Simplicity Is the Key to Successful Business
Simplicity is the key to a successful business. It is key to what we do here at Seraphim Plastics. We have been able to successfully recycle industrial scrap plastic for years because our process is simple and straightforward. We live by the rule that industrial plastic recycling doesn’t have to be complicated.
Back in the mid-2010s, one of the hottest topics among business experts was simplicity. The internet was alive with all sorts of blog posts, informational articles, and how-to guides explaining the benefits of simplicity in business. The fervor over simplicity has died down considerably since then. However, the principle is as true today as it ever was.
It’s Not a Big Secret
Simplicity being one of the keys to success is not a big secret. Back in 2016, Inc. magazine published a piece from Leadership Principles founder and CEO Gordon Tregold. It was built around 26 inspiring quotes pointing to simplicity as the foundation of business success.
Tregold himself offered some gems. For example, he wrote that unnecessary complexity is “one of the key constants I see in every failure or under-performing organization.” He actually started his piece with a statement explaining his bewilderment over the fact that people seem to go to great lengths to complicate things.
Anyone involved in business management these days could probably identify with Tregold’s words. Modern business processes tend to be unnecessarily complicated. Business policies and principles are too complex for their own good. Even something as simple as a strategy meeting that should be over and done within under an hour can become a multi-day collaboration process that wastes a lot of time by making things too complicated.
Keep It As Simple As Possible
We have no way of knowing what you do in your business. We don’t know what industry you are involved in. But we do know this: keeping things as simple as possible yields better results. You can see it very clearly by comparing what we do against typical municipal recycling programs.
Our process is not complicated by any means. We buy clean and separated scrap industrial plastic from manufacturers, industrial operations, etc. A load is picked up from a customer, transported to our processing facility, and sent through a series of grinders and magnets to produce ready-to-sell industrial plastic regrind. That’s it.
We don’t engage in a complicated sorting process. We do not have to spend time and money cleaning what we buy because we only accept clean industrial plastic. The mechanical nature of our recycling process is such that it requires very little monitoring and testing. Our labor needs are minimal as well.
We Can Sell Industrial Plastic Regrind Cheaply
Keeping things simple allows us to sell regrind cheaply and still make a profit. That is important because manufacturers will not buy regrind if it’s more expensive than virgin plastic. Therein lies the significant difference between what we do and what municipal recycling programs try to accomplish.
The nature of postconsumer plastics is such that municipal recycling programs are far more complicated. Postconsumer plastics need to be collected, sorted, cleaned, and then shipped to recyclers willing to buy them. But the municipal process is so complicated and labor intense that municipalities must charge high prices that recyclers aren’t willing to pay. Thus, it becomes a money-losing proposition that is ultimately not sustainable.
What we do is just one example of business simplicity. Regardless of the industry your company is involved in, keeping things simple leads to success. Complicate things unnecessarily and you are only hurting your own bottom line. It is a fundamental truth of business that hasn’t changed in millennia.