When Mike Rodriguez inherited his father’s struggling hardware shop in rural New Mexico, its future looked uncertain. Within a few years, he transformed it into a thriving chain through a game-changing method that shifted his perspectives and approaches.
“As a kid, I practically lived between these aisles,” Mike recalls from his flagship store’s sleek new office. “But taking over in 2020, revenue barely cleared costs. Change was critical, but annual planning overwhelmed.”
Like so many small business owners, Mike got stuck in daily fires, unable to plan beyond the moment. That changed when an associate introduced the focused 12 Week Year.
Mike’s initial goal – a 15% income boost through inventory management and service improvements – seemed attainable. “What struck me was how it broke this down into specific weekly actions,” he notes.
“I signed to the 12 Week Breakthrough program to help me really understand the concepts and how to implement this important system.” he added
During those pivotal 12 weeks, Mike implemented targeted tactics. Every Monday morning, his dedicated “strategy time” involved analyzing customer purchases and inventory data. He discovered overstocks of seasonal goods but shortages of high-demand basics.
“The weekly scorecard provided valuable insights,” Mike explained. “Rather than waiting until the end of the year to assess performance, I could track our progress week by week. When targets weren’t met, adjustments were made right away.”
Exceeding his initial revenue goal by 22% expanded Mike’s ambitions. His next 12-week objective was opening a second store in Albuquerque. “Breaking long-term goals into executable sections made the tasks seem surmountable,” he noted.
Mike crafted a thorough 12-week plan covering site selection, lease negotiation, hiring, and stocking supplies. He scheduled time daily to address unexpected issues while keeping strategic initiatives on track.
“The Weekly Accountability Meetings were particularly impactful,” Mike remarked. “We four local business owners discussed both achievements and challenges each Tuesday. Accountability from peers motivated continuous forward progress.”
Over three years, Mike employed successive 12-week aims, each building on past victories. He monitored progress using both leading and lagging metrics. Leading signs included weekly customer ratings and employee training participation, while lagging signs centered on revenue increases and margin growth.
In his debut stores, Mike centered on formalizing procedures. He drafted standard guides during strategic periods and implemented stock management software. Each 12-week interval zeroed in on a new operational facet, from personnel instruction programs to vendor relationships.
With systems established, Mike targeted growth into Las Cruces and Roswell. “The 12 Week Year aided me in avoiding the regular pitfalls of quick development,” he expresses. “Every new area opening was separated into explicit week after week activities, making the procedure workable and quantifiable.”
By year three, Rodriguez Hardware had extended to six areas crosswise over New Mexico. Mike’s 12-week objectives shifted to zero in on joining and productivity. He actualized centralized obtaining, standardized preparation programs, and made a unified image experience across all stores.
Mike credits much of his achievement to the procedure control components of the 12 Week Year. “Each Sunday night, I plan my week. Regularly early mornings, I audit my day by day activities. It’s turned into such a propensity that I feel awkward when I don’t do it,” he chuckles.
His typical week presently incorporates:
Monday mornings: Strategic arranging for all areas
Wednesday evenings: Virtual gatherings with store administrators
Friday early mornings: Audit of week by week scorecards from each area
Today, Rodriguez Hardware is New Mexico’s quickest developing free equipment chain, with plans for further development. “The 12 Week Year didn’t simply assist me with developing the business,” Mike reflects. “It changed how I think about achievement and progress.”
Mike’s exhortation for other little business proprietors? “Don’t hold on for the ideal second or the new year to begin. Pick your most critical objective, separate it into 12-week chunks, and start actualizing. The framework works on the off chance that you work it consistently.”
The story of Rodriguez Hardware, and many others in the 12 Week Breakthrough Program, epitomizes how the 12 Week Year methodology can uplift a solitary storefront company into a regional powerhouse. By prioritizing condensed work periods, upholding accountability, and regularly evaluating advancement, Mike transformed his father’s legacy into a thriving commercial colossus that caters to communities across New Mexico. “Achievement is not about attempting enormous bounds,” Mike concludes. “It is about taking careful, quantified advances in the proper way, week after week. That is what the 12 Week Year educated me, and that altogether reworked everything.”
Contact
12-Week Breakthrough
1815 JFK Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA
dan.mintz@12week-breakthrough.com
