more efficient. If you want to run a good company, do what you do well, but also…do some good. An important place to start is protecting your people.
Ray Flores – money can’t buy you happiness but happy people can make you money
For almost three decades, Ray Flores’ company Industrial Safety Solutions has helped companies make their workers and their work safer but, again, not by developing new gadgets, but by using the principles of behavioral psychology. ISS helps companies create cultures of safety in their workforces, primarily serving the oil and gas industries. In 2020, ISS spun up a new division that helps companies roll out safety plans to address the threat of Covid. The new line built on years of hurricane recovery work and has become an important revenue line as the energy industry in Louisiana continues to decline.
Ray is passionate about community outreach and has recently connected with the nonprofit of Love of People as a vehicle to help him repair an old church that he credits with a piece of divine providence in his career.
Christiaan Mader holding court at Tula Tacos
Out to Lunch Acadiana is recorded live over lunch at Tula Tacos and Amigos in downtown Lafayette. Photos by Nathan Davis. Hear how Drake Pothier traded business success for happiness by turning his back on insurance and deciding it was time, literally, to make the donuts.
