Simple Things Done Well Can Change Your Business

In a world obsessed with disruption and rapid innovation, it’s easy to forget the power of doing the basics well. But as Oxygen8 Business Consultant Peter Ranyard explains, consistent improvement and a focus on quality are often the real keys to sustainable success.

What We Can Learn from Japanese Quality Models

Peter explores how Japanese concepts like Kaizen (continuous improvement) and Taguchi Methods (measuring the impact of quality variables) offer valuable lessons for New Zealand SMEs.

These principles helped rebuild post-war Japan’s reputation for quality and consistency – and they continue to shape how smart businesses operate today. Applied to your business, they help you:

Deliver consistent service
Identify and eliminate inefficiencies
Improve staff buy-in through process clarity
Track what really matters

You Don’t Have to Be a Manufacturer to Benefit

Even service-based businesses can apply quality thinking:

Is your onboarding repeatable and clear?
Are customer complaints traced back to root causes?
Can your team consistently describe your most important business processes?
Are simple KPIs used to guide performance?

You don’t need complexity – just clarity, discipline, and intent.

Client Story: Westgate Welding

“After 30 years on the tools, I finally feel like we’re running the business instead of the other way around. Alex just gets it – and he’s there when it counts.”
– Craig “Gint” Hedley, Westgate Welding

Craig Hedley has spent over three decades in the trade – but like many seasoned operators, he found that running a business required more than skill on the tools. With Oxygen8’s help, Craig introduced cost monitoring systems, streamlined office workflows, and built up a more structured team.

The results? Better cost tracking, improved profitability, and a clearer growth path. Now with dedicated roles for admin, operations, and workshop management, Westgate Welding is more efficient, more scalable, and ready for its next phase of success.

Meet the consultant: John Molyneux

John is an expert in strategy design and in unleashing behaviours that lead to measurable business growth. He is an experienced advisor who communicates and inspires across all levels – combining creativity with practicality to design strategies that truly make a difference.

With a proven track record in business consulting, John has helped transform regionally focused SMEs into multimillion-dollar enterprises operating nationally and internationally.

Final Thoughts

“What you measure, you can fix. If it isn’t being measured, you may not know the cost.”
Small actions – done well – can transform how your business performs.

Oxygen8 can help you identify those high-impact improvements and implement simple systems that lead to long-term success.