As the year comes to an end many of us find ourselves evaluating what has been achieved, and often setting goals for the coming year. I tend to find that when I ask people about their new year’s resolutions, they are all very vague and generic (I want to grow my business, or I want to get in shape, I want to be a better daughter or son …). And let’s be honest, those goals are usually explicitly vague so that the follow-up on the actual results can be just as vague as the goals themselves. So, I pose a question … What if we decided to only measure ourselves by exact, measurable, numerical data? In a recent podcast episode I recorded with Dylan Williamson, a seasoned fiscal and business advisor that specializes in auto repair shops, he mentioned to me how many shop owners don’t look regularly at “the books”. How many shop owners (his customers) have the “Aha!” moment when their books are dissected, and the information within them is presented to them with clarity and simplicity. This is that exact split second of time when many of those shop owners, without even knowing it, become data-driven decision makers. Having all the numerical information allows them to make better strategic decisions, negotiate better pricing deliveries, and improve their businesses, all from a data standpoint.
We’ve all been “guilty” at one point or another of allowing ourselves a break from measuring everything by the numbers. Maybe it’s a little extra holiday spending, or some little luxuries on a vacation that weren’t accounted for in the budget. Well, I think that’s actually a good thing, a healthy little treat. But we can’t distract ourselves from the fact that data-driven goals, objectives, and decisions offer a measurable point of evaluation. Using data-driven decision making can really maximize our results. And yes, we can apply that not only to the shop setting, but also to our personal lives—to achieve those goals that can really help us grow personally. As human beings we cannot separate emotions completely from our decision-making process, but what we can do is shift our mindset into making the data come first. Looking at what objective numbers tell us, interpreting those numbers as absolute values for growth, and developing a strategy around them to produce the desired outcome.
On behalf of all of us at Ratchet+Wrench, we wish the best for 2025!
