The Six Box Organizational Model for Small Business: Escanaba Polo Mallet Co. Example

Businesses thrive when they continuously seek new levels of organizational performance. Learning organizations adapt and those that are dying fail to adapt. Escanaba Polo Mallet Co is a new start up so we have lots of learning to do. Sometimes we can make decisions on the cuff and other times we need a model to help us formalize options. Marvin Weisbord (1976 p431) combines "bits of data, theories, research, and hunches into a working tool that anyone can use.". Below you will find the 6 boxes for formulating a conception of a business and where it can improve. 

1. Purpose: What business are you in? (Mallets and possible future polo gear)

2. Structure: How to divide up roles and responsibilities. (We are small so roles are multifaceted)

3. Rewards: Do activities have incentives. (Incentives are based on performance of the business.)

4. Helpful mechanisms: Are there adequate coordinating technologies (Process of scaling with technologies.)

5. Relationships: How the organization handles conflict. (Easy return policies and active constructive dialogue. Support our products with exceptional customer service)

6. Leadership: Does someone keep the other boxes in balance? (Yes...small business ownership means many hats)

The model does well simplifying/oversimplify) and considering the wider factors in organizational management. It is provides an opportunity to view the organization from different perspectives to highlight potential issues and determine whether a strategy is being effectively executed. Business is a process of consistent improvement and having models such as this can help in formulating a proper review. You can gain some more insight at Guide to Weisbord’s 6 Box Model

As a start-up we are small so many of the roles will be multifaceted. However, as an organization grows and creates specific roles there will be increasing complexity to these boxes. They aren't able to be answered among a few people and will lean more into formal analysis (or at least as formal as possible.) Using this as a guide as we grow helps to ensure we are thinking through the many options and having a balance approach.

"Weisbord, M. R. 1976. Organizational diagnosis: Six places to look for trouble with or without a theory. Group & Organization Studies 1(4):430–47."

Small Business Success is Self-Confidence: Escanaba Polo Mallet Co.

Small Town America Needs Confidence
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Confidence counts for a lot in our lives and is substantial to the success of a small business that must continuously overcome challenges. Overconfidence creates undue risk while confidence assesses new information to make accurate assessments of success (or failure). Without confidence you are unlikely to start a business or succeed through the positive and negative aspects of society to maintain your business. Your personality and your business are often intertwined during the initial stages and your belief in yourself is key to longevity.

One way to improve on confidence is to think about the different possibilities and the truer likelihood of success or failure within the market. If you aren't sure you certainly can take a blind leap of faith but it is often better to try and find opportunities to narrow those gaps of missing information. That isn't always easy when you lack the self-belief to start walking down the path to success. 

I read an article in Forbes by Caroline Castrillon entitled This Is The Secret Ingredient For Small Business Success that discusses the nature of confidence. I stole their APA Dictionary of Psychology of underconfidence as, “a cognitive bias characterized by an underestimation of one’s ability to perform a task successfully or by an underrating of one’s performance relative to that of others.” (Its a very informative article so I suggest you read it.)

What we find is that underconfidence, just like overconfidence can impact our decisions and in turn our outcomes. They may often seem subtle but add up in profound ways over the many series of choices we must make. While underconfidence leads to certain outcomes we can sometimes overcome those difficulties as we weigh and balance options. Consider the following...

1.) Look for information before making major decisions.

2.) Listen to your inner self and match that with logical analysis.

3.) Be open to different possibilities and outcomes. 

4.) Stay in touch with industry changes and pay attention to what others are doing.

5. Bounce ideas off of others (Get a consultant if you don't have someone to bounce)

6. Recognize that business is a process and failures often lead to success. Just keep working on it!

Escanaba Polo Mallet Co. started as a hobby and slowly has continued to grow and enhance its abilities. This was not a business that one needed to live off of and thus it was possible to take the time to build and enhance it. It is just in the launching start-up stage but has a fairly solid grasp of its processes, method and future options. Each problem was an opportunity to learn and share and not an insurmountable obstacle. 

Small Business and Effective Websites: Our Website is Like A C+

Websites are the modern business calling card and are essential for staying competitive in an e-commerce arena. People adjust within the first few seconds and will either stay or leave/”bounce” depending on how they view that site. In today’s world websites are more than just convenience they are essential to modern business. Core elements of strong design are often related to proper navigation, purpose, easy of use, and other important concepts. The key purpose is related to attracting and motivating visitors to take some action such as a purchase.

Looking at the study A Literature Review: Website Design and User Engagement we find there are essential elements to strong website designs. The authors reviewed significant literature to compile what they found.

• navigation (62.86%), 
• graphical representation (60%), 
• organization (42.86%), 
• content utility (37.14%), 
• purpose (31.43%), 
• simplicity (31.43%), and 
• readability (31.43%).

As you design your website consider the differences between that which works and that which isn't going to work. The website becomes increasingly important for consumers. It should stand out and be easy to use. When people are browsing information they only take a few seconds to look before deciding what their next action is. 

When I look at Escanaba Polo Mallet companies website/blog I realize that we are just "ok" (like a C+). There is some where that can be done to create more dynamic content, display and activities. That would require an upping of the game of creativity and really taking time to improve the site. So what you can take from this is if you have a small business you can consider thinking about these elements and keep them in mind. Don't try and be the best website but try and be the most effective website.

Garett, E, et. al. (2016). A Literature Review: Website Design and User Engagement . Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 6 (3). Retrieved https://www.ojcmt.net/download/a-literature-review-website-design-and-user-engagement.pdf 

"His neigh is like the bidding of a monarch"-Shakespeare's Horse Quote-Polo

 

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9 Simple Yoga Positions for Equestrian Riders and Polo Players

Horse riding has an impact on our bodies. If you haven't ridden for a while people often feel soreness in the upper and lower backs, legs and seat. If you play polo you will often find your legs and shoulders getting sore. There are a few movements that can be helpful in prepping the body before riding or stretching out after. Practice some of these moves below and help prepare yourself for horse riding recovery and maintenance. 

If your interested in virtual fitness training send me a message. I have fitness trainer, yoga and self defense certifications and do training as a hobby to help keep myself motivated to meet my own fitness goals. Nothing better then to be involved in the field. Limited space and availability. Email Fitness Training

In-Depth Swing Fundamental: Independent Rein Hand by Julio Arellano (Video)

Content is important for websites because it creates a source of knowledge for the polo community. In this case, we want to develop a polo community and have our visitors/customers be as interactive as possible. Not only does this relate to lifestyle marketing but it also provides an avenue for new learners to improve their skill and find a place to return for additional polo information. A polo rider sent us this great instruction video by Julio Arellano. Start with the basics such as hand position and swing.

If you have any interesting polo videos please share them with us for our community of readers. Email Escanaba Polo Mallet Co.

Equestrian Market Analysis: Horse and Polo Example

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One of the ways in which businesses can better understand their market is through conducting market researcher and analyzing available market data. It takes some time to find all of the reports that would be of benefit to a start-up manufacturer like Escanaba Polo Mallet Company. In most cases you are going to rely on existing market research reports if they are available.

You can read a 2019 report entitled 'Equestrian Market Analysis' that presents market research information the equestrian market in the U.S. Reports such as this would be a great place to start to understand the basics of horse riders (The polo market is going to be much smaller.)

A few key points from the report:

- $102 billion equestrian market.
-The American Horse Council Foundation states there are 9.2 million horses in the US, with 3.91 million used for recreation, 2.72 million for showing, and 840,000 for racing.
-The global equine equipment market is $1.9 billion.
-Online purchases are expected to grow 4.7%.
-The average horse owner is 38-45 years old, female, and married.
-Horse owners tend to be impulse buyers.
-Horse owners spend and average of 22 hours a week with their horses.
-The largest group of horse owners, 45%, are from the middle class with an annual income of $25,000-$75,000.

This provides a fairly solid general broad environmental look at the equestrian market. To find specific data into the polo market would be more difficult. Some of the findings above would be narrowed and changed. Sometimes you can find strong studies that give you what you want while other times you may need to conduct a unique study. Time and expertise are important when considering the type of information you need.

If you have a business you will want to look at industry reports and collect them. Read through them and pull out the pieces that are helpful. If you want to get into significant detail you can categorize the industry reports for comparison (i.e. a metanalysis) and look into the measurements and data drawing process to determine precisely how they are coming up with the information and in turn what they are measuring. Most small businesses will never go into this level.

Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is a good works start up making quality polo mallets and helping entrepreneurs learn how to launch and start a small business. We donate a large percentage of our profits to charities such as orphans, horse rescue, gifted children, and much more. We aren't just a mallet company but also community builders! https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/

Stephanie M. & Lisa, B. (20019). Equestrian Market Analysis. Wonder. Retrieved 03/18/22 https://askwonder.com/research/customer-demographics-equestrian-market-analysis-tak49bl94