Out of the Frying Pan

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fryer

How Dave Younge Applied Restaurant Experience to his Manufacturing Business

Entrepreneurs are born, not made, right? Dave Younge may disagree. According to him, experience, training and preparation make a significant difference in surviving as an entrepreneur. And in our Entrepreneur Close-Up interview, we learned Dave has a lot of experience that has earned him the title of a successful entrepreneur.??

?Dave has worked in several different positions throughout his career. And by successfully applying the skills he has learned in these other areas; he sets himself apart and thrives as a business owner. ??

He is a founding partner of Flex-Ability Concepts (https://www.flexabilityconcepts.com/) and owns and manages Progressive Stamping and Fabrication (https://psi-okc.com/). Dave also volunteers his time with programs designed to develop skills needed in the future workforce.??

In the interview, we learn how starting work on the restaurant floor paved Dave’s way to becoming an entrepreneur and a life filled with ups, downs and unending success. ?

?Preparing for entrepreneurship?

?For Dave, good fortune happened when experience and preparation met a calling. Dave worked in the restaurant business for over 25 years and learned a lot about people and processes through trial and error.???

But even when he reached a plateau, Dave always searched for ways to keep learning and knew experience would lead to opportunities. And an opportunity did call when Dave’s son-in-law Mark asked him to invest in a new product based in the construction industry. Even though this product had never been sold before, Dave said yes, dove into business ownership and became a founding partner of what is now called Flex-Ability Concepts.??

But no matter how much experience and preparation Dave had, he was bound to face significant challenges when starting this new business. Dave, Mark and the three other partners decided to jump off the cliff twice after purchasing the company by choosing not to license the products but manufacture the products themselves. This process took three years and they faced several challenges along the way.??

?“I still remember the first time we had payroll but didn't have any money,” Dave said. I thought we’d be pulling money from our accounts.” I went to the mailbox Wednesday morning, hoping there'd be money in it. Sure enough, there was a check in there, but not enough to cover payroll. Those were anxious moments, and there were lots of those kinds of situations starting out. You just have to take them one step at a time.”??

Continuous learning and improvement?

?While building the business, Dave again used his past work experience to build processes, procedures and the management style. After all, it was Dave’s preparation, experience and education that got him to the business-owner level and passing this on helped build Flex-Ability Concepts into the successful company it is today.??

?This preparation included learning from past mentors and hands-on experience. Dave has always looked for ways to translate his experience into increasing efficiency. This quest for efficiency laid the foundation for Dave’s current role in manufacturing, where the entire game is about continually applying technologies to improve processes and efficiency and leveling up employee performance.??

?Passing it on?

In his current role as owner and manager, Dave commits to building long-term employee value. Dave also believes everyone should get involved and make a habit of improving and endlessly fine-tuning the business.???

However, sometimes unforeseen circumstances can throw preparation and processes out the window. Of course, most businesses struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Flex-Ability Concept was not immune. Customers shut down production and nobody was buying anything from the company. Even the most prepared and experienced person would have a difficult time keeping a business floating, but Dave stuck with it step by step.??

?Getting bigger???

Despite unforseen situations like COVID-19, Dave believes education and experience can prepare you to take on future opportunities and challenges. For Dave, adding Progressive Stamping and Fabrication was the ideal opportunity to put preparation into practice.?

However, acquiring Progressive Stamping and Fabrication came with its own unique set of tests. Negotiations were long and the business’s financials were a bit underwhelming. The team had to decide what moves would make a difference to get the new company back in shape.??

?Again, Dave leaned on his management experience to rally the team and improve the business. Unfortunately, the existing team was overworked and had a hard time keeping commitments. So, Dave and Mark decided to make two big moves: 1) Letting its biggest client go, and 2) training and rewarding employees.??

?Firing your largest customer?

?After analyzing sales data for the new company, Dave realized the business lost money every time it shipped something to its largest customer. So, he decided to fire them. “I have always said being able to fire a client is a luxury,” Dave said.??

?It’s not uncommon to fall prey to customers that cause nothing but problems and disruptions. ?

Most business owners stick with bad customers for too long, nursing them through nightmare situations like not paying on time or having to meet unreailstic expectations. In these cases, it may be worth moving on and directing your energy into a more profitable client.? ?

?“Even though the client was big, it was a monster to deal with, so we made the decision,” Dave said. But by teaming up with the Flex-Ability Concepts business, the new company kept the lines moving and staff employed.?

?Training, rewarding and firing employees??

Dave doesn’t subscribe to the idea of hire slow and fire quickly. Instead, Dave believes he can always find the best in people, including clients and employees. Even in the most chaotic times of starting a business, concentrating on training and managing employees helps spread the workload and turn short-term employees into loyal, long-term ones.?

However, this doesn’t mean you should never fire an employee, even when it is someone you think is your best employee.???

?“Sometimes your key people are tearing your organization apart, but you don't know it because it's hidden from you, and nobody wants to tell you when you're at the top. So, no matter how good an employee is, try to notice what is going on, especially if they are in leadership positions.”?

In the interview, Dave spoke honestly about a personal example of letting what he thought was a great employee go. To learn more, watch the full video.

?“Nobody is ever right all the time.”?

?Training, developing and managing employees is a big issue for most small business owners, but managing the managers can be even more challenging. At one time, Dave worked with five partners, who all had equal oversight. It was great that everyone had the same decision-making power, but this structure inherently created all sorts of sticky situations for the business.???

?Sure, the partners didn’t always come to a consensus about every opportunity or challenge. So, the company may have missed opportunities because not everyone agreed, but Dave believes they also may have missed making mistakes if they went forward with a decision not everyone was on board with.???

?“I've never thought of myself as an entrepreneur”??

?Dave has worked hard throughout his career to do the right thing, even when it's difficult. While he stayed focused on living out his principles, he may not have noticed that he was in fact an entrepreneur.??

Many told him he wouldn’t survive in the business world if he stuck to some of the principles he holds dear. But sticking to his values gave him great comfort in who he is and where he stands in his career.??

?Dave’s preparation, experience, opportunities and guiding principles are reasons why he’s steered clear of imposter syndrome, or the sinking feeling that most people get when you don’t believe in your abilities and sooner or later, people will discover you don’t have all the answers.??

“It all goes back to my faith, and that’s what drives me,” Dave says. I know there are lots of things I could have done better, but I also know that I'm always trying to do better, and that's what's more important—you never arrive.”?

?Bottom line: Stay humble, knowing that you’ve done lots of successful things, but there is always room for improvement.???

Passing it on to the next generation?

?As mentioned, Dave is constantly learning, and he is a big believer in training and preparing the workforce’s next generation. As a committee member at the Oklahoma Manufacturer Alliance, Dave helped develop the Workforce Pathways program. The program maps a person’s progression through the necessary skills, competencies and education/training in key manufacturing (https://www.okalliance.com/workforce/career-pathways/).?

To learn more about why Dave got involved with the Workforce Pathways program and how he’s integrated the program into the company's training program, view the full interview.

?Advice for future entrepreneurs?

?Experience, training and preparation are keys to jumping into and surviving as an entrepreneur. And as we’ve learned from Dave Younge, the path to entrepreneurship takes dedication to constant improvement and standing up for your values. ?

Please feel free to comment or share your experience here. We'd love to hear from you. ?