Growing out of the Pandemic – Systems and Processes

When you decided to start out in business, did you dream of what it would be like to be your own boss? 

• Spending your days only doing work you love
• Working the hours you want to work
• Charging the rate you know you’re worth 
• Not having to dance to anyone else’s tune 
• Having the freedom to make your own decisions

The reality

You eagerly get your business underway and then one day reality hits!

From first idea, then getting the basics set up, creating and delivering your product or service, establishing yourself in your marketplace and then year-on-year growing your business and a loyal customer base, there is a lot to do – every day.

Then Brexit hits, then a pandemic has you working from your kitchen table, or worse, has shut you down. Or your business was considered essential work and you stayed open, only to juggle that and everything else that was disrupted by lockdowns.

Now unless you think you’re some kind of superhero, it’s just not possible to keep juggling all of this by yourself. Particularly not if you’re still hankering after your dream you still have, even after all that has gone on. Even superheroes have help.

The key skill to learn – delegation

So, the art of delegation becomes a key skill to have. Some people have it naturally, and for others it’s a skill that needs to be learned, but as a business owner it’s crucial you get used to using it. Thoughts like, “no one else can do what I do, and even if they can they won’t get it right”, need to be seen for what they are – an obstacle to delegation and efficient working.

Great delegation comes from great systems

Systemising what you do and how you do it, is the most efficient way to ensure your team all do things the same way. When you have great systems in place, it becomes easy to delegate all of the work that’s a time drain on your day and keeps you from doing the work only you can do. 

The sooner you put systems in place in your business the better. Small business or large, taking the time to either implement new or check existing systems are rock solid in every area will save you a huge amount of time and expense. 

Start by mapping out an organisation chart showing all of the roles within your business and how they have changed since the pandemic. Then map out the processes needed for each of those roles to be carried out to the level you expect. During this mapping process, ensure you keep your customers, employees and at the centre of everything, with the aim of every process serving them. Happy people, happy business – you will reap the benefits. 

Training made simple

As well as enabling everyone in your team to do things the same way, clear processes also make the training of new staff, contractors and freelancers easy and efficient. Easy and efficient systems should enable anyone with a basic understanding of a role to be able to step in and pick up the reins.

If the idea of mapping out systems for your business still feels daunting, please don’t just try to forge ahead without them. Ask for guidance to help make them as streamlined as possible from the get-go.

Levelling up your business couldn’t be easier with Grant-Jones’ Top Tips and Ideas for Business Growth book. Click here to get a copy straight to your computer today.