Meet Taryn Davis | Strategist & Process Consultant for Small Business

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taryn Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taryn, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
SPEAK OFTEN OF YOUR JOYS.

A WELL-UNDERSTOOD PROBLEM IS HALF-SOLVED.

SIMPLICITY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF SOPHISTICATION.

These three ideas drive everything I do! The first one reminds me that the things that delight and give joy are the things worth investing in. In relation to my business, lifting burdens from people so they can love their businesses again brings me so much joy. It also helps me to keep my eyes on what matters: slogs can be necessary at certain points in life, but there is no reason to slog if you really don’t have to. Sharing your joys with those around you is a surefire way to keep them front and center so you can actually be joyful as you go about your life.

As humans we have a tendency to rush into solution-finding before we really even know what the problem is! This quote from Kettering or Deming (the jury is out on who said it first) serves as a critical reminder that if you’re facing a problem, whatever work you invest in understanding it before attempting to solve it will help you arrive at the best solution. Not only that, but understanding the problem actually saves you time in the long run.

Finally, this third quote comes from The Shingo Model for Operational Excellence, which is one of the single most inspiring documents I’ve read regarding business, continuous improvement, and alignment. This idea that sophistication does not come from how over-complicated you can make something but rather the simplicity of its form and function is critical in the work I do. I believe simplicity also lends itself to joy.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I work with small businesses to figure out what is in the way of scaling in a sustainable way. The focus is first on strategy, then where we can build in processes and internal infrastructure to support the overarching goals of the business. Usually people come to me when their business has grown but they can see that what they’re doing is not going to scale well. This realization can arise through a sense of panic, feeling overwhelmed, seeing opportunities but not having the bandwidth or structure to capitalize on them. This is where the processes come in – when you start your business, you don’t really know where it’s going to go, so processes are few and far between. But as you grow, processes and infrastructure are what allow the business to scale in a stable and sustainable way.

I started this business because after working in several small business environments (including food manufacturing, where I was exposed to Lean and Continuous Improvement). I found that all the businesses I worked in suffered from the same type of problem: getting so far only to have the weight of the business as it grew overtax the foundational structure. I wondered, what might small business do if you could embed CI concepts in at the foundation of the business? How might these ideas change the trajectory and ease some of the pain faced by people in these environments? Small business typically does not have access to these concepts, and I wanted to see what kind of difference I could make by bringing them to this niche.

I love seeing a business that was once struggling to keep up with growth now being poised to take on new growth without strain. I love seeing small business use strategy and process in tandem to create an environment for people to thrive in their work. I love making work workable for people! There is so much creativity and possibility in small business, and the best part of my work is clearing away the mess and the noise for unhindered potential to be realized.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the mountains, so I would probably take them there. We’d drive down to Telluride and then work our way back up north through all the fun mountain towns. I’m not very good at camping so I probably would not force them to rough it, but we would climb some mountains. Probably I would make them hike with me everyday. Poor friend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not have had the courage to start my business had it not been for conversations with my library school professor, Kim Dority. As I was trying to figure out what to do with a job that was sucking me dry in literally every way possible, discussing that reality, my observations, and the skills I’d developed was what really put the glimmer in my eye that there was potential to do something different. She encouraged me, asked good questions, provided direction for research, and told me I was more than capable for what I had in mind.

My parents are entrepreneurs and growing up in the throes of their business allowed me to see that it was possible to do. Without them, I don’t know that it would have been in my mind to start a business. My mom has been a constant source of encouragement and has provided great insight as I got going. My sisters have also been great supports – in turn reminding me that what I have to offer is really valuable and that what I bring to a space is needed for the time we’re in.

My friend and fellow entrepreneur Debbie Clapper (gneural) has been an incredible sounding board and compatriot. She started her business long before me and has offered her wisdom, experience, and ideas. It’s been such a blessing to learn from and alongside her.

As far as resources, I love the Shingo Model for Operational Excellence. Tribal Leadership changed my life – my bachelors is in Linguistics, and this book examines how groups (particularly in business) are impacted by language resulting in positive or negative movement. Lean Manufacturing Simplified is a great resource for getting into the dirt of Lean if you’re just getting introduced to it. All of the opportunities I’ve had to speak and teach at the Colorado Lean Network, the CI Conference, and local workshops have been instrumental in providing me with a real time understanding of the challenges people are facing in their businesses.

Website: www.tbd-strategies.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taryndavistbdstrategies/