2011 was a big year for CSG Pro. We grew our revenues quite a bit and that is really the gas that makes any business go, but is that enough? In addition to the growth, we have accomplished some pretty amazing things. If you believe change is good you would certainly say we have had a couple of great years! In many ways I believe that the work we have done outside our revenue growth is more important to us and to you.
The measurement of progress and growth in a business is so often reduced to a simple number, a percent of revenues over the previous period. We also measure these numbers and have done quite well the last couple of years. We have plenty to be proud of and could simply publish our numbers and talk about growth and success. But we have accomplished so much more. A few big ones are: updating our brand and logo, changing our core management tools, moving our office, and reorganizing the company with leadership at the practice level. I want to talk about these in a bit more detail and explain why it should matter to you.
Branding: If you have ever gone through a rebranding you understand how much work goes into this process. We had to really define ourselves and our brand promise: what should you expect when you work with us as a client, partner, or employee. After doing business for 18 years this should be easy, right? Well I wouldn’t call it easy, but it turns out certain things define you from the beginning and they don’t change dramatically over the years. Sure the technologies always change, but the values are what really define the brand promise. Things like working hard for the success of our client, doing what is right even when it is difficult, having a long term view and creating value along the way. We are excited about where we ended up with brand and the logo. It is meant to reflect the reliability, integrity, intelligence, and hard work we bring into every engagement.
Core Systems: We changed our core systems, including a resource management tool and financial planning systems. These are the systems we use to track our time, availability, project schedules, budgets, invoicing, skills matrix, and more. We also adopted the One Page Strategic Plan process from the book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish which guides us through the creation of goals that are both financial and activity or process based. The non-financial goals are called “rocks” and create a focus on the items that must be resolved in the period. The new planning process and tooling has allowed us to remain focused on the business metrics that are most important and track at a more granular level. This all rolls into a financial forecast that drives the day to day management of the business and our key investments. As with any system adoption it is a continuous improvement process and we will add modules to the system in the future. That said, what we have in place today allows us to manage large and small projects with a high level of sophistication. It is not always easy to get excited about management and financial systems or metrics, but this is really key to our ability to scale the company in a responsible way.
Office relocation: Our office move was a lot of work, but it was really exciting work. We had been in our former offices since the company started in 1993 and it was time for a change. We spent quite a bit of time finding just the right spot. This led us to a converted warehouse with 18 foot ceilings and lots of windows in the Pearl District. We have some room to grow and are really enjoying the life this area offers; across the street from REI and six blocks from just about any kind of food, drink, or art you can think up. Our new digs are more than just a place to hang the shingle. We entered into this endeavor with two primary goals; first to be in a facility that reflects a company that is a market leader and second to create an environment where our teams can collaborate on the solutions we build for our clients. You will likely receive an invite to come to an event hosted at our office, so come check it out. I think you will agree we accomplished both our goals in spades.
Reorg: CSG Pro has always had a great team of consultants, but we needed to organize ourselves differently to create agile teams. Reorgs can be really painful and not produce any tangible improvement, but this was a process to reorganize and bring in key leadership for each practice to support our growth. The results have been pretty immediate and the teams are really gelling nicely. We now have Practice Managers in all practices and a structure that will allow us to grow and shape the teams into the future. We have specializations and focus with teamwork and collaboration that will benefit our clients, partners, and employees. This is a really important change for CSG Pro and I am excited about each of the leaders we have for the Practices. You can read more about them in the leadership section of our website.
If you are a client, partner, or prospective employee reading this, why should you care? Certainly the fact that we are a growing company entering our 20th year is important. But it is not enough for us, or any company, to simply say we grew last year. I believe that the additional work we did in 2011 makes us a better company and a great partner for you to engage. You need to know that your consultant, partner, or prospective employer is continually investing in the future and working to create a great future. CSG Pro has applied sound business principles to build a solid business over the last 19 years and we continue to apply these principles while we invest in our future. Last year we invested in our messaging and brand, advancing our systems and tools, a great office, and solid leadership. We continue to invest in the business, develop our team, clarify our message, and deliver excellence along the way.
The future looks very exciting, let’s build it together!
(Read Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish. Verne has done a great job of outlining some of the business principles we use at CSG Pro as we continue to grow and develop the company. The One Page Strategic Plan is a great tool to keep you focused on what is important in your business.)