Gaining traction for your business using the Entrepreneurial Operating System

Guest editorial
Joe Paulsen, Certified EOS Implementer^™
joe@pbtraction.com

This article was published in the September 2019 edition of NTEA News

An entrepreneur is a person who organizes and operates a business, taking significant financial risks in the process. This definition describes the ownership and management of most of the companies in the work truck industry. 

When starting their businesses, most entrepreneurs focus on their great idea or product but rarely think about the business structure needed to operate the company once it grows. This is where the Entrepreneurial Operating System^® (EOS^®) can help. EOS is specifically designed to support the unique operating needs of entrepreneur-owned companies. It provides structure without sacrificing the entrepreneurial speed and spirit that built the company and attracted the owners, employees and customers. 

EOS was created in 2005, and today, more than 7,000 companies are professionally implementing the system into their businesses. I first introduced EOS to the commercial vehicle community during an NTEA webinar in April 2017. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to share EOS principles with industry stakeholders at the Association’s Executive Leadership Summit and Work Truck Show 2019.

Several NTEA member companies are currently implementing the program. Feedback has been extremely positive as industry organizations are discovering how the operating system allows them to get a grip on their business and gain Traction.

Member results

• Dan Bouwman, owner/visionary of Truck & Trailer Specialties Inc. (Dutton, Michigan), was one of the first in the work truck industry to implement EOS. He’s seen how it helped his company restructure its leadership team, reorganize and expand business by more than 25% in the last two years. According to Dan, “The biggest value of EOS is that the process holds people accountable, not to just one person, but to the entire leadership team.” 
• Joe Bonnell, owner/visionary of Bonnell Industries Inc. (Dixon, Illinois), experienced similar results. Two years after engaging EOS, Joe said, “The time spent in meetings, getting the leadership team on the same page with each other, far outweighs the cost. Because we are on the same page, our plan is communicated out to all departments, and we have seen profit improvement and consistency throughout the company. We even make decisions about what we are going to stop doing.”
• S.J. Risewick, integrator with Seneca Tank (Des Moines, Iowa), recently started implementing EOS and was surprised by how quickly his team was able to solidify a vison and take coordinated steps to achieve it. S.J. shares, “Through the EOS process, we had a clear vision with gaps identified and objectives set within the first three months.” He feels Seneca Tank is now much more focused on its true niche within the industry; the team is aligned on company goals with a platform to communicate its vision for the year/quarter and identify issues that stand in the way of reaching stated objectives.
• Brett Collins, owner/visionary of Venco Venturo Industries LLC (Sharonville, Ohio), initiated his company’s EOS journey in July 2019. Brett shared, “We expect the EOS system to bring discipline and common sense to everyday decision-making and management so that we are not relying on gut instinct and hard work. In fact, I would say that is the number-one requirement to making the EOS system work… the owner and the team must truly want it and be committed to the system.”

Learn more
During the Oct. 11 webinar, Solving issues like a pro using the Entrepreneurial Operating System, attendees will gain details on one of the Six Key Components™ of EOS. Find out more and register for this interactive session at ntea.com/eoswebinar.