5 Easy Steps to Systemize Your Business and Free Up Your Life!
When building your business, it’s easy to get stuck working in your business rather than working on it. I’ve talked about this at length because so many business owners get trapped on the hamster wheel of trading hours for dollars. Your business will become more profitable if you can leverage yourself to work on creating the right strategies, and then delegate their implementation rather than doing it yourself. So develop a blueprint that defines all the operations in your business, then use it as a road map to build out your systems. In systemizing your business, here are the ideas to consider and then the steps to follow.
1. Recognize that every business operation is a process.
A process is a series of steps, from start to finish. When you have outlined a process, you can notice inefficiencies. First, observe the process. Second, think about how to remove wasteful steps. Third, test out your idea.
2. Recognize that most business processes are conceptual.
We live in an era of knowledge management. Your main work is to organize the flow of information in and out of your business. Using technology, you can streamline how to get, store, and send out information.
3. Recognize that a systematic approach is a team effort.
A business is like a team sport. It’s not enough for the business owner to enjoy building and running processes. Everyone has to get involved for things to go well.
4. Recognize that a system is always adaptable.
Systems theory postulates that there are open systems and closed systems. An open system is adaptable to change. A closed system is set, and change is disruptive. So your business has to be flexible in its use of systems.
5. Recognize that systems themselves improve.
If your system depends on software, then the software itself may change. The software might increase its functionality. It might even be replaced by more robust software.
Where to Systemize In Your Business
Now that you know the basic 5 rules on how to create a system, let’s take a look at 5 key business areas to apply this knowledge.
Systemize Your Recurring Tasks
Every business has repeating tasks, recurring to-do lists. There are lists for each person in the business, as well as lists for the business itself. Here are the steps to take:
- Step 1. Create a list of everything you do.
- Step 2. Break this list into action steps.
- Step 3. Figure out when the task recurs. Is it daily, weekly, monthly? Is it quarterly or yearly? Or is it periodically?
- Step 4. Use software to keep track of tasks and schedule them for you. Kanban boards are an excellent choice for any business. This form of project management arose from lean management theory. Toyota used it for it’s Just in Time system to dominate the car market.
The reason to do all these four steps is because each step has a purpose. Step 1 identifies recurring tasks. Step 2 makes it easy for anyone to take over the task. Suppose you do a business summary every Friday; by outlining it, someone else can fill in for you. Step 3 makes it predictable. Step 4 puts it all on autopilot.
Systemize Money Management
When it comes to managing your money, use these 3 steps:
- Step 1: Identify the work.
- Step 2: Outline the financial system.
- Step 3: Find software to automate it.
Sometimes outsourcing to machines is a good thing–automation software can create expense reporting, invoice management, and so on. The software combines financial knowledge and procedures, technology and the Internet. Everything you need to manage money is configurable and creating status reports is a snap. We use Quickbooks Online at my company, AMI, and I love it. I can see where we are in real time, even from my smart phone. This connects with our CRM, Infusionsoft so that all sale are updated immediately.
Systemize Your Business Productivity
People can be much more productive through training. Productivity removes inefficiencies in how they do their work. In fact, the idea of productivity in the workplace is a science. There is a lot of productivity research to draw on. Human beings can be much more productive at work by following certain tested routines. We use our software, which helps you get clarity on your goals, break them down into small steps and stay on track to reach them every single day. Plus it is easy and fun to use.
Update and Upgrade Your Systems
Everything changes in business and life. You can’t just set your systems in place and let it run. Things happen. You have to keep your eye on the ball. Update or upgrade your systems when there is a change in your business operations. Save your systems in files on your server or cloud. You can also put them in your company manual. A great benefit of recording your systems is that if you need to hire someone new, or plan to sell your company, the next person or team can step in and easily take it from there rather than recreating the wheel over and over.
Give Systems a Go
In essence, defining a framework to spell out all your business processes can do you a world of good. It will increase efficiency, enhance productivity, and cut out costs. When you use a systematic approach, you will spend less time on your business while running it better and more profitably. Okay, are you ready? All systems go!
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