Why Systemise Your Business
Systemising is something that’s not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. That’s right, it’s one of those words like book keeping that makes people’s eyes glaze over and their mind wonder off in to a world of candy buildings and chocolate streams, or whatever your version of bliss looks like! Bear with me though, because love them or hate them at a certain point for your business to succeed they are an important and necessary building block. There is some good news however so keep reading…
The bottle neck monster in the room
When first starting out in business it’s all about developing your messaging, marketing and positioning to attract leads and sales. As you perfect these areas, your business grows and gains momentum, however at some point your business is likely to reach a plateau (aka the bottle neck monster). Unfortunately the bottle neck monster is often accompanied with exhaustion and stress. As a business owner you naturally have a strong sense of ownership and the need to control every aspect of your business. You become a virtual jack of all trades with many balls in the air and working in all areas of your business. You maybe thinking about outsourcing or may already have a small team but as the owner, your business is heavily reliant on you and your time. Because of this you are literally flat out just trying to keep up with the day to day running of your business. This is not only exhausting but it becomes incredibly hard to further build your business as your time is spent being bogged down with administrative tasks, keeping up with the tech, and engaging your community of leads, while still also doing all the direct client work. No wonder you’re tired! So grab some caffeine find out how systems building can help.
Consistency
Implementing systems such as standard operating procedures means you have a written set of instructions for repetitive tasks, keeping all members of your team on the same track. Because they are based on what you are already doing with proven results they ensure everyone is doing important tasks in a way that is consistent with known or predicable results.
Scalability
As business owners we all want to see our baby grow, right? When we talk about growth we’re often looking at a larger team to meet the increasing demand of our services/products and of course increased profit. Having systems in place means the business can be less reliant on any one person - yes that includes you too! With effective systems in place everyone knows how to complete their tasks or has access to a simple document that takes them through the process. People can have holidays or take unplanned leave without this meaning disaster for the day to day business operations. You as the owner can take time out knowing your team has got this, so that you can get some of that much needed rest or even to take a few days to plan your growth strategies. Also as the team grows you have a smooth on boarding process that gets new members up to speed quickly and effectively.
Time
I can hear your eyes rolling from here! ‘Building systems?’ you say, ‘When you’ve just recognised that I’m working my butt off with the day to day running of my business, where the hell am I to find the time to build all these systems?’. Well the good news there is as the owner you aren’t necessarily the best person to be building your systems. You can probably think of someone on your team who has a systems mindset. If not outsourcing is always an option the point is that if you are not excited about building systems it’s better you don’t! Instead find someone who is detail orientated and enjoys bringing the order of systems to life. Once your systems are in place and working as discussed above there is the removal of single person dependence meaning you are now freed up to take holiday or step away from working in your business to working on it. In addition your team members are able to take responsibility and ownership of their role rather than relying on constant direction and problem solving by others (aka you!). Basically my implementing systems you have given yourself the gift of time.
Sellable
Having a sellable business may not be everyone’s goal. But it’s great to be in a position that should you decide you want to sell, you have that option! Your business is basically a set of proven systems that you know work and the business is not solely dependent on any one person, making the option of being able to make a profitable sale more of a reality.
Investing time in creating strong and effective systems in your business is only going to make your life easier as a business owner. In addition it’s going to create a smooth onboarding experience for both new team members and clients alike. Your services are going to be delivered in a manner that is predicable and based on proven results, with space freed up for greater creativity, growth and further shaping of the business. So whether you choose to allocate this task to someone within in your team or outsource, the benefits are undeniable. My question to you is, what would you be able do in your business if you had strong systems in place to support a strong and effective team that can just get the job done?