When it comes to business strategy, you’ll often hear two different approaches debated.
The first one recommends: “Ready, Aim, Fire.” It implies that you should plan carefully, prepare properly, and then act accordingly.
In comparison, the second approach suggests: “Ready, Fire, Aim.” Meaning, act quickly, and adjust later, if things go wrong.
In marketing and business innovation, Ready, Fire, Aim may be the preferred option. Because it will help you move fast and learn quickly.
But for food safety compliance, it’s a very different story.
If you are preparing for your food hygiene inspection, choosing the Ready, Aim, Fire approach is the one that will set you up for success.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
Table of Contents
Why 'Fire First, Fix Later' Will Ruin Your Food Hygiene Rating
Firing before you’ve aimed is a reliable way to waste money, damage your reputation, and miss out on that 5 star hygiene rating.
The Ready, Fire, Aim approach was originally popularised in the business world to break people out of endless planning. Instead of spending months perfecting an idea, you just launch, then tweak later based on results.
That might work if you’re testing an advert, new product, or marketing campaign. But if you want to know how to pass a food hygiene inspection, then it’s a recipe for disaster.
Yet too many small businesses open their doors thinking: “We’ll wait for the EHO to tell us what’s wrong, then we’ll fix it.”
It sounds unbelievable — but this mindset keeps popping up. And it’s backed up in the science literature too. I also hear it repeatedly from business owners requesting support with their food safety compliance.
So what’s the problem with this mindset?
Well, by the time the EHO (Environmental Health Officer) tells you what’s wrong, the damage is already done. Your low food hygiene rating is published, customer trust is broken, and your business reputation is on the line.
Don’t Skip the Aim Phase (Or You’ll Pay Twice)
The idea of Ready, Fire, Aim is often credited to Tom Peters, the management thinker behind In Search of Excellence.
He encouraged fast action over endless planning. And his famous warning was against companies stuck in “Ready, Aim, Aim, Aim…”
But with food safety compliance, preparing to pass a food hygiene inspection by firing too soon will put your business at risk.
I see it time and time again. The business owner thinks food safety compliance can be “sorted later.” Then the EHO visits and the problems are obvious. So too is the approach they’ve used.
Consequently the business ends up paying twice — once in lost trade, and again in Local Authority re-inspection fees and corrective work. Then there’s the hidden costs — lower staff morale, customer complaints. And the reputational damage which will linger long after food safety issues are fixed.
The truth is simple. Fixing after failure is always more expensive than preparing properly in the first place. And that’s why the Aim Phase matters so much. Yet it’s the step that many small businesses skip.
A Smarter Approach
During the Aim Phase — you test, rehearse, and check whether your food safety management system works in practice.
Having a food safety management system based on HACCP principles is a legal requirement. It’s also a preventative based food-safety system. And an essential component to ensure your business is legally compliant. It’s there to help you run a safe food business. But standing alone on a shelf is not the answer.
So think of the Aim Phase like this: you are taking aim to make sure your documentation hits the mark. You are testing, rehearsing and checking whether your system works as intended. This is a planned (preventative) approach, rather than a reactive (corrective) one.
One of the ways to test that your system is working as intended is through a mock EHO inspection. It’s a rehearsal for the real thing: a dry-run to spot food safety compliance gaps before the environmental health officer becomes aware of them.
When the day comes for the EHO visit, you’ll feel confident that you’ve done all you can to pass your food hygiene inspection. You won’t be sitting there crossing your fingers.
The businesses that achieve 5 star food hygiene aren’t the ones with the biggest folders of paperwork. They’re the ones who put their food safety management system into action. They train their staff, and make sure everything works as intended. They are committed to continual improvement. And they approach their food hygiene inspection with a Ready, Aim, Fire mentality.
Getting It Wrong
The flip side is clear: without the Aim Phase, you’re preparing to fail. And once a poor food hygiene rating is published, the knock-on effects are serious — from dealing with the consequences of a 1-star rating, to managing crisis communications to rebuild trust, to putting the right steps in place to recover quickly.
Get It Right First Time
Whether you’re a national chain, a local café, or a retail unit — the principle is the same: get it right first time.
The smarter approach to food hygiene compliance is not “fire first, fix later.” The businesses that pass their EHO inspection first time — and keep their reputation intact — are the ones that take a planned approach. They get ready, and take aim before firing.
To find out more about how to properly prepare for your food hygiene inspection read our blog post: EHO Inspection Checklist: Get Ready For 5-Star Hygiene Rating.
Don’t gamble with your food hygiene rating — or your business reputation. Get ready, take aim, and fire with confidence from day one.
Dr Julie Rasmussen
Mock EHO Inspection (Optional Support)
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👉 Read our guide on what happens in a mock EHO inspection. Call us on 02920 026 566 to book your Mock EHO Inspection today.