How Rick Yvanovich Built a Global Business With Systems-Driven Growth

Rick Yvanovich

Rick Yvanovich is a seasoned entrepreneur, author, and systems thinker with over four decades of experience across the tech, oil and gas, and consulting industries. As the founder of TRG International and a self-described “bean counter,” Rick brings a rare mix of accounting expertise and systems acumen to global business. After spending 35 years in Vietnam, he now splits his time between there and Switzerland, continuing to lead with process-first principles.

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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[03:10] How a chance stop in Vietnam launched Rick’s entrepreneurial journey
[08:14] Why Rick transitioned from employee to founder—and how systems helped scale
[14:24] The role of SOPs in onboarding, growth, and maintaining organizational memory
[19:45] The true cost of undocumented processes and how to evaluate process breakdowns
[22:36] How process documentation impacts company valuation and M&A readiness
[31:09] Rick’s three-tiered approach to continuous process improvement

In this episode:

What happens when decades of experience meet a systems-first mindset? In this engaging conversation, Adi Klevit interviews Rick Yvanovich about his unexpected journey from a corporate role in oil and gas to building a global ERP consulting firm.

Rick shares how his early days in Vietnam sparked an entrepreneurial path fueled by word-of-mouth referrals and hands-on implementation. But it wasn’t until he began hiring and scaling that he saw the crucial need for documenting systems and procedures. Together, he and Adi dive deep into the ROI of standard operating procedures, revealing how process clarity reduces friction, supports onboarding, and ensures business continuity—even through staff turnover.

The conversation also explores Rick’s take on proactive process review using Kaizen, how documentation increases business valuation, and why companies need to stop relying on tribal knowledge. Whether you're growing a team or preparing for an exit, this episode highlights how systems create both operational stability and long-term value.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“Unless you have absolutely everything documented, you are going to waste incredible time trying to pass on knowledge.”
“I always push the issue down to the process. If something’s broken, let’s fix the system—not blame the person.”
“When you scale past 20 or 30 employees, the absence of documented SOPs becomes painfully obvious.”
“Every 3–5 years, companies replace their software—not because it’s broken, but because they forgot how to use it.”
“Documentation doesn't just support growth—it increases business value and reduces risk.”
“Kaizen isn’t just about systems. It’s also lifelong learning—improving the process and the person.”

Action Steps:

Start documenting before it hurts. Don’t wait until growth becomes painful—begin writing down your processes early.
Implement a process review cycle. Set a regular cadence to revisit and refine SOPs, especially during periods of change.
Use turnover as a systems check. If someone leaves and operations suffer, it’s time to improve your documentation.
Train through systems, not memory. Avoid tribal knowledge by using SOPs as the primary onboarding and training tool.
Challenge legacy processes. Ask your team regularly: “Is there a better way?” and encourage Kaizen thinking.

Sponsor for this episode:

This episode is brought to you by Business Success Consulting Group.

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