relish the opportunity to take the reins to impress you. Now, add a final point to your list: a system to monitor these tasks’ progressions and a project leader to both develop and manage it. Have them report back on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Holding them accountable by keeping a routine meeting on the calendar will also help you feel accountable to the upkeep of what you tasked them to do. It’s a two-way street. Think of it like a personal trainer. Once your list is generated, your team is
up to speed and a progress-tracking system is in place, you can sit back and relax for the rest of the year! OK, maybe not, but you will feel a lot more positive about where you stand on things. The work will be slow and steady, but as long as you re- member the simple force multiplier effect of incremental work achieving exponential gains you will have the right fortitude to carry these resolutions to completion. MI Cyph Shah is the manager of Astro Audio Video Lighting in Glendale, California. He’s also the lead instructor of the DJ School, Astro Mix Lab and designs AVL systems as Astro AVL’s installation foreman. He’s toured the country as a DJ for more than 20 years.
enough to cause you to halt what you were doing to course correct it. Whatever it is, put it on the list. Figur- ing out the answers isn’t important right now. But if you need some additional help, here are your optimal targets to consider: MERCHANDISE & DEMO DISPLAY Take a closer look under the hood. Our shop, Astro AVL, has different DJ control- lers laid out on display throughout the year and they frequently change. That means there is usually a rats nest of cables lurk- ing below, remnants of old XLR or power cables that were abandoned because it was easier for someone to grab a fresh one. Audit these areas of your shop that you probably breeze right past and you can have a slew of projects to assign to your team to complete before the snow outside your door has had a chance to melt. DEPRECIATING INVENTORY Cruise through your warehouse and see if you can spot anything with a birthday or on the cusp of discontinuation. If it’s old enough to walk, it’s probably time for it to leave the nest. Make note of some examples and then send a search and rescue team to go identify the rest. Make a comprehensive list. Fire-sale this stuff and create valuable real estate in your storage capacity while freeing up some liquidity. Shedding weight is always at the top of everyone’s resolu- tions list so this should fit right in. SKILLED LABOR You can’t do everything alone, which means there are probably some gaps in your capacity to accomplish all your goals. Maybe it’s an in-house repair technician or a more speedy pair of hands in the warehouse. Training your team is one avenue, but sometimes bringing a fresh face onboard with a higher capacity for the desired results will have positive secondary benefits upon the rest of the staff. CUSTOMER OUTREACH Maybe you’re a bit green with envy over a competitor’s flashy newsletters or social media clout. Pick a good example from one of your industry neighbors to use as inspirational guidance on how you want to revamp your own. Perhaps it’s time to start that Constant Contact or Mailchimp account. Ask your team if any of them have any hidden talents with social media content. The answer may surprise you, and if it’s something they enjoy, they will
DECEMBER 2024 I MUSIC INC. I 27
Powered by FlippingBook