Do you feel like you’re being held hostage by your business?
Most small business owners start their business because;
a) they want to do something they’re passionate about; and
b) because they think it will give them more freedom in life by releasing them from the unreasonable demands of their boss.
After a few weeks, however, the truth hits them hard. Running your own business is a whole lot more demanding than a full time job. Instead of one boss, you now have ten; your clients, your suppliers, your employees, each with a different set of needs and expectations that have to be met by you.
You are so busy running the business that you hardly have time for anything else.
But who ever said it has to be that way? The key to running your business more efficiently and effectively is to systemise it. Systemising means you have to establish an organised method of dealing with the different functions of your business – from employee recruitment procedures to financial transactions.
You have to find a way to structure jobs in such a way that things will get done on their own, or efficiently by someone else. The ultimate goal of systemising your business is so you have more time to concentrate on growing your business and to enjoy your life.
Systemising your business also has another major advantage to it. When your business processes are organised and proven, there is a much smaller chance for errors. Because interruptions or errors can be costly, both in terms of time and money, avoiding unnecessary slip-ups serves to improve the overall performance of your business.
So how do you go about systemising your business?
First, know that it doesn’t mean you have to re-invent the wheel on each procedure. You just have to find out how each procedure is best accomplished, document it, and repeat it. Here is how you should get started:
1. Take a step back and look at the big picture.
2. Identify the activities that always seem to go wrong, take up too much of your time, or create a lot of stress for you.
3. Create diagrams for each activity which indicate:
• the desired results
• the workflow
• accountable persons
• appropriate timeframes
• resources needed
• measurable performance standards
4. Think about how you can group tasks together and how you can delegate them.
Once you establish systems within your business, you’ll be so much more comfortable with how much better everything works. You’ll have so much more time for steering the business, giving your customers the attention they need, and most importantly, to spend quality time with yourself and the people you love.