Strategic Management - The Two Men and a Lot of Trucks as a classic Case Study

Strategic Management - The Two Men and a Lot of Trucks as a classic example - Case Study Example The initial capital was only $350 while the labor included only two men and a mother who had a job in the public sector. All that was needed to be done was to haul the things that needed to be transferred, to make sure that nothing is damaged, to deliver it and then unload again and that's it! How hard can that be The crucial point that must be understood is that business ventures involving services and products that are very easy to provide/produce has low market barriers. That is, many people can easily enter the market once they realize how profitable it is. We can therefore expect sever competition. Indeed, there were competitors who even resorted to harassing the owner of the enterprise by calling her to court for a trivial offense. Nonetheless, the company grew and it is because it employed strategic management measures. First in the list is orienting the company to be customer-friendly. As clich as the concept would seem to be, it is still one effective way of generating sales. There are some products, such as necessities like food, where the demand is large and continuous that the supplier does not need to seriously bother with customer concerns. However, people do not move frequently and if they did, they can opt to do it by themselves or choose from a list of home-movers. Being customer-friendly can influence the customer not only in choosing your services but would also entice them to relegate the tasks to you. In moving appliances, there is always the risk of damaging items that may have sentimental value or is just plain expensive that people would not risk others hand ling them. It is important to show that you care and that is precisely what the company did. Next in the measures employed were innovation and focus. The company went as far as establishing a course in handling the items to be transferred. This innovation had the effect of delivering to the public the message that the company was very much into improving itself and was very serious regarding the business. If we are a prospective customer, who would we choose No doubt it would be the one who we perceive to be serious in providing quality service. It is the one who provides value for money. Another innovation that the company employed was to adapt a logo and uniforms both of which endowed them a degree of professionalism. They were not merely some service provider from across the street. The company's logo and uniform were marks that they are legitimate and that they have been in the business for some time. Another right move was for the mother (the entrepreneur) to go full time and quit from government service thereby losing her pension and other benefits. Had she decided to stay in a job that offers her a stable retirement, she would not have managed and guided the company to success. The economic principle that business involves tradeoffs is very much in operation. Another smart move was to franchise the business. Most enterprise owners are afraid to share the business to others because they might fail and drag the company with them. However, the company made sure that all the franchisee and handlers were all properly trained. Franchising the business also provided the opportunity to grow as much needed capital flowed in. It widened the service coverage and can therefore serve much more customers which translate to greater sales. There is much wisdom that can be gleaned from the case of the Two Men and Lots of Trucks all of which are worthy