As an entrepreneur, we think that taking the jump to set up our own business will lead to greater freedom and creativity.
After all, you now have a super-understanding boss! ;)
After kicking around for a number of months (or even years), most entrepreneurs hit a wall. They have been 'winging it' up until now. Doing the work they enjoy. But more commonly getting bogged down in the 'weeds'.
There is little structure to each day - let alone each week. Entrepreneurs stumble from task to task. Reacting to customer requests and attempting to 'put out fires' left-right-and-centre.
Growing the business from here becomes a struggle.
Ironically, the solution to this common scaling problem is the introduction of limitations and restrictions - the very rules that the budding entrepreneur was seeking to escape in the first place.
Yes, growing businesses need SOPs...
Standard Operating Procedures ('SOP's) provide the frameworks to allow the business to operate in a way that provides consistent quality and minimum inefficiencies - plus, super important, increased freedom for the entrepreneur.It seems counter-intuitive to wish to introduce rigid rules and systems into your business but you will find that your stress levels decrease, you'll be more productive, your team will be happier and your business will increase in size (and value!).
Seek out repetitive tasks and set up a SOP for how this task should be carried out each time, every time. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect first time. You can continually tweak the SOP until it is optimised over time.
Soon you will have a body of SOPs made up of templates, checklists, canned responses etc that your team can apply on a consistent basis. New team members can get up to speed quickly by applying the SOPs and leavers place less stress on the business (compared to where there are no SOPs).
Try introducing SOPs. You will soon find that you grow to love them as they give you greater freedom and increase the value of your business.
You too can then become soppy about the freedom that they provide.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://businessn2k.com/getting-sop-py-about-freedom/
Hey Steve, thank you for this post! Personally, I think that whatever you have mentioned is very true.
Being an employee myself, I detest SOP and rules because it slows things down tremendously. From time to time, I request for changes, it always gets shot down by higher management.
However, on the sideline, I run a digital marketing agency that manages social media platforms for clients. I create SOPs for my team to handle, if not it's gonna be chaotic as hell.
Because i know how it feels to have boring SOPs, I try not to have too many unnecessary ones for my team. Overall, I try to keep it small-scale, simple and agile.
Once again, thanks for highlighting this point! I have tried running my biz without SOPs, it's just problematic and tiring. zero automation in place.
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Absolutely, SOPs are no fun in of themselves. They just provide the leverage to go out and have some fun.
Appreciate your comment.
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No worries about it buddy! I like your content that revolves around entrepreneurship! Not many steemians are talking about this topic! That’s why I’m here :)
Let’s stay connected!!
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Many thanks!
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