Development Camp

Bear with me while I use the National Hockey League for inspiration.  I follow the Edmonton Oilers and have for over 30 years.  A few years back, they established their very own farm-team in Oklahoma City; as well as paving the way for a junior team to play in Edmonton.  Through that they’ve established a definite system for monitoring and developing the skills of young players.  They used their second round draft pick to select a player from the Edmonton Oil Kings and their Oklahoma head coach is involved in the current-running development camp.  Barring injuries, they can almost predict how many years of junior and American Hockey League play will be required before the next young lad is ready for the NHL.

How many weeks, months or years before you let one of your young prospects behind the diamond counter?  What are the training steps along the way?  What are your key indicators that they are ready to handle walk-in diamond shoppers?

This all goes back to Michael Gerber’s The e-Myth; a book which talks about the myth that because you own a jewellery store you’re an entrepreneur.  A true entrepreneur develops systems within their business so that they can work themselves out of certain functions and hand the plan to someone else.  In this discussion, it means that after you’ve got your jewellery store up and running and you hire a store manager, you can give that manager a set of instructions for hiring and training new staff. 

Few of us have a “Freedom 55” plan (mine is “Freedom 95”) in this business.  This is it.  Systematically develop people to do what you do and then step away.