General

1. How can you help my company better manage its growth?

We redefine your company from its basic or core foundation and design key operational systems around that foundation. We ask you to share your company’s vision with us and then we begin transferring that vision to paper, giving you the ability to see your company from the outside in rather than the inside out. By being able to see your business through a new pair of lenses, you will find yourself making better informed decisions that are in alignment with your company vision. The business infrastructure that we develop for your company links your goals, activities, and staff through planned processes and systems.

2. I do not know where to begin - which service should I choose first?

Contact us to schedule a complimentary phone consultation followed by a paid onsite Business Infrastructure Diagnostic. The purpose of this diagnostic is to provide a thorough, investigative analysis of all operational aspects of your company with the intent of developing a replicable business infrastructure to support growth.

  1. We spend half a work day onsite with you and your staff asking questions, observing work flow, taking possible measurements, and reviewing current documented processes, forms, job descriptions, and checklists all to expose possible areas of inefficiency.
  2. Our investigation ends with a comprehensive and preliminary plan of action to support your company’s existing operational tools with a solid business infrastructure. This plan of action also includes the associated investment and timeline in putting this business infrastructure in place.
  3. Based on your availability and budget, we work with you to determine how to proceed forward. Whether you want to do the work in-house, hire us on a monthly retainer, pay per service, or have us act as a resident Efficiency Engineer, we are certain we can come up with a solution that can give you the tools you need to facilitate growth.

3. Is this service similar to a business coaching or business consulting?

No. Unlike business coaches and consultants who tend to analyze your business with a broader perspective; our service solutions are operational and much narrower in scope. We actually work very closely with business coaches and consultants in implementing the operations-related recommendations they make for their clients. Think of a business coach or consultant as a primary care physician and Equilibria as a specialist.

Here's an example highlighting the difference: Let's say you confide in a business coach that your ultimate goal is to work on your business and not in your business. That coach, through a series of observations and tests, may recommend that you free yourself from the day-to-day work by documenting key business processes. While the coach him/herself may not provide that particular service, he/she can refer you to Equilibria since one of our specialties is in creating operations manuals.

4. Do you specialize in Six Sigma for business processes?

No. While we embrace the concept of Six Sigma in fine-tuning/re-engineering business processes, our experience tells us that this is an advanced concept for the types of companies that we work with. Six Sigma involves high level quality-based and control-driven business process improvement. The Six Sigma methodology works best for companies that have most of their business processes defined and documented and are seeking ways to further refine those processes.

We, on the other hand, work with small companies that usually do not have any formal documented business processes. We help to jump-start the process of defining, monitoring, and fine-tuning your company's business processes. When your company is ready for the next level of process improvement, we are more than happy to recommend you to Six Sigma specialists that we know.

5. How long does a project usually last?

That depends. If you approach your project on a “per service” basis, then you can expect for your project to last anywhere between 30 - 60 days depending on project scope and your availability. If you approach your project on a “retainer” basis, then the projects can last longer.

6. Do you do the work for me or do I have to do it myself?

Do-It-Yourself options are available if you choose our Business Infrastructure Diagnostic service where we provide detailed recommendations and general guidelines for problem-solving based on our onsite visit and interviews of you and designated staff. Because we specifically work with rapidly growing companies, more than 85% of our clients are small business owners who, due to time constraints and lack of in-house resources, are looking for someone to not only suggest solutions, but implement them as well. Ultimately, you should base your decision on your company's budget, your time constraints, and the level of commitment you have towards implementing the suggested service solution(s).

7. How will I maintain my newly structured company, processes, workspace, and/or records management systems once a     project is complete?

All of our service solutions feature built-in training and maintenance procedures. These procedures (provided to you in our final reports) ensure that you and your staff can maintain all new systems without having to rely on us.
Pricing

1. Do you charge by the hour?

No. Pricing is project-based and varies according to the size and maturity of your company. Only in the event you require additional onsite time or deliverables outside of the proposed scope of work can you expect to be charged by the hour.

2. How much does a typical project cost?

We price projects based on variable factors such as the total number of employees you have and the square footage of your office. Because we do not charge a flat rate for projects, we are able to provide you with the fairest pricing since the cost of your project is based on factors specific to your company. All of our estimates are based on the accuracy of the information that you provide to us.

3. My company has a small budget - are "do-it-yourself" options available?

Yes. The Business Infrastructure Diagnostic is documented such that you can do the work in-house if you choose.

4. How do I pay for your services?

We currently only accept checks as forms of payment.



Client Confidentiality

1. How do you ensure client confidentiality?

We go to great lengths to ensure the confidentiality of each client. The intellectual property we develop for your company is securely stored in either a locked safe or secure network with restricted access and is never shared with anyone outside of our company in a manner that discloses the identity of you or your company, unless we receive written permission from you. Because visual presentations are such an important communications tool for us, we always disguise the name of your company and the nature of your project when presenting case studies and service illustrations.

2. Do you use information from previous clients to work on projects?

Absolutely not. We begin each project for each client with a fresh, grass roots approach - as though it is the first time we have worked with a client in a particular industry. When working with clients, we never share or suggest proprietary practices based on data we have collected from their competition.



Geography

1. Where are you located?

Our company headquarters is in Atlanta, GA.

2. Do you have to be onsite to work with me and my company?

Not necessarily. Our degree of onsite work with you and your company depends on the extent of hands-on work you are seeking. Some clients prefer to see us physically working onsite at their office, whereas others, mostly due to geographic constraints, prefer that we perform most of our work offsite.

3. Do you work with companies outside of the Atlanta, GA area?

Yes. We have the ability to work throughout the United States.

4. What areas of metro Atlanta do you serve?

We can provide onsite services with no additional travel and lodging costs to companies located within the core metro Atlanta region. This includes Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties.