Matthew Neill Davis - The Art of Preventing Stupid: How to Build a Stronger Business Strategy through Better Risk Management

About the Author

MATTHEW NEILL DAVIS OWNS AND MANAGES Davis Law, PLLC, a firm dedicated to helping ambitious business owners become rock-star entrepreneurs. To do this, the firm finds solutions to pressing problems and runs custom legal departments for businesses and nonprofits. The firm proactively protects and improves businesses by removing legal hassles so that the owners and managers can focus on running their businesses. They do this by using the comprehensive, proprietary systems Davis developed while serving as general counsel for a range of companies. Currently the firm has offices in Oklahoma City; Tulsa; Wichita, Kansas; and Enid, Oklahoma, with plans for expansion. Davis Law has thrice made the Law Firm 500 for being among the fastest-growing law firms in the nation.

Davis lives in Enid, Oklahoma, where his family has lived for six generations, because he loves having ancestral farms and the three-minute commute. He is married to Allison Davis, a former producer for ABC in Los Angeles and an entrepreneur in her own right. They have five children, one adopted from Russia and one adopted from Ethiopia. They live in a very noisy, busy house. They have chalked up one National Merit Scholar to date. Davis holds a JD from the University of Oklahoma, an MPA from Cornell University, and a BSS from Cornell College.

Author photograph by Christina Mathews Photography

Acknowledgments

First, to my wonderful wife, Allison: Remember it is a partnership.

Oh, and to all those pesky kids of ours, who put up with my writing: Emma, Meg, Henry, Luke, and Sally.

To Maggie Lichtenberg and Cynde Christie for helping craft this book.

To Professor-now-Congressman David Loebsack for teaching me that I can write.

To Professor Ted Lowi for teaching me to think categorically.

And to my mentors: Rjon Robins, Kristen David, Henry Harlow, Chris Anderson, Chris Dyson, and Terrence Fogarty, thank you for reminding me of my potential.

To our Home Team: Jaime Walker, Nicole Winfield, Ashley Morey, Zach Keen, Kaleb Boese, Katie Myers, Katie Thomas, Bonnie Espinoza, Sara Hill, Jane Ann Dixon, Ivey Dyson, and Joe Titterington.

To Kevin Friesen, Molly Helm, Christina Mathews, Catherine Freshley, Randy Greene, and Dave Schlitter for all the support and great advice.

To my beta readers: Joseph Chiummiento, Rob Cummins, Jeff Gwin, Greg Hodgen, Bert Mackie, Bond Payne, Weber Player, John Walker, Aaron Harmon, and Mike Wright.

And finally, to Groendyke Transport, especially John Groendyke, Greg Hodgen, Steve Feldhaus, and the rest of the senior management team for showing us how a fantastic company runs and how it can change thousands of lives.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

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Print ISBN: 978-1-7325102-1-0

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First Edition

Contents

Table of Figures

Learning the Art

WE ALL KNOW THE AWFUL FEELING A STUPID MISTAKE BRINGS as your palm slaps your forehead and you agonize over the reality that you never should have let this happen. The reason for this sinking feeling is that deep down we know our problems are generally either preventable or can be better managed if we are simply prepared. This book is about building a better mousetrap for dealing with the risks that can arise in your business. It is about empowering you to be better able to focus on your strengths and opportunities because you have managed the threats and weaknesses inherent in all business.

We often let managing our lives and running our businesses get in the way of making the time to take those necessary steps to ward off possible problems. Inconvenience, procrastination, laziness, or just not knowing where to startthese can all lead to putting off the examination of your businesss threats and weaknesses. What this book offers is an incisive and efficient method that we call Preventing Stupid, designed to help you avoid not only the horrible feeling that stupid mistakes elicit but also the very serious impacts they have on your bottom line and peace of mind. By using this method, you will build resistance to mistakes directly into your business, just as your body must ward off or react to disease. That is why we call the result your Business Immune System (BIS).

What he emphasized is that having a system in place to get the work done right is critical. If there is no system, then there is the strong possibility that even if the work gets done, it will be haphazard and subject to the vicissitudes of human failings. Of course, systems have their problems too, but they are better than the alternative. This holds true for a business trying to manage its potential problems as well.

All problems start as potentialities, some of which develop into distractions of varying degrees that prevent you from achieving your business goals. Once you understand how the Preventing Stupid process works and understand the attributes of the individual problems, you will be a step ahead in preventing and managing them. Then, when you grasp both the systemic origins of problems and the systems particular to every business, your acumen and ability will increase considerably; as a result, your business will be much safer and hopefully more successful.