Growing your business with systems

I usually get a blank look when I mentioned systems to my clients and students.  But I bet you already use systems, even if you’re not aware you do!

If you have tasks you do regularly that involve the same, or similar, steps, then you probably follow those steps each time if you want to produce the same result. 

Let’s say you want to make a meal.  You decide to cook your favourite recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  So that you get the same delicious sauce every time you’ll need to have the same batch of ingredients in the same quantities, and follow the same method.  Having the recipe makes things easy.  You don’t have to wonder what to put in the sauce or how long to cook it for.  You just follow the recipe. That recipe could also be called a system. 

In your business, having systems means you can produce a consistent result (important for quality and efficiency).   Having systems means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you do something (saving you time and energy). 

Writing down the systems and processes you follow will help you to grow your business when you want to delegate certain tasks or employ outside resources.  You’ll be able to pass over the document and know that whoever reads it will be able to follow the system and produce the same result as you.  Just like following a recipe.