When a business starts out, or is very small, it’s possible to run reasonably well without much planning; dealing with each new piece of work or challenge as it arrives and simply getting by.

That is because the business only has short term goals.

However, when you want to expand, you have to systemise because haphazard processes simply aren’t robust enough to cope with additional activity, and the growth will only serve to amplify all of the problems or gaps in the existing model.

This premature scaling can be the worst possible thing, it’s best described as Growing Broke where either the business drives the growth, or the growth drives the business.

Both might sound okay, but the latter can be very dangerous and unstable.

If your business is always bespoke, always requires you to be involved, and is never systemised, then you don’t have a business, you have a job.

If this sounds a little like you, but the thought of systemising fills you with dread, break it down into these milestones:

• Work out exactly what makes your business work.
• Document this into processes.
• Identify areas you can delegate or outsource.
• Communicate with your team so everyone knows their role in the process, and what their 100% looks like. People are essential, but it is the system which will get the best out of them.
• Set-up a few key measures that will alert you before there is a problem.
• Review and improve.

You can then focus your energy and time on those areas that will make the biggest difference in your business.

(and you’ll no longer feel you’re back stuck in a job) …

BW,

Martin

Martin Norbury

Investor | Business Mentor at Advocate | Author of I don’t work Fridays

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay