The Operations Tune-Up: Applying Lean Thinking to Small-Scale Production

How to Reduce Waste, Fix Bottlenecks, and Strengthen Operations for Growth As a business grows, the way work gets done day to day often becomes the limiting factor. Orders increase, volume changes, and small inefficiencies that were manageable before begin to add up. Most owners feel this immediately, even if they haven’t taken time to step back and look at it directly. In this webinar, we take a clear, grounded look at how operations actually work inside a small business. Using lean manufacturing principles adapted for small-scale producers, we focus on understanding how work moves through the business, where it slows down, and where time and effort are being wasted or duplicated as the business grows. Rather than introducing complex systems or expensive tools, this session helps participants see what is already happening in their operations and identify the specific points getting in the way of smoother execution and sustainable growth. We Will Cover: ● The Workflow Check: Seeing how work actually moves through your business from order to fulfillment ● The Bottleneck Review: Identifying where work slows down, piles up, or gets stuck ● The Inefficiency Check: Spotting unnecessary steps, rework, and repeated handling that waste time and energy ● The Capacity Check: Understanding whether your current operations can support growth without added strain You will leave this webinar with a clear method for evaluating your operations, identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and determining what to address next as your business grows. Presented by: Teresa Heger, MSA Small Biz Digital Trainer About Teresa: Teresa’s journey from sales, manufacturing, process improvement, training, executive coaching, and organizational change leadership has brought her here. She has held leadership roles in operations for Herman Miller and managed several Fortune 500 accounts for IBM, in sales and marketing capacity. She lives in Michigan with her husband and has two lovely daughters. Get more free small business resources on Main Street America's Small Business Hub: https://smallbusiness.mainstreet.org/