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WHY EVERY ENTREPRENEUR NEEDS BUSINESS SYSTEMS

Creating business systems
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One of the most overlooked aspects of running a successful online business is to build business systems. This is what makes the difference between having a hobby that makes money and being a business owner.

What Are Business Systems?

Business systems are simply documented processes and procedures that allow your business to run without you. 

The most popular systems are things like a lead generation system or a hiring system. Their goal is to take tasks that are often repeated in your business and organize them in a clear and simple way.

McDonald's is one of the most successful companies that has mastered the art of using systems. They have managed to run a successful and profitable business for decades thanks to the efficient business systems that they have in place. 

Whether you like McDonald's or not, you can learn from their in-depth systems like their operations manual which covers everything from hiring and delivering products to interacting with the customer.

Unfortunately, many business owners are trapped in a catch 22. They don’t have time to work on their business because they are too busy working in their business.

They can't take time away from the company because they haven't taken the time to develop documented systems and processes. 

One of the most overlooked aspects of running a successful online business is the business systems. This is what makes the difference between having a hobby that makes money and being a business owner.

What Are the Benefits of Creating Business Systems

What Are the Benefits of Creating Business Systems?

Along with saving you time, here are some benefits of implementing systems in your business:

  • Lower Labor Costs: Putting documented systems in place will help to improve efficiency in your company, resulting in a reduction in your labor costs. Without documented systems and processes, you also run the risk of losing knowledge and valuable company resources when an employee leaves.
  • Improves Consistency: Having documented systems and processes in place ensures everyone on your team is working with the same information. They don't have to rely on their perception of how a process should operate. Systemization also prevents them from working with outdated instructions, which could lead to costly errors.
  • Enables Scalability: Implementing systems in your business gives you the ability to expand. Systems and documented processes allow you to scale your online business without scaling the work involved. 
  • Build A Valuable Asset: Maybe you’re looking to sell your business one day? Well, without documented processes and systems in place, this can be extremely difficult to accomplish. Putting systems in place will help you build a valuable asset because they allow the company to continue to run without you.
  • Automate Your Business: Even if you don’t have a team or you just have a small team, putting systems in place will improve your own efficiency and allow you to reduce the time you work every week by leveraging technology to automate some tasks. These systems will also help you to make the transition from a solopreneur to a CEO who focuses on the big picture of the business.

Systems aren’t just about making your team’s life easier, they are also about freeing up your time as the business owner.

By building systems that allow you to delegate to your team or automate some tasks, you also have more time to work in your zone of genius (the activities that you truly love to do and that you are great at). 

Some Ideas For Systems That Can Save You Time:

You have to do it manually every time ➞ You work once to set it up and then it works for you

- Answering questions from prospects ➞ Creating an FAQ for the most common questions

- Manually onboarding new employees ➞ Creating a swipe file with all the resources for employees including video trainings

- Go back and forth to schedule calls with prospects or clients ➞ Use an online scheduler so people can book a call based on your availability and you get notified automatically

How Do You Implement Systems In Your Business

How Do You Implement Systems In Your Business?

We use a 3-step framework called the “Productivity Mastery Formula” to help business owners put systems in place in their business.

Part 1: Assess

This is where you clarify what you want to accomplish and what you need to have in place to reach your goals. We summarize this step using our 1-Page Business Productivity Roadmap that details your leveraged business model, your team objectives, your success metrics, the technology you use and the key systems you need for your business. 

You can do this by mapping out your current situation as well as your desired goals. Then, write down all the tasks that need to be done on a daily basis and identify your biggest time wasters by looking at the activities that generate little revenue and demand a lot of time.

Part 2: Optimize

Next, it’s time to optimize your personal productivity. Before optimizing your business and building systems, it’s crucial to optimize your schedule to free up as much time as possible so you feel less pressured to work 60+ hours a week. 

It’s not about trying some “productivity hacks”. You need to put in place a productivity system that allows you to work smarter instead of working harder.

We usually do this by helping our clients create a better workspace in order to maximize their focus, rearrange their schedule using time blocks for more efficiency, and work during their peak performance times.

Part 3: Build

The last part is to actually build those reliable systems that will take the weight off your shoulders and allow you to truly leverage your time. If you’re planning to do this on your own, plan 5-10 hours per week to progressively document the different aspects of your business without being overwhelmed. 

Start with your key systems: a lead generation system, a conversion system, and a product or service fulfillment system.

Map out each system on a whiteboard and then start to write standard operating procedures (SOPs) for each step. You can then share these documents with your team so they also have access to them. 

You can do the same process for other systems like your team management system, your customer support system, your product creation system, etc.

The goal here is that you should be able to take a vacation and really disconnect while your business works on auto-pilot thanks to the systems and the team that you put in place.

Action item:
If you currently don't have systems in your business, start by brainstorming what are the most important of your business that you need to document (typically: lead generation, sales conversion, and product or service delivery).

If you do have systems in your business, then do a quick audit to make sure that they document every part of your business, that they are up-to-date, and that your employees clearly understand them.

P.S. If you're committed to success and you’d like to work directly with me to put in place your own business systems, check out my business coaching program for high achieving entrepreneurs.

About The Author

Headshot of Catherine Lefebvre-Babinsky

Catherine Lefebvre-Babinsky is the founder and CEO of The Clever Achiever. When she isn't testing new ways to improve her productivity, she likes to read (or re-read) her pile of business books or watch the latest superhero movie.