Leading Small Business Owners to Success With Project Management

I'm turning 50,000 small business owners into project management champions by 2030.

Why? 

Because projects turn dreams into reality.

Look around you. That plane you see overhead? That was a project. The skyscraper? A project. Your local barbershop? Even that was brought to fruition through projects. 

Projects are transformative. The world needs transformation to address its biggest problems. That's where small business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs come in. Small business leaders are among the most influential forces shaping change globally. 

It's reasonable to assume that every startup was created to address an issue or unmet need in the market. Transformation can only be achieved through project success. Small business leaders elevate the world by maximizing project outcomes. 

I'm Chris - A Project Management Believer  

As we embark on this journey together, allow me to first share a bit about myself. My name is Chris, and I believe in the power of project management. As a Project Management Professional (PMP), I have worked in various industries and on different types of projects.

During this time, I have seen the transformative power that project success can have. A few examples include: 

• The ground-up creation of a 1-million square-foot lab space for Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical company "dedicated to improving lives through discovering, developing and delivering medicines and vaccines."

• The installation of hundreds of Level 2 EV Chargers, which delivered affordable charging options to electric vehicle owners in communities throughout the United States. 

• The development of renewable energy projects, which laid the path for the addition of nearly 1 GW of clean energy to the grid. 

• The implementation of a custom Salesforce solution, which enabled an organization to better track and manage opportunities. This drove more effective decision-making in pursuit of its mission. 

A well-executed project is beautiful. It can truly change the world.

Change Does Not Have to Mean Grandiose 

The examples above showcase some brilliant projects I've been fortunate to manage throughout my project management career, but I want to emphasize that project management can also be a guiding light for the everyday challenges and aspirations of small business owners.   

A project can be implemented in pursuit of ANY professional goal and any "Why." Consider a few of the following examples, and see if you can relate....

The Mobile Car Detailing Service 

This business owner has loved detailing cars since he was young. Last year, he resigned from his career to go all-in on his mobile car detailing service. Business is booming.

His goal is to move out of his car and into a fleet of vans. Seems straightforward enough, right? This business owner is going to need to: 

• Research the type of van 

• Figure out financing and how the purchase of the vans will impact the company's budget 

• Research and purchase insurance 

• Figure out fuel for the vans — are employees going to fuel up on their own? Are they reimbursed for gas, or is there a company credit card? If the vans are electric, perhaps they are charged nightly at the company warehouse. 

• Supply chain — the introduction of vans will introduce new complexities into the company's procurement. The company may now have to purchase in bulk. Is there a supplier in place for this? How can employees communicate when supplies are low? What amount of stock will be kept in the vans? 

• Safe-driving software — is this going to be installed? 

• The IMPLEMENTATION of this change — this is a pretty monumental shift for the business. How will it be communicated to the team? How will success be tracked? 

This business owner should emphasize the practice of planning. Planning will allow the owner to determine the steps needed to turn his vision into a reality (more formally known as a work breakdown structure). By adopting a project management mindset, this business owner will be better positioned to succeed. 

The Content Creator 

This business owner started producing content. What was originally a side hustle quickly grew into a budding full-time job. The owner became the subject matter expert on one of the premier video games on the market, building an audience of nearly 1 million followers. 

Growth was steady, and things were going great. However, a new game release tanked — completely out of the content creator’s control. Game players REVOLTED, swearing off the game. This quickly could have spelled the end of the content creator's budding small business. 

Fortunately, he had already taken an adaptive approach. He had a plan to diversify his channels and a few ideas that he had begun to test. When he realized that the game used for his main channel was tanking, he quickly revisited his plan. He pivoted, focusing on accelerating the growth of his new channels. By having a plan and an adaptable, project-oriented mindset, he was able to quickly adjust his strategy to the market and keep his business thriving. 

The New Business Owner 

It's estimated that baby boomers are going to sell nearly 12 million businesses over the next 15 years. This business owner purchased a book of business from a retiring local plumber. The new owner did a ton of due diligence. She ran the financials of the business. She had a bit of experience in the commercial construction industry and performed as much due diligence as possible. 

However, warts started to appear soon after the business was purchased. The retention rate of first-time customers was not great due to poor response times. The scheduling system was outdated, and no inventory management system existed. A competitor opened their doors in the same zip code just down the road. Employees highlighted a few key pieces of equipment that were nearing their end-life and would need to be replaced. 

The business owner took a proactive approach. She gathered her team and worked to prioritize the most pressing issues. Then, she came up with a plan of action for each. She prioritized these issues and broke them down into executable chunks, allowing her to quickly gain feedback on what was working and what was not. Utilizing a project management mindset allowed this owner to settle the waters after taking over her small business. 

A Project Management Approach Allows You To Deliver On Your "Why" 

No matter what industry you are in, a project management approach and mindset allows you to deliver on your "Why", or the reason that you are in business in the first place.

In all three previous examples, a project management mindset allowed a small business owner to turn THEIR dream into a reality. 

For the mobile car detailer — he has loved detailing cars since he was young. He has seen the joy on customers' faces when they receive their vehicle back looking better than new. The expansion of his service to a fleet will allow him to service more customers in pursuit of this mission. 

The creator produces content to help people improve their gameplay. It's a unique approach, but his message resonates — "I was once a beginner, like you. Here are some ways in which you can improve." This business owner connects with hundreds of thousands of individuals. You can see and hear the joy in his face when he is streaming and he is interacting with others, or when he sees a coaching client make progress. That's what lights him up. That's his "Why." 

The owner of the plumbing business wanted to provide exceptional service to customers in their times of need. This came about after she suffered a burst pipe, and could not get a plumber to her home for weeks. That's the reason she entered the construction industry in the first place. That feeling has stuck with her for years and was a driving catalyst in the decision to purchase her small business. 

Project management — and delivering change — does not need to be reserved for the most complex projects, like million-square-foot lab spaces. 

In fact, it's the opposite. 

Project management can be such a powerful skill for EVERY small business owner and their teams. Project management allows you to break down your vision into manageable, bite-sized chunks. It holds you accountable and enables you to get. stuff. done. in service of your "Why."

I am steadfast in my belief that this mindset can work for any small business, in any industry. 

My Goal With Boschetto 

Boschetto is my "why” — to share its transformative power of project management with others. That's what has brought us together here today. 

It's how I feel I can best utilize my skillsets and have the biggest impact. Project management CAN be complicated. But it doesn't have to be. My goal is to arm entrepreneurs and small business owners with the information they need to adopt a project management mindset. In turn, they can break through their toughest problems and deliver real results. 

As mentioned previously, I believe small businesses make the world turn. In a world full of Amazons and Googles, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that 99.9% of firms in the United States are considered small businesses (500 employees or fewer). Entrepreneurs solve some of the world's toughest problems. They create jobs. They transform the world.

How We'll Go About This

Boschetto is a blend of: 

• Teaching

• Coaching

• Facilitating 

I plan to provide project management tools in a variety of ways, ranging from a weekly newsletter to masterclasses, workshops, and problem-solving sessions with your project teams. 

During this project management journey, we'll cover basics like: 

• Different project management types, including predictive project management vs. Agile 

• Defining a project scope and project goals 

• Best practices for project documentation 

I'll also go over things like LEAN project management tools, the soft skills project leaders need to run successful meetings, the need for effective communication, creative problem-solving techniques,  and many other insights. 

My job is not to tell you how to run your business. I'll never be able to do that — you know your company and vision better than I do.  Instead, my job is to put you in the best possible position for success. Projects are like snowflakes, and no two will ever be the same. Project requirements vary. Project complexity varies. Timelines vary. Budgets vary. People vary. 

Each project has a unique need. Successful founders will know what lever to pull, and when to pull it. I hope to diversify your project management skillset so that you have these tools at your disposal when you need them most. 

Let’s Change the World 

Every project we undertake is more than just another task on a to-do list. Each one is a stepping stone toward growth, innovation, and, success. It’s the foundation we build upon to stay competitive, responsive, and agile. Every project, whether big or small, is an opportunity to push our boundaries and set ourselves apart in a marketplace that’s moving faster than ever.

Are you ready to embark on this project management journey together? 

I'm turning 50,000 small business owners into project management champions by 2030. 

I hope you’re one of them. 

Boschetto Consulting. All in, let's go.