Do your employees seem too dependent on you? Could they benefit from being more autonomous? Are you wondering what you can do to improve your growing business and its value? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) may be what you need to solve your problems.
The fact is, building a system-based business can change your life!
Providing adequate training and established processes helps everyone to know what to do in most situations. Taking a system-based approach to solving problems and building business ensures consistency and makes it repeatable. It will allow you, the owner, more freedom from the daily operation when everyone knows exactly what to do.
There is more good news. You, as the business owner, don’t need to be directly involved in the process. In fact, it’s best that the owner doesn’t work on the project at all. Of course owners know exactly how everything runs in the business today. They often tend to think that they know best about every aspect and, although that may be true, it doesn’t necessarily help in the process of creating a system-based business.
What does an SOP look like?
A Standard Operating Procedure is a set of instructions used to train and onboard your employees. SOPs are the foundation of building a business that can thrive while giving you the freedom to work when and where you want.
In addition, SOPs allow you to:
Provide your customers with a consistent experience.
Minimize your time spent problem solving.
Train new and existing employees.
Build a company that is worth more to a potential buyer.
Help you sleep better at night and reduce your daily stress
One of the most common misconceptions about SOPs is that their creation relies on a grand strategic plan and requires months of planning and extensive documentation. Many people immediately think about things like Six Sigma, ISO or similar programs. In reality, employees of small businesses need practical advice, parameters and instruction for getting tasks accomplished rather than grandiose strategies.
Whether you are trying to implement organization around basic tasks, enable your employees to be more independent and less reliant on you for problem-solving, or are just looking to improve your growing business and its value, the answer is in creating Standard Operating Procedures.
I have attached a link for you to grab a free copy of the ValueBuilder™ e-book – The Definitive Guide to SOP’s
If you would like to have a conversation on how I might help you with your business please reach out at: mailto:andrew@newhorizonsbizdev.com?subject=Lets talk!