How we recovered 12,400 PLN per month in a small workshop
A car workshop near Rzeszów was making money, but the owner didn't see the cash in the account. We analyzed 187 invoices from three months and found a hole through which cash was escaping. It turned out the problem wasn't the mechanics, but the couriers arriving 14 times a day.
Messy invoices and an empty account
The workshop owner, Mr. Andrzej, employs 6 mechanics at a facility on the route to Łańcut. There was plenty of work, appointments booked 3 weeks in advance, and yet every month there was a shortage for timely salary payments. Resources on the table – that's how we started our cooperation in October 2023. The first step was to review binders with documents from the entire quarter. Numbers don't lie: the workshop was paying for every single shipment from the wholesaler, even though they could combine them.
Scanning the competitor's terrain showed that other services in the Rzeszów area have better terms with suppliers because they order less frequently but more specifically. Chaos reigned at Mr. Andrzej's. As soon as a mechanic took off a wheel and noticed a worn pad, they immediately called for a delivery. A courier appeared at the gate on average every 42 minutes. Each such arrival was a disruption of the work rhythm and 3.2 minutes spent on package collection by an employee, which with 14 deliveries a day resulted in almost an hour of downtime for the entire team.
Report in 11 days and a shift in front
We acted fast. Our Report in 11 days pointed out in black and white that transport costs and lost mechanics' work time cost the company 8,600 PLN per month. The remaining 3,800 PLN was escaping in discounts that the wholesaler did not apply because the orders were too small. Straight talk, no fluff: we proposed a total block on ad-hoc orders in favor of two logistics windows. This required mechanics to perform more thorough diagnostics right at the start of work with a car.
We introduced a rule that parts for the afternoon are ordered by 9:15 AM, and those for the next morning by 5:45 PM. Honestly, there was resistance at first. Mechanics complained they had to plan work in advance. However, after the first week, they noticed they didn't have to keep running to the gate. Peace in the hall translated into faster completion of orders. In December 2023, the workshop serviced 14 more cars than in November, with the same staff composition.
Numbers don't lie: a courier appearing 14 times a day is a margin killer in a small service center.
Three habits that saved liquidity
The change did not require purchasing expensive software. We focused on 3 simple habits of the owner. First: daily check of the stock of basic fluids at 5:30 PM. Second: collective approval of the shopping list once a day, instead of 15 calls to the wholesaler. Third: rigorous verification of parts consistency during a single morning delivery. This allowed for avoiding mistakes that previously only came to light halfway through assembly.
The recovery process took us exactly 14 business days. We didn't play around with redundant analyses; we implemented a concrete mobilization plan. The result? In January 2024, Mr. Andrzej recorded a profit 12,400 PLN higher compared to the average of the previous year. Cash stopped leaking through his fingers, and the workshop finally started earning for its development, not just for the couriers' fuel. It was tough at times implementing discipline, but the financial result silenced all skeptics.
Concrete conclusions for small companies
This story shows that small companies often lose the most on details that no one calculates. If you run a workshop or a small production, check how many times a day someone interrupts work to receive goods. Often, a change in schedule is enough to recover several thousand zlotys without raising prices for customers. We don't promise miracles; we bring resources to the table and show where your money lies. Every downtime is a specific amount that disappears from your wallet.
If you feel your business is stagnant despite a high volume of orders, you probably have the same problem as Mr. Andrzej's workshop. Scanning the competitor's terrain and auditing your own processes is the fastest way out of a crisis. At Growth Headquarters, we deal with exactly such cases. We don't write thick strategies for the drawer. We provide a concrete plan that you can start implementing tomorrow morning. Facts and the bank balance at the end of the month are what count.
Recovering 12,400 PLN per month took 14 days of working on habits. Without investment in equipment.
