Systems are the sexiest part of business. No? OK, that might just be me. Most people do not want to think about systems, except to initially set them up and hopefully use them. Don’t wait until you are thinking about leaving; build a business with current and future value – Systems are the key to this.
What Are Systems
Systems are documented, repeatable actions that can be automated or manual. I’ll say it again, they are ‘documented’. They are not your routines or the process you always use for yourself, when they are just in your head. For successful business operations others much know exactly what is happening.
How do you keep track of the actions you perform? Often we talk about Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to keep track of what has to happen and how it should happen. For instance, an SOP may describe the tools required, the regulations that must be followed, the safety gear used, how to calibrate equipment before starting, how to pack a box, the acceptable product standards, the steps to follow, labelling and language to use, etc. Anything that can affect the customer’s experience and the quality of your product or service, from marketing touch-points to receiving a delivery, should be viewed with a systematic eye, to ensure the customer receives the experience they expect.
The Role of Systems
Whether you love or hate systems and process, you need them for your business. Systems drive consistent action. If you have a high-quality product or service and you want to ensure you always have the same quality production, you need procedures in your systems that help you and your team create that level of quality, over and over and over again.
A System to Get Started
One general system I have in my service-based business is for Marketing. This general system is large and can contain numerous processes for different aspects of marketing. The process for my newsletter, for instance, was developed by recording the steps I use to create the newsletter.
Additional procedures I have in my marketing systems include events, social media, networking, and video use. Other systems I have in my business are related to customer care, sales, service delivery, HR management, Admin, and Finances. Basically, these are areas for you will align with the operational departments of your business.
What do my SOP’s look like?
I do have several SOP’s that are written in a very technical manner, as expected from a technical writer. This allows for the ability to keep track of the version you and your team might be using. For instance, if you find out something is not working and you find out someone is using an older version of your procedure, you can easily adjust your actions and make it right. If the correct version is being used but the product or service quality was off, then an investigation of what else may have changed (e.g. your supplier, your due date, your client expectation, etc.) would be done.
Writing an SOP does not have to be as strict as mine are, but they should follow the same template every time, so you, and others, know what to expect when they review any SOP in your business.
How do I make following SOP’s easier?
Reading an SOP is not an ideal way of keeping track of what needs to be completed. It’s great for training and for change management, but for the day-to-day work, it is slow and rigid. I use a project management tool that helps us keep track of steps, deadlines, and task ownership. My business uses Trello. This was a recommendation by the very organized VA management company I use (Thank you Diane).
I have one Trello board that manages the tasks my VA must follow for my marketing. In that board, I have one card, with a checklist of about 15 tasks that must be completed. Three tasks are assigned to me (write article, write intro, review). The other tasks are for my VA to complete. The tasks do not have concrete steps, as I’ve found, allowing my people the ability to do great work using their own expertise is important. For instances, a task may be to create a cover image for a meme. I don’t tell them to use Canva or Adobe Photoshop, but I do have set company brand colours they must use and specific types of images (e.g. no clip art or animated for the newsletter) that should be used. We also have some specific steps to help with consistency and to ensure key items don’t get missed (like adding hidden headers that are for internal identification)
The Key to Systems
You cannot be the only one that knows how the system works. Systems must be used consistently by everyone that works in your business. They must be identified, put into writing, and taught to others, to ensure your business (and your clients) get the same great outcome or experience every time.
Also, the documentation of your systems are living documents. These documents must change with the changes that happen in life and business. New markets, more employees, new location, new tech, etc. Don’t just write them and ignore them.
The Role in Your Exit
The bigger picture here is to understand that consistency can be taught and tasks that can be taken over, are exceptionally valuable for your business.
Imagine you are a potential buyer of your business. You are interested in the business, because you love what it does for its clients and it looks like there is value enough to invest and make money too. Now imagine you find out that there are no systems. No one in the business has a concrete job process. There are no measurable indicators that things are being completed correctly, and, when I step into the top role, I would have no way to know exactly what I would be in control of. Actually, I would assume I am in control of everything and I would have to guess to what extent that would impact my investment. I cannot leave the business because people will need me to make decisions, oversee process, approve all produced items, from marketing through to the final product delivery. The investment payout would have less value than the money it makes as my time trade off would skew the expense column.
If you want your business to survive beyond you, it must first be able to run without you. If you start early and build a business with systems that have built-in oversight of operations and a way to measure outcomes, that is known by the people in business and not just you, it creates several benefits that you can take advantage of long before you leave the business. Here are a few benefits of having systems you can use to grow your business right now.
- You don’t have to be the only one that knows how the business works. You can actually go on vacation, and barring a catastrophe, you could be completely away for weeks.
- Losing employees is less painful because their jobs expectations are well defined and easier to train.
- Training new employees to meet expected quality standards is standardized and easier with written procedures.
- You can more easily grow your business. Adding new products, opening new markets, and adding new employees becomes easier.
- Buyers from outside the business can more easily see themselves into the owners role, because it is defined.
- You have a way to leverage other people’s time, not just your own, so the business can grow.
You don’t have to be ready to exit the business to start the work of exiting. Everything you do now to help create a business that another person would love to own will also create a successful business now. Building a business that can Run Without You, creates benefits to you, your employees, and the value of your business (for you and the next owner).
Don’t wait, start now. Start with your systems and create a business you can easily exit later.
This article is 100% original content – The articles you read in this blog are 100% created by Barb Stuhlemmer, not by AI.
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