How often does this happen in your business:
1. Staring at the growing pile of business cards, you ask yourself, “Who in this pile was I supposed to follow up with? And what was I going to send them?”
2. After four months of not doing data entry into Quickbooks, you sit down to get started and realized you no longer remember which deposit documentation goes with which invoice.
3. You and your staff look at each other during your weekly staff meeting and ask, “Has this been done?” or “Who did this?”
4. Your star administrative assistant gets sick – really sick. No one really knows how to do the things she does – including the billing, creating the schedule for the workers, or processing payroll.
If any of these issues strike a cord with you, it’s time to think about the systems and processes that should make up the firm and sturdy foundation of your business.
First – what is the definition of a system? A system is a set of things, actions, ideas, and information that interact with each other, and in doing so, alter other systems.
Taking this a step further, I would say individual processes, details, or tasks make up the system.
If you’re a solopreneur, now is the time to begin documenting your systems and processes. As your business grows, you can quickly and easily hand over the documentation to a new VA (Virtual Assistant) or helper.
The time to work on systems is BEFORE you need them.
Remember #4 above? If your star administrative assistant doesn’t have a written system of documented processes for her particular JOB (not for HER), then the day she gets sick is the day she takes vitally important knowledge away from the company.
If effect, if she the holder and keep of that knowledge, she owns it – not the company!
When you’re talking about the system for getting your company’s employees paid, or for creating the schedule to keep them working, you’re talking about details crucial for running your company!
If only one person knows those details, what happens when that one person is no longer around?
Uh-oh. I think you’re seeing the big picture now, right?
If you don’t have documented systems and processes in your business, get started on it NOW. If you’re not sure how or want a partner to work through it, email MBS, Inc. at angie@mattsonbusiness to get a jumpstart!