Looking for more 'Time' in your Business

Mar. 22

If you were to take a survey of Business Owners and ask them why they went into business, many would say one of their top reasons was for flexibility and freedom.

However, when the business gets going and you are juggling all the different roles, it feels like you have everything BUT flexibility and freedom.

Where's the time to think?

Where's the time to work ON your business rather than IN your business?

Then you look at your staff/contract worker/associate...isn't this why you hired help in the first place? To free up some time so you can focus on other things? What happened along the way?

"Why don't I have a handle on this?"

This is incredibly common as your business is growing and evolving. The lines get blurred and sometimes you feel that YOU are the only thing that's holding everything together.

And, when you're really good at what you do...being the Technician in your business, it's hard not to jump in and do it....because if you want something done right, you do it yourself? Isn't that true?

Yes...sometimes...but if you want to survive and thrive your business...there's another way. And, this other way can and will absolutely maintain standards, quality of service and customer satisfaction. It can actually improve them.

You want your business working FOR you, instead of the other way around.

It comes down to structure & systems.

Having systems in your business is like having healthy eating habits...once they're established they contribute to longevity, vitality and create a solid foundation for great things to happen - such as your business growth.

You need systems & structure if you:

Run an established business but you are doing e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g AND you even have employees or contractors to help you.

You work long hours getting everything done. You're thinking about hiring again (or maybe you're hiring for the first time) and not sure if that's what you need.

You may have been in business for a year or two...or maybe 5...and not much has changed. You're feeling like you need things to change, but not sure how. You're waffling between growing your business or going back to getting 'smaller'.

So, what will systematizing parts of your business do for you?

Having strong systems in your business will result in:

Better results
More time for you, the business owner
Better professional and personal balance
Elevating your company's value, particularly if you are considering selling it in the future, or leaving it to someone else
Enjoying your work more
Creating a sustainable business
Creating a solid foundation to grow and scale

The challenge, is many business owners are still the lifeblood of their business...but not in the most productive way. They are involved in many daily decisions and the minutiae of running the business. When you're in this place, it's difficult to see how there might be another way.

Systems are defined as:

Any formulated, regular, or special method or plan of procedure...; things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole

So, how you systematize?

You don't have to automate in order to have a well running system or to systematize your business. A system standardizes and connects processes together to ensure a part of your business runs well with other parts.

As an example, your Hiring and Development System would include the processes you use to post for a Job, review applications & resumes, interview candidates, onboard the new hire, train the new hire and develop them continuously so they remain engaged and make a meaningful contribution to your company.

The training they receive as part of their on-boarding and their ongoing development would tie into your Service and Delivery systems, Your Customer Service & Feedback systems, your Accounting Systems and your Lead Generation and Lead Conversion systems.

There are three steps to creating systems in your business...I call them the 3C's to Systematization:

1) Capture a process as it is performed now in your business - document it from beginning to end.

2) Communicate the process to those involved in it - others on your team, your clients/customers, partners, suppliers, etc.

3) Correct or improve the process as you go so it evolves with your business and your clients'/customers' needs. Also correct deviations and errors through additional training and communication.

As business owner, when you explore your systems and processes in your business - ask yourself these two important questions:

How can this process run without my intervention while keeping the quality of the service or product high? and
How can this process run with as little intervention as possible by any of my employees/team members, while keeping the quality of the service or product high?

This will lead to the stage where you oversee the system (work) but aren't directly involved in it. This affords you not only added time to apply elsewhere but a valuable perspective from which to run your business and make strategic decisions.

You can't do that from the trenches.

NOW is YOUR time.

Ariana

PS: If you're at the point where you'd like support in creating structure & systematizing parts of your business, book a consultation with me where you'll see what's possible and discover your next best step.