Taylor Keaten is a Principal at Launch Partners Consulting.
For early stage and startup companies, the initial hurdles of production are often the most challenging to overcome. You've likely spent time solving problems just to get your product to market—developing processes, troubleshooting issues, and making do with limited resources. But once you've tackled those early obstacles and achieved some level of stability, the next question becomes: How do you grow from here?
Embracing change at this point in growth is counterintuitive. You have gotten as far as you have with tools that you built, but if you keep applying them the same way you are sure to cause troubles for yourself as the business grows. Now is when you need to shift your focus from simply getting by to building a foundation for sustainable growth. The good news is that growth doesn’t have to mean huge capital projects or complete do-overs. Often, the biggest wins come from small, strategic changes that challenge your existing practices and unlock new efficiencies. The journey to operational efficiency is all about identifying these opportunities and turning them into real, measurable gains for your business.
Take a hard look at how things are done now and ask questions. You might have good reasons for setting up your product and processes the way you did, but growth means thinking differently. What parts of your product make it special? What steps in your process are absolutely necessary? How can you keep those important elements while improving everything else to build a stronger business?
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to start making these changes. Many great opportunities can be implemented with little cost and can still make a big difference. Start with simple changes that give you the best results for your effort. Once you’ve tackled these easy wins, you’ll be in a better position to make the most out of bigger investments later. The key is to start small, keep asking questions, and act on what you learn.
Building momentum
One of my favorite examples involves a recent client who asked for a manufacturing site assessment. Before we could even schedule the assessment, the client made remarkable progress. By addressing one small step in their process, they connected their filling line to their labeling line, which immediately boosted daily throughput by 50%. After discussing another minor adjustment, they were on track to achieve a 100% improvement in production compared to their initial benchmark.
It’s not uncommon for clients at this stage to be implementing projects that return within weeks or months. Leave the long ROI effort for down the road when you have more capital and structure to execute them. For start-up-scale businesses, small changes can yield outsized impacts. At this stage, adjustments can happen quickly, and their effects are felt immediately by the team and the business. In contrast, larger, more complex systems often see gains of only 5%-10%, requiring significant investment and disruption—sometimes after enduring challenging times.
The impact of these changes is transformative. Doubling production capacity can lead to fulfilling more orders, capturing more revenue, and boosting team morale. These incremental wins build momentum. After a series of these changes, the entire team begins searching for the next unlock, allowing them to achieve more with less complexity, effort, and time. Minimal capital investment is required, yet production of quality goods increases significantly, and the team becomes more engaged in understanding the "why" behind every decision. When it’s time to purchase larger equipment, they’re already operating at a much higher level, ready to fully utilize increased capacity and make the most of the capital dollars invested for growth.
Continuous improvement is a journey and one that starts with some basic steps
First, educate yourself on manufacturing best practices and immerse yourself in foundational concepts that drive operational excellence. Start by familiarizing yourself with the key terms and methodologies within the industry—the ones that will help you identify and tackle inefficiencies with confidence. There’s no shortage of material available, so I won’t bog you down with a long list of reading recommendations, but if terms like single-piece flow, bottlenecks, and the theory of constraints aren’t already part of your vocabulary, it’s time to change that. Dive into books, articles, or even online courses—whatever suits your learning style.
I know this can seem intimidating, and it’s true that some experts frame these ideas as complex or inaccessible. But trust me, they’re not. These principles are practical, actionable, and grounded in logic. Take what you’ve learned and apply it immediately, even in small ways. Learning is essential, but action is where you’ll see real results and retain the learning you have worked hard to develop.
Second, put your entire value chain on the table and evaluate each step by asking a series of critical questions. Can this step be eliminated entirely without compromising the overall process or product quality? If it can’t be removed, can it be simplified or streamlined to increase speed, reduce inputs, or cut unnecessary costs? Are there any redundant steps or inefficiencies that could be addressed with minimal disruption? Ensure you don't constrain yourself to what happens within your four walls. What about your material suppliers? Can they provide you with a better product that will improve your production or costs? Don't forget your packaging suppliers! By systematically questioning every part of the value chain, you can uncover hidden opportunities for improvement and set the stage for smoother operations and greater efficiency.
Third, chase bottlenecks. Start by ensuring that your processes are connected. While artisanal batch production can work well in the early stages, sustainable growth often requires transitioning to an integrated production process that includes each discrete unit operation for your product. By connecting processes early, inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement become more visible. Ask yourself: Where is material stacking up in your workflow? What specific steps are causing delays or interruptions? How can you either improve the capacity of the bottleneck or eliminate it altogether? Taking action on these insights is crucial. Once you resolve one bottleneck, another will inevitably surface, providing you with a continual pathway for improvement and optimization. By addressing each bottleneck systematically, you’ll create a more efficient, streamlined production system over time. Once you've addressed a handful of these you will reflect on your overall productivity and see tremendous growth.
The journey to automation and optimization doesn’t have to be daunting. Real impact often comes from a series of small, thoughtful changes. When you approach these challenges with curiosity and a willingness to challenge assumptions, the returns—in efficiency, growth, and team engagement—can be remarkable. By educating yourself and implementing these changes, you will simplify your day-to-day operations, significantly increase production capacity, and build a solid foundation for your business.
