Why Companies Always Think They Have Less Capacity Than They Really Have

Most business owners are sitting on a shocking amount of hidden profit - and they don't even know it.Tim Van Mieghem, operational excellence expert and author of "Shocking Profit," joins Mike LaVista on The Digital Transformist to break down the three places every business is bleeding money: broken processes, undertrained sales teams, and Excel spreadsheets held together with duct tape.Whether you're planning an exit in 5 years or just want your business to run better (and be more fun), this episode delivers actionable insights you can apply this week.Get Tim's book "Shocking Profit" on Amazon or Barnes & Noble - https://www.amazon.com/Shocking-Profit-Companys-Transformation-Everything-ebook/dp/B0FXBQF1NW. Get Mike's book "Superpowered: 7 Leadership Superpowers Technology Executives Can Use to Grow a More Engaged, Tech-driven and Profitable Organization" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Superpowered-Leadership-Superpowers-Tech-driven-Organization-ebook/dp/B09D9XWWZSCaxy Interactive -- Showing organizations how to play offense with software and AI.https://[email protected]:0:00 - Cold Open: "What it was was..."0:25 - Intro0:39 - Meet Tim Van Mieghem1:15 - Hidden value vs. hidden risk in every business2:11 - Money under the cushions -- where profit hides3:30 - The Beverly Hillbillies moment: discovering value in what you already have4:37 - Why business owners miss their own "shocking profit"5:43 - The customer service trap -- serving vs. optimizing6:56 - Lessons from working across industries (manufacturing, food, retail)8:20 - Dusty inventory and the warehouse problem9:38 - Scrap rates: what food processing teaches every business10:48 - Landing Sam's Club and Costco in the same quarter12:45 - The "grandma's house" effect -- living with problems you can't see13:46 - AI tools and the new opportunity for small businesses15:38 - Why your production floor knows more than your sales team17:01 - The football team analogy -- would you play without a scoreboard?18:01 - Basketball, consistency, and what sports teach us about business19:21 - Dust on inventory = money on the table20:50 - Real estate agents and why salespeople shoot for the bottom of the margin22:45 - 41% of quotes going to customers you never win -- the data problem23:50 - Excel spreadsheets as duct tape: the "win the lotto" test25:20 - When one person's two-week absence becomes everyone's nightmare27:40 - Firefighter heroes -- why workarounds are dangerous29:40 - "What if we train them and they leave?" -- the CEO vs. CFO joke31:10 - Tim's sister turned her business into her hobby32:50 - Shocking Profit: the book and what comes next34:00 - If you're planning an exit, start this conversation now