Quality Systems as Cornerstones for Small Businesses

I recently left my corporate job after working in various multinational food companies for over 30 years in quality and food safety. Now, I am scaling my own CPG business, where I do everything for what I've created and built. A former colleague described my new focus as using a different side of my brain than when I was in a compliance role.   While this is true as I have now ventured into selling and pitching my products and concepts, when I go into the mode of formulating and producing, I am brought back to living and breathing the basic quality system principles that my teams and I administered many years ago. 

 

My business is something I had no model for, using whiskey and spirits as bases for simple but meal-transforming sauces and spices. I find key quality systems that we have embedded into food ingredients and basic foods to be as invaluable as ever. 

Here are some of the most significant realizations I have had while creating quality systems for my business:

1. Equipment calibration is everything! Don’t even try to commercialize food without an iron-clad program. Approaching equipment purchases to those that can be calibrated by you and replaced quickly will keep you running, with safe and high-quality products.

2. Creating and managing manufacturing and process records is different for a small batch company than what you utilized in that Fortune 500 scenario; don’t try to duplicate what you did. Free thinking to keep these documents and programs simple is key.

3. Simplicity in procedures that can be understood by all your team members is what makes them effective. I've adopted the approach that I was taught years ago: ‘Make your procedures understood and be followed by people who will walk in off the street without experience.’

In my new situation, I can move beyond corporate norms and shift directions if I see an opportunity. I have learned to pivot and quickly refine procedures and systems to allow for changes in product, packaging, names, etc. We don't often practice these concepts in the corporate world because of their impracticality, so we may not realize how important they are to the survival and growth of a small business. One concept that I have not strayed from is keeping a very structured work schedule and depending on my calendar to keep me accountable for all tasks.

I am grateful for the mentors I've had throughout my career who helped me grow my expertise in food safety. I've translated these concepts into day-to-day practices in my new ventures in formulations, dealing with regulatory agencies, and setting my products apart from competitors. I challenge all of you to always keep your early learnings with you at all stages of your career, knowing them well enough to bring them back to use at any time and to create them on your own.

Additionally, if you are thinking about creating your start-up or working for one, it's truly an invigorating and gratifying adventure. Corporate jargon instantly disappears from your vocabulary. The eradication of the use of statements like ‘I think’ allows you to dive into each day with confidence and expertise as you build your business and brand. No one wants to hear a pitch or place an order from someone who says, ‘I think!’