5

HATTIE: Number 5. Consistent Quality

Small business owners don't have much room for error. It's hard to get the business and it's shortsighted to lose it over lapses in quality. So, by all means, if you want staying power, deliver consistent quality. Texas Nameplate won the Texas Quality Award then went on to be the smallest company ever to win the Malcom Baldrige award.

DALE: The criteria which we have applied with our people is that you don't focus on results. And a lot of people want to jump into results. We look at approach and we looked at your deployment. If you work on the right approach, and you execute that properly, you will get the results.

EMPLOYEE: Everything is supposed to be exact and correct. So, if this isn't correct, I send it back.

HATTIE: So it's checked, double checked. Checked, double checked.

DALE: You will see even in our process of making nameplates, when it gets to the final--to the shipping, we do not have to inspect them. They have to just weigh them because the process, as you said, has been in control. (more)

MIKE NEARY: This will be two story, this is the loft above.

HATTIE: Mike Neary builds custom log homes. Logs are hand-stripped and crafted to specifications drawn on computers. To guarantee near perfection, he assembles each home on his lot first.

MIKE: This is an extremely difficult piece and if there's something out of whack, like 1/8th inch, 1/4 inch, you know you gotta be there.

HATTIE: You don't want strangers cutting on your logs.

MIKE: No, no. We try to eliminate that.