I used to think customer acquisition was the most difficult and challenging aspect of my business. Once I realized customer retention is top priority, it changed my perspective and approach.

Lean, leadership, Kaizen Success Stories, Customer focusAdam LawrenceFebruary 5, 2026Process Improvement Partnersleadership commitment, key performance indicators, Voice of the Customer

Butt Ugly by Friday

Kaizen is messy. It should be so accessible that anyone can do it. So, I use a phrase that I was taught many years ago, to make it okay to try and fail and learn quickly. The phrase? Butt Ugly by Friday!

Customer focus, Innovation, Kaizen Success Stories, LearningAdam LawrenceJanuary 22, 2026Process Improvement Partners LLCKaizen, Lean, Facilitation

Creative Problem Solving Happens at any Age

Problems are everywhere. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and give up, thinking there are more problems than solutions. While it’s true we can’t solve everything—and some things are simply out of our control—my advice is to focus on the problems you can solve and be willing to experiment until you get the results you’re looking for.

Innovation, Kaizen Success Stories, Lean, LearningAdam LawrenceJanuary 8, 2026Process Improvement Partners LLCcreativity, Innovation, Problem Solving

Does Continuous Improvement Have to be Industry Specific?

I often meet people who are interested in the work I do, and sometimes, these conversations turn into future business opportunities. One statement I hear quite frequently goes something like this: “I see you’ve made great strides working with manufacturers in [insert industry here]. But we’re different, so I want to know what experience you have in my industry.”

Customer focus, Kaizen Success Stories, Lean, Operations, ServicesAdam LawrenceDecember 25, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCCustomer Focus, Industry, continuous improvement

Hope is a Precious Commodity

Once the workers in Mississippi saw how quickly the reliability techniques made their line safer and more efficient, they became unstoppable.

Kaizen Success Stories, Customer focus, Lean, Operations, ServicesAdam LawrenceDecember 11, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCreliability, Voice of the Customer, Safety, Kaizen

Know Your Niche

You can't be all things to all people. Once I narrowed my focus, I changed my approach and helped the most people.

Customer focus, Kaizen Success Stories, leadership, ServicesAdam LawrenceNovember 27, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCCustomer Focus, Voice of the Customer, communication, leadership commitment

Working Like a Business Owner

The hourly operator knew more about the science of board drying than anyone on the benchmarking team. This ownership correlated to the best running factory in our company.

Customer focus, Kaizen Success Stories, leadership, Learning, OperationsAdam LawrenceNovember 13, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCOwnership, Voice of the Customer, Benchmarking, leadership commitment

Simpler is Safer, Lighter, and Better

With focused questioning, we were able to eliminate a process that was challenging, dusty, and unsafe. And, we saved the plant over a million dollars.

Customer focus, Innovation, Kaizen Success Stories, Operations, ServicesAdam LawrenceOctober 30, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCHealth and safety, Quality, Cost reduction, Simplification, Root cause analysis

The Birth and Quiet Death of Definitions

We created a beautiful, highly complicated product that no one bought. In the end, it led to many great innovations.

Customer focus, Kaizen Success Stories, leadership, Learning, OperationsAdam LawrenceOctober 16, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCVoice of the Customer, Innovation, Leadership commitment

A Brilliant Invention

We were losing some of the most expensive veneer due to defects in the sheets. Jack had an idea and when he figured out how to solve the problem, he changed the furniture industry.

Kaizen Success Stories, Innovation, Customer focusAdam LawrenceSeptember 1, 2025Process Improvement Partners LLCInnovation, Voice of the Customer, Invention