The Power of the Small Things
In the world of business, it’s easy to get caught up in the big moments. The major contracts, the impressive growth stats, the milestone hires. But over the years, what I’ve learned—especially working in quality assurance and precision-focused industries—is that trust is earned in the small moments. In the details. In the operational wins that might not make headlines, but that add up to something far more powerful: confidence.
When I started North Valley Precision, my vision wasn’t to chase headlines. I wanted to build something that clients could depend on—no matter what. That meant designing systems and a culture where consistency, attention to detail, and a mindset of continuous improvement weren’t just talked about, but lived out in our daily operations. From our front-line technicians to our QA engineers, everyone plays a part in delivering on that promise.
Whether we’re working with a fast-moving startup or a major defense contractor, clients come to us because they need more than just a vendor—they need a partner. Someone they can count on. And I’ve seen time and time again that what earns that level of trust isn’t flashy—it’s precision in practice.
Where Trust Really Begins
For most of our clients, the stakes are high. They operate in environments where a single defect can have ripple effects—lost revenue, reputational damage, even legal exposure. That means every interaction we have with them, every deliverable, every test report, matters. It sets a tone.
Trust doesn’t start when something goes wrong. It starts long before that—with the way we answer emails, the way we meet deadlines, the way we follow through on even the smallest commitments. Clients notice when your reports are on time, when your test coverage is clean, when your team catches something before it becomes a problem. They notice when your processes are tight. That’s where the relationship begins to solidify.
One of our long-term enterprise clients once told me, “I don’t worry about the work I send to you. I just know it’ll come back right.” That’s the goal. And you don’t get there with one big win—you get there by stacking up hundreds of small ones.
Building Systems That Support Excellence
Delivering consistent results isn’t about hoping things go well. It’s about building the right systems so your people can succeed. At North Valley Precision, we’ve spent years developing our operational playbook. Every part of our workflow—from onboarding a new client, to assigning test cases, to tracking metrics—is designed with precision in mind.
It starts with training. When we bring someone new onto the team, they don’t just get dropped into a project. We have structured onboarding that includes shadowing, documentation reviews, and hands-on simulation work. Why? Because we know that how someone starts with us shapes how they’ll operate later on. A shaky foundation leads to shaky delivery. So we invest upfront.
We also invest heavily in process refinement. We don’t wait for problems to pop up—we look for patterns and opportunities to improve. Every time we tighten a feedback loop or simplify a checklist, we reduce friction and increase our ability to deliver flawlessly. These are the operational wins that make the difference. You can’t always see them from the outside, but our clients feel the impact.
People Over Protocols
While process matters, none of it works without the right people. Culture is a huge piece of operational precision, and we’ve built ours around ownership. I tell our team all the time: “You don’t work for quality—you own it.” That mindset changes how people show up. They’re not just checking boxes—they’re thinking critically. They’re anticipating issues. They’re holding each other accountable.
That’s something we reinforce every day, in ways big and small. Whether it’s recognizing a team member who caught a subtle bug that could have slipped through, or having an open post-mortem when something doesn’t go right, we use those moments to reinforce what matters. Precision isn’t just a company name—it’s how we operate.
As someone who grew up in Wautoma, Wisconsin and later became a CEO without a traditional path, I know how important personal commitment is. You don’t have to have a fancy background to build trust—you just have to show up, do the work, and care deeply about doing it well. That’s what I try to model, and what I expect from my team.
Operational Wins That Scale
One of the biggest challenges in a growing company is scaling without losing what made you great in the first place. As we’ve grown North Valley Precision toward the 100-employee mark, I’ve been focused on protecting our operational culture.
We do this by documenting what works, mentoring our leaders, and ensuring that every new team we stand up has the DNA of the original. We replicate our best practices, not just our output. It’s not enough to be precise—we have to stay precise as we scale. That takes discipline, but it’s worth it.
Clients notice this. They’ll often say, “Your team feels aligned.” Or, “Every person I work with at your company is sharp and detail-oriented.” That’s not a coincidence. It’s the result of thousands of small choices, made intentionally, every day.
Delivering Confidence, Not Just Compliance
In quality assurance, the baseline is meeting requirements. But real value—the kind that creates repeat business and long-term contracts—comes from delivering confidence. When clients feel like they can lean on you, when they stop worrying about whether your work is going to hold up, you’ve earned something powerful.
That’s what our operational wins really deliver. Not just passed test cases or documented procedures, but peace of mind. We make it easy for our clients to focus on their work, knowing that we’re locked in on ours. That’s where trust becomes a competitive advantage.
Brandon Erickson, Appleton, Wisconsin CEO and founder of North Valley Precision, didn’t build this company on chance. It was built with intention, repetition, and a refusal to settle for “good enough.” It was built on listening to clients and using every operational detail as an opportunity to improve.
If there’s one thing I’d tell any business leader, it’s this: don’t overlook the small wins. Those are the ones that build your reputation. That’s how you create relationships that last, teams that thrive, and companies that grow with purpose.
At North Valley Precision, we don’t chase perfection—but we do chase precision. And we believe that if you do the small things right long enough, the big things take care of themselves.
That’s what earns trust. That’s what drives growth. And that’s what I’m committed to, every single day.