There is an old saying, “Measure twice, cut once”. This is commonly said in the carpentry business. All it means is that you should double-check all of your measurements before you cut something. If you don’t then, you may have to make more cuts or have to get a new piece of wood. This means that you have to spend more time, money, and resources.
The saying can be used also in the business world, usually, management. This article is to help explain the meaning and why it works well in the business world.
What Does It Mean?
To you, it may seem that the saying would be just for carpentry. So how does it relate to your business, let alone management?
“Measure twice, cut once” in management really just means that you need to plan very carefully before taking direct action. In easier terms, think before you act. If you don’t take the necessary time on certain things, then you will find yourself wasting time and money.
Can It Be Used in Other Areas?
You may wonder how this can benefit or relate to you if you are not in a manager position. Well, the good news is that “measure twice, cut once” can really be used for anything!
For instance, marketing can be a great way to use the term. A small business often gets to a point where there seem to be so many choices, but little time to work with all of your options. For many, it is simple to just take whatever is the big thing that everyone uses in marketing.
However, that does not matter. In fact, you can pick whatever marketing you want. But, you need to care about how it affects the business. That is how “measure twice, cut once” comes into play. The measuring would refer to your sales and how your marketing affects them.
When it comes to marketing, do the research. You need to find:
- What your sales are
- What is the competition’s marketing like
- Assess the marketing both digital and real world.
- and more
Then, you can use your experience with marketing or you can get a general feel of what you feel is right. This can lead to success, or you may have to try again. That’s where you need to analyze what went right and what went wrong, that way, you can make your next marketing campaign successful.
Why Is the Saying Useful?
Every business in the world should follow the “measure twice, cut once” rule. What makes it so great is that it is easily understood and that every industry and every position in a business has a means of using it.
Let’s take a look at some examples of how different businesses need the saying:
- Culinary: Chefs and cooks need to measure out the ingredients so that certain flavors do not overwhelm others.
- Construction: Where the saying came from. It makes sense because you don’t want building material that is too small or too tall, otherwise the building would not be up to code.
- Veterinarian: With medicine, a vet needs to know the different measurements for the different animal species that they work with. This is especially true for vets that work at zoos and nature reserves where the animals are more exotic.
As you can see, all three of these very different industries require to double check their measurements and data to ensure everything is correct. Otherwise, it can lead to serious consequences. Failure to pay attention to the measurements can result in:
- Culinary: A customer may get food poisoning
- Construction: A building may collapse due to uneven measuring.
- Veterinarian: An animal may pass away from too much or too little medicine.
Again, these very different industries can suffer from catastrophic failure from not paying attention. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of the error, nor do you want to be the cause of the error.
Conclusion
“Measure twice, cut once” is a term as old as time, well, actually it seems to have been coined in the late 1500s, but it is one everyone should follow.
The saying can and has been used in a multitude of industries and marketing is no different. You need to double and even triple-check the data, the research, and how the business is going. Then, you may have to experiment a little to find the right thing.
What is most important is understanding the need to get it pretty close to being right the first time around, that way you don’t lose too much time, money, or resources.
Next time you are at your job, consider what you can “measure twice, cut once” with, it may just surprise you!
