346. Be crystal clear on words, impact, practical next steps, and security

Understanding the nuances of business terminology can be more critical than one might imagine, especially when words like "redacted" can spark unnecessary panic. Picture this: a miscommunication about document edits between myself and the GM had me envisioning blacked-out contracts, akin to scenes from a spy thriller. In this episode, I recount the importance of ultra-clear communication, the process of transitioning sensitive documents from physical storage to a secure digital platform, and the lessons learned in handling these delicate situations. By prioritizing secure file management, I've discovered how integral it is to maintain clarity, ultimately benefiting both operations and peace of mind.

Navigating the complexities of winding down a business while honoring commitments to employees presents its own set of challenges. As the GM prepares to transition out, I'm faced with financial constraints and the daunting task of balancing payroll and severance for my team. Despite the pressures, my focus remains on reducing liability and expenses, even if it means making tough decisions that offer no immediate value. This candid conversation reflects the emotional and practical realities of these transitions, as I strive to keep the business ethical and operational during these turbulent times. Join me on this journey as we tackle these hurdles with determination and a commitment to integrity.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:32

Alright. Well, it turned out to be a lot better. Long story short oh shoot, I forgot to do something. But anyhow, long story short. Some the wording that myself and the GM were using were different words, and so I thought stuff was getting erased that was necessary for gym operations. But it turned out it was just more edited from an old version to a more recent version and so it wasn't so bad.

Speaker 1: 1:02

But I picked up the sensitive files and I'm now going to get them uploaded to our secure portal and not let them standard locking key. So ideally they should be in a crm, they should be in a CRM, they should be in a remote spot, and it's the stuff that just needs to get done. And then you can't just panic because it's not going to benefit anyone. So, uh, got files picked up, now we're going to drive those home. Uh, cross off, the sensitive information does not need to be stored and then upload those to our platform. And then I shred the documents. So that's the plan and I'm learning. I need to have like ultra-clear communication.

Speaker 1: 1:46

So, like, the word was like redacted. So he's like hey, like man, the contracts have been redacted. Like what do you mean redacted? He's like well, you can see like the font is different. So, like what do you mean redacted? It's like well, you can see like the font is different. So when he said that, what I should have done is said okay, the font is different from one paragraph to the next paragraph. When I hear redacted, I'm imagining like someone printed off a piece of paper, a giant black sharpie in their hand, and then they're crossing off lines on the papers, kind of like on the history channel or like on cI Miami or whatever like. Is that what you mean? Like did someone write a marker on a piece of paper? Or you said the font is different, did they change the document before they hit print? And I should have done that and I didn't do that as ultra clearly as I should have. And so, uh, all of my, my alarm bells were overstated.

Speaker 1: 2:35

We're in a very good spot and now we're just going to follow through and get things secured and locked down and not stored physically locally, because having them physically on hand is just a hassle. It doesn't benefit the business. So I'm just tired man. It's tough because in the moment when I'm working on this stuff in my head I know that the business needs to wind down. I know it can't stay open and it sucks because I need to pretend it does. But why do I need to do that? I feel like it's my duty as an owner to keep the place open through the rest of the year.

Speaker 1: 3:16

I don't have the cash to pay rent. I don't have the cash to pay the SBA loan. I have the cash to pay payroll. I have a duty to my employees. It's just tough. I don't quite know how to do things well, so all I can do is take care of files, reduce liability, reduce expenses and while my GM is wrapping up, he's gonna have um like severance, while I have my interim manager come in. So I'm gonna be like paying extra for payroll, which is a bummer because it's no value gained from all this stuff. So that's kind of annoying, but anyhow, just going to call it good here. So that's where we're going. Let's rock and roll.