Onward Business Mechanics

03/03/2026

It's the most mining-ful time of the year.

07/23/2024

Honoured to be instructing a workshop for small business owners -- today in collaboration with .inc "Saving your restaurant time and money "

06/28/2024

Make sure improvement isn't an island //

When your improvement people are delivering great results, leaders need to make sure their success is captured by their regular business processes.

For a few examples:

The budget cycle needs to integrate with their completed projects and reflect their wins.

The path to a promotion needs to include an improvement role.

Foundational company people processes like onboarding and training need to mention and normalize improvement, AND show up in the way people make decisions and interact with each other everyday.

When improvement is part of the day-to-day reality of how you do business, you're getting the best out of your investment, encouraging learning, growth, and a positive company culture.

Integrating it into core processes is a great way to start!

06/10/2024

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06/10/2024

I'm SUPER excited to be hosting a two-day virtual event featuring women-owned business leaders serving the mining industry -- this week in fact, Wed June 12 and Thurs June 13, and the attendance is going to be record-breaking!

It wasn't too long ago that cofounders Heather Gamble and Laura Mottola heard incredulous responses to their idea that women could lead the transformation that mining so badly needed.

"What would they do, the catering?" is a memorable example of the skepticism that abided early on, even from mining leaders that were supposedly progressive thinkers!

Now, six short years later, the Artemis Project has supported dozens of women entrepreneurs to turn their dreams of running a business that achieves both financial AND purpose-driven success into reality.

Artemis member businesses have collectively done millions of dollars worth of deals AND (even better) have helped their mining clients run safer, more efficient, more sustainable operations!

It's so exciting to see what has been accomplished already. The winds of change have been blowing in mining, and not a moment too soon!

Thanks to tailor-made solutions across Operations, ESG, Communications, HR, and more, our mining sponsors are thriving and leading the way to record-breaking transformation and great operational results.

Thanks to the support of many allies and advocates within our sponsor organizations, there are now so many success stories and inspiring examples of women leading the way in this traditionally male-dominated industry.

Come join me as I host a virtual conversation with 13 Artemis members, all outstanding entrepreneurs and distinguished thought leaders in their respective areas, about "Moving Mining Into the Future with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship". We'll be talking about how they got started, the impact they are proud to have, and what trends, opportunities, and incoming changes they see coming next for mining.

It will be a celebration and an insight-laden conversation about how far we have come, and where we will go next! Just in time for the observance of the International Day of Women in Mining (observed Saturday June 15th).

It's free to attend and the link to register is here: Please come join us if you can! https://www.linkedin.com/events/7188981905940275201/comments/

06/10/2024

This month, I'm excited to be revisiting my small-town Ontario roots and putting on a live in-person seminar to present some of my process improvement knowledge adapted for small businesses!

If you're running a food service business around Grey County, come join me for an informative and interactive afternoon in Hanover on Monday June 17th.

It's always my goal to deliver outstanding value and leave you with multiple ideas you can implement right away to save you time, money, and energy. More dets and registration information below, in partnership with Horizon Quest Inc.

Join Erica for an interactive 2-hour in-person seminar covering the basics of business improvement: the same techniques she has used to save multi-national corporations hundreds of millions of dollars, adapted [...]

12/08/2023

Bring back the E N E R G Y // When you get your employees involved in improving the processes in your workplace, they get curious. They get interested. They get inspired.

(Ask me how I know? This was one of the formative experiences of my early engineering career, and my first improvement project I felt something click into place.)

Now I help re-energize improvement teams to get their projects back on track. A few simple tweaks are all often all it takes.

12/06/2023

I N V E S T in your people //

Of all the things you can spend money on in your business, people alone are the ones that can generate ongoing value.

That's why we emphasize building 'engines of innovation' by building up the skills of the people who know your business best -- the ones already working in it!

Here's an example of a team of frontline leaders we trained. The results (after our six-month program that combines training and coaching) surpassed their expectations.

Every. Single. Participant. identified and captured an operational improvement!

A powerful example of how quickly investing in your people can generate REAL value.

12/04/2023

Harmonizing Business Success: The Balance Between Individual and Collective Goals

🎯 Every department in a business has its definition of success.

Quality, maintenance, production, and design each aim for distinct milestones.

But while individual success is crucial, we must also understand how these pieces fit together. Let's advocate for a harmonized approach to achieving business-wide triumphs! 🌐💡

Want a comprehensive strategy for integrated success? Reach out now!

12/01/2023

💡 While problem-solving is a celebrated skill, let's shine a light on the unsung hero: "problem identifying."

Properly framing your problem can set you on the right path to success. The groundwork we lay with our Kaizen Charter is testament to that!

Ready to master the art of problem identification?