Turning a business around takes work. And it starts at the top.

SJK Beringer Group isn't just a technology company or a human resources company. We help small businesses evaluate and implement all sorts of technologies. Sometimes they need help maintaining IT equipment or installing a new network or videoconferencing system. Other times, we help small-business owners with policies and procedures. About 25 percent of our business comes from sales training, review processes, creating manuals or recognition programs. It's an entirely different company from when it was formed as an executive headhunting firm 19 years ago.

My partner, Steve Krisfalusy, is a serial entrepreneur who helped start 20 corporations with multiple partners over the years. SJK Beringer is one of those companies. When Krisfalusy dissolved his largest technology company in 2000, he asked me to help turn SJK Beringer into a technology firm targeting small-business owners.

I was in charge of operations at the closed technology company, and I firmly believed that in order to transform SJK Beringer, we needed a strong IT manager.

My biggest mistake was recommending for partnership a former colleague who had extremely strong technology skills but no managerial experience.

He was a data engineer who had worked for large, global companies, and he bought a stake in our partnership. Because we were all playing so many roles in transforming the company, it took us way longer than it should have for us to face up to the fact that one of us was not living up to the agreed-upon partner expectations.

Jobs were backed up. Customer satisfaction was low. Profits were dropping because of poor design. Contractors weren't given clear direction.

If you have a job that requires multiple contractors with different areas of expertise, you have to make sure you coordinate everything properly. For instance, if the proper materials aren't waiting at the job site, you waste time and money sending a contractor to buy them for the full retail price.

We waited too long to address project management. Our culture is that we want to give anybody who works for SJK every opportunity to advance and be better. But when several discussions, multiple mentors and leadership training didn't help, I knew it was time to cut the ties. I was the one constantly smoothing relations with clients and trying to build profit back into job.

Surprisingly, when I approached the partner in 2003 and asked to buy him out, he was relieved. He understood and asked to work as a contractor in the field, which he did for a couple of years before taking another job.

It took about six months to smooth relationships with clients. We told them that SJK was changing, putting new emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Once we were finally able to focus on our core business, profits doubled within a year. The increase wasn't because of new business. It came from properly managing projects and providing solid customer service. We kept 98 percent of our existing customers, our referrals increased, and we changed our reputation.

We look at 2005 as the rebirth of SJK. That's when we truly got on track with branding and marketing, attaining new certifications and exploring new opportunities.

I learned a valuable lesson. No matter what the job is, make sure you write the description first, then find the right candidate. Otherwise, the two of you might not be on the same page.