How I Find the Friction
Before I recommend anything, I go through the same seven steps every time. Here's what that actually looks like.
The Seven Steps
Start With the Problem, Not the Product
Tell me what's frustrating you. I don't start with a sales pitch or a product category - I start with what's actually bothering you right now.
Learn How the Work Actually Happens
I ask how the process really runs day to day, not how it's supposed to run on paper. That gap is usually where the real problem lives.
Find the Real Bottleneck
Symptoms and root causes aren't always the same thing. I follow the friction until I find where it actually starts, not just where it's most visible.
Determine If Technology Is Actually the Answer
Sometimes it is. Sometimes the fix is a process change, a training gap, or nothing at all - and I'll tell you that too, even if it means less work for me.
Prioritize What's Worth Fixing
Not everything deserves the same urgency or budget. Findings get sorted into what to fix now, what can wait, and what may not be worth buying at all.
Build or Fix the Right Thing
Wi-Fi, an ERP system, an automation, documentation - whatever it turns out to be, implementation follows the diagnosis. Not the other way around.
Measure the Result, Then Keep Going
Did it save time, reduce errors, or recover capacity? I check. Growing businesses don't run out of problems - just the next one worth solving.