Bruce Outridge

Honesty is the Best Policy

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Bruce

Things to day are quite different than they were years ago in the transportation industry. For instance more items are going electronic, you now have to be a smart cookie to handle a big rig and keep up on all the regulations for being in compliance, but some people for whatever reason just don’t seem to get it when they start on with a new company. Nowadays they have a way to test for much of the practical knowledge required for the position of commercial driver, but some companies are still taking your word that you know what you are doing.

You know what I am talking about, the guy who comes in to the job claiming he has done it all under the sun from flatbed to reefer, and steel, but is only 22 years old. Of the guy who feels he is too cool to listen to the trainer and doesn’t listen to the instructions in case something new is required when loading. There are many of these types out there and I have seen many come and go in my time at the wheel. If you watch them closely you will find that they don’t really know what they are doing and usually will screw up with a load in a very short time because they didn’t listen when being told how to do the job. That is why so many companies have started training programs so people won’t get into trouble in there first few weeks of employment. Those are the people that give the industry a bad name and I am not saying that things can’t happen but as a professional driver it is your job to make sure that you have done everything to the best of your abilities in securing your load or operating in a safe manner.

So what is the best course of action to making sure you are working at your best. The first part is to know what you should be doing, know the regulations, and have the proper equipment to get the job done. Be organized, this is a big one with me, you have to keep an eye on your equipment and know what is becoming too worn to do the job and what is ready for replacing. Being organized not only helps you track your equipment but also makes you look much more professional in front of the shippers and receivers. Have you ever seen a driver that looked like he had to unload his truck before beginning to load because he kept it such a mess, I have? If you are required to use a certain amount of straps for your load, but feel it would be safer with an extra one go ahead and use it. I have never seen anyone given a ticket for going beyond the regulations to be safe. The same thing goes for checking your load, if getting that load down the road safely requires that you stop a little bit more to make sure it is safe then do that. It doesn’t matter if you are only required to stop once. Leadership means stepping up to the plate and being a professional can mean the difference between saving lives and staying employed.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for the transportation industry. Information on his courses can be found on his website and blog at www.outridge.ca

Have You Removed You from Your Marketing Package?

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Bruce

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With the world highly focused on technology and the latest apps many people believe that working on their online presence is the most important factor in their marketing package. While that may be true for some it is not always the best position for most companies. Now I can understand why so much attention is given to the web, it can be addictive, it is fairly inexpensive to start up, and it goes out to a global community. Then there is the argument as to the social media accounts of the world and that people get to know you through those accounts. But do they really get to know you, or do they just learn what you stand for and there is a difference? In my mind social media is important for letting people understand what you stand for, how you think, and how you feel about certain topics, however that is not getting to know someone. You really don’t know someone unless you have met them, spent time with them, and watched them under a relaxed atmosphere. I was golfing with a friend the other day and he said to me you don’t really know someone unless you golf with them. How true that is, he went on to explain that he would golf with executives that were cool and calm in the business world, but would have tizzy for a bad shot on the golf course. As I have mentioned in the past many people get so focused on social media that they forget the rest of their marketing plans all together. They end up spending countless hours updating their status, but don’t go out of the office or call anyone. People forget about you if they don’t see you or have never met you. So what constitutes a well rounded marketing plan?

You need a mix of everything together in order to have a well set up marketing plan. Keep a balance as time is money and make sure the areas you are spending time and money are worth the investment. Let’s start online, make sure you have a decent website and I suggest a blog. If you want other social media then set up to two more options. You are better to be strong on a few than have lots set up but never use them. Put the social media updates in your calendar so you can be consistent with them, that’s the key to working with social media. Once you have your online presence set up search out a local group of interest to you or the business you are in and join the group. Join the group with the intent of increasing your awareness of subjects of interest to you or a group for pleasure and camaraderie. I like to suggest one educational group and one social group or hobby group. Attend meetings regularly and give the groups at least a year before assessing. Many people leave a group too soon because they see no results, but in my experience it takes at least a year for members of the group to really know you and begin to feel comfortable enough to start working with you. Once you have the networking part completed you can add other areas that you feel are necessary such as cold calls, direct mail, etc. Remember everything works together and too much of one area can be just as bad as not enough. Consistency is the key to any area of your marketing plan.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant. He offers help to entrepreneurs and small businesses on many areas of business. For more information please visit his website at www.outridge.ca

Should You Incorporate Your Business or Not?

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Bruce

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As I speak with many new drivers and owner operators I get asked the question quite often as to whether they should incorporate their business or not. There are some very important things to think about when deciding on moving forward with incorporation, however most owner operators don’t look at the total picture. Much focus on the cost and the cost can vary because it is based upon the assets you have for your business and the type of business you are in, but these costs are small when you look at the big picture over time. The costs are also a lot less in the beginning as opposed to later in your business when you have more assets to worry about. Your costs also will go up for bookkeeping and accounting fees, but again that will help in the long run to keep your company viable. Even as a sole proprietor you will have those expenses just on a smaller scale. So let’s look at the benefits of incorporation and why it is a smarter choice for the long term.

In my mind anyone who is planning on making $80,000 or more per year in their business should look at incorporation, maybe not the first year but eventually because it will help tax wise and show that you are in the business for the long term. Many people view sole proprietors as people not very serious about their business. If your business has opportunities for you to be sued or have other liabilities then incorporation is important because it helps to protect your personal assets. Some larger corporations will not work with businesses that are not incorporated so incorporation helps you with contracts and other business options. If you are looking for funding options many banks and financial institutions require that you be incorporated. Tax breaks are one of the most important advantages to being incorporated as corporations are taxed at a lower rate than other types of business models. That advantage alone is enough to offset the cost of incorporating. If you ever wanted to sell your business or parts of your business you need to be incorporated to sell a business. The other major advantage is that as a corporation you become an employee and are able to regulate your salary to be the best tax situation for you personally. This helps you pay a much smaller tax rate helping you save much needed cash flow. So how do you set yourself up to be incorporated?

There are a number of ways to do this. If you are just starting out in your business then you can complete the filing application online. You can also visit your local small business development centre and complete this at their office. If you have many assets to include in your business or if you feel that the process may be too involved then I would suggest working with a lawyer that works with business law. In all cases I would suggest getting advice from people that understand the incorporation process. Incorporating online can range anywhere from $250 to $1000 and lawyers would of course have additional fees. Remember that you are going into business for the long term and part of your success comes from starting your business out on the right footing. Structure builds houses, roads, and businesses. If you don’t have a plan then you will have a hard time knowing if you have reached success in your business.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for the transportation industry and entrepreneurs. More information can be found on his services at www.outridge.ca

Setting Goals as an Owner Operator

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Bruce

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If you ask most owner operators what the goals for their business are most would tell you to make it down the road safely and come out with some money in their pockets. While that may make a lofty operational goal it doesn’t help you in the long run to be successful. Some mention just making their truck payments, others want family time and so on. These are all fine goals, but are they structured enough to get you to where you want to be? The answer is no, goals to most people mean dreaming and that is why they don’t usually work. Goals need specific items in order to work and to do it right require planning and soul searching in a quiet place when you are rested and alert. So what kind of goals should be important to you as an owner operator?

I am assuming you got into business to be successful, I am also assuming you plan on being in business for many years to come. That being said I am strongly in favour of having short, medium, and long term goals. I also like to set monetary and personal time goals. Let’s talk about the time goals first, take out a piece of paper on a day when you are rested and relaxed, if married this is a good exercise to do with your spouse as well and figure out where you want your business to be in 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years. A goal for that area may be to pay off your truck, trade up to a newer truck, may be even have additional trucks. May be your goal in 5 years will be to retire or slow down a bit, if so how do you do that, what needs to be in place for that to happen, how will you get there? A six month goal may be to increase revenue by 5% over the last quarter and so forth. Maybe your goal is to increase your personal time at home, how will you accomplish that, can you get a second driver; manage a small fleet of trucks you own as opposed to driving one full time. What will get you to that mark? Monetary goals are the same but are even better because they do two things; they force you to look at your numbers, and they work in conjunction with time goals which helps you succeed. To set monetary goals look at your most important paper that you have, your profit and loss statement. Start there and figure out where you want to be in a certain time frame such as the ones above. Do you want to cut certain areas of expenses, maybe you need to make more miles, etc?

To make the goal setting experience work you need to put hard numbers on everything. So if your goal is to increase your profit margin by 10 % also include a figure such as $1000. Then you have a hard goal to work with. The second thing you must do is put a date on your goals. This helps give you a specific time in which to work on your goal. With these specifics you can now create an action plan to achieve the goals making you successful. Just going through this process will put you in the 10% category of successful business owners. You know what they say, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for the transportation industry helping truck drivers and owner operators be successful in their careers and businesses. More information can be found on his services at www.outridge.ca

Creating a Process for Winning

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Bruce

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Twenty one days makes a habit. Have you ever heard that before, I am sure we all have as it has been around forever? Habits come in all forms good and bad and sometimes you don’t even know that you are creating a habit. It is kind of like the coffee thing in the morning you start by going through the drive through as a change and before you know it, boom; you’re there every morning for two years. That’s because you went long enough to create a habit. The nice thing about the twenty one day rule is that it works for good things as well and the longer you apply the rule the better engrained it gets. Now I ask you, what part of your work environment, your process, or your position can be improved by improving its process? You may think that you are already running quite efficient and maybe you are, but there is always room for improvement.

Here is what you do. Think about a task that has been causing stress when working, it could be as easy as your pens are stored in the wrong drawer or more complex such as you don’t have enough work surfaces for doing mailings and so on. Consciously take some time to think about how to correct the problem and take the necessary actions if possible. Work with the solution for a week and if it works great then move on to the next area of concern. Aim for little improvements instead of changing around many items. Don’t be surprised if it takes longer to get things right. I have had setups that I thought were very good and worked well only to have something major happen forcing me to revise the setup. The changes made the set up better so you may not always see the improvement until later. Remember once you make the change work with it for a month to keep it engrained and part of your normal habits. It always amazes me when I see people working with a bad office set up or area and they are too lazy to make changes that would greatly improve their efficiency. But hey, they are the ones who have to work there. What they don’t realize is that the more organized you are means the more money you are making because you are finishing tasks sooner. Time management is the key always be looking for ways to improve it.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant for entrepreneurs and small businesses. More information can be found on his website www.outridge.ca