The world’s most profitable businesses are built around business systemisation.
Why?
Because their leaders understand the value of systems.
Unfortunately, the very businesses that need it most – the entrepreneur who is so busy that he can’t take a holiday or leave his business for a day – often do not understand the value it provides and how it would help free up time so that he can grow his business.
Here are five of the most common excuses small business owners use to stop themselves from benefiting from using systems in their businesses, as well as how to smash those excuses once and for all.
The Top 5 Excuses To Systemizing Your Business and How to Smash Them
1. I Don’t Have Time to Systemise My Business
Here’s the thing. There’s never going to be enough time or the perfect time.
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
So when will you have time to systemise your business?
It’s the same with exercise…you just have to make time.
The truth is that when something is important enough, you will find the time.
Those who make time to exercise despite their busy schedule do it because they’ve seen the benefits and consider it to be a priority. And so it is with your business; you’ll make time for it when you understand the benefits of systemisation.
The best time to start is right now because the faster you get systemised, the faster you will reap the rewards, and you’ll wish you had done it years ago.
It may initially seem overwhelming, so the best way to tackle it is one step at a time. Start by making a plan of what you want to achieve and how to get there. Keep your goals realistic and attainable because slow progress is still progress.
Keep your eyes on the end goal so you stay focused.
Tip! Don’t take on any other major projects while systemising your business. Focus first on this project so that it can free up time later. The best way to allocate time for it is to set appointments in your and your team’s calendar.
When you’re tempted to work on something else you may think is more important at the time, remember that the quicker you get systemised, the more productive your business is going to be.
Set targets for your team, and if necessary, find an accountability partner to help you stay on track.
Just Start
One small step at a time.
Check out this article to help you free up time: How to Get Clear on Your Role in Your Business
2. Business Systems will Dampen Creativity
If you believe that systems will limit your freedom and discourage creativity, be assured that it actually gives you more freedom to do what you love and to be creative.
Structures and systems around the activities you don’t enjoy will allow higher productivity, and you won’t need to spend as much time doing boring stuff because systemisation frees up your time and your head space so that you can work on your creative activities.
Having other people take care of all the mundane and repetitive tasks leaves you to do what you are best at.
If the words, “business systems” makes you turn pale, consider outsourcing as much of the work as you can, and consider an expert to help you.
Let’s examine how this would work for a Graphic Designer who gets a new design project:
All the steps to set up the project can be systemised, excluding, of course, the actual designing the logo.
If the Graphic Designer could set up the project including having everything they need in place in just 20 minutes by following a proven checklist, then that would allow the Designer more time in the day to do more of the core work, which is design.
But without a system, a project set-up could take at least double that time. Things like setting up projects are repetitive and can be automated. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time.
Common things such as sending out the initial invoice or getting a project questionnaire returned are easily forgotten, and this just holds up the process. Work out the best system and see where automation of steps can be applied.
Can you see yet how smart business systemisation is?
Related: Systemising Your Business is What Brings Freedom
The Top 5 Excuses To Systemizing Your Business and How to Smash Them
3. I Don’t Have the Skills to Systemise
Don’t simply jump in and try to swim straight away. Be patient with yourself, as this may be a learning curve, but keep focusing on the end result.
If you don’t know where to start, do some research about business systemisation.
A good place to begin your homework is to read the articles on my blog where you will find some great tips and resources.
Get your head in the right mindset, as this will keep you motivated. To do this, check out a few highly recommended books like E-Myth by Michael Gerber, Work The System by Sam Carpenter, and Traction by Gino Wickman.
Write out the vision for your business, your purpose and your values. These documents are often referred to as your Strategic Objectives and Guiding Principles.
These foundational documents should be kept alive by communicating them to your team. It is also these documents that are used as the basis of your systems so that your goals can be achieved.
The next step is to map out everything that you do in your business into a visual format. I call this your Systems Infrastructure. My clients find this to be very helpful to have a bird’s eye view of their business in terms of systems and processes.
From there, plan out the parts of your business you want to put systems around. Start with the parts that most need organisation or improvement.
4. My Team Won’t Follow The Systems
Just as a parent is the one who needs to enforce discipline, getting your team to use the systems is your responsibility. Firstly, you need to be 100% committed to your systems, because if your team have any doubts that you are not fully committed, they won’t follow, you need to lead by example.
By using the systems yourself (The Leader) and building a culture of, “This is how we do it”, only then will your team follow.
There is no doubt in my mind that you want the best possible team, and you want those working with you to work in a way that you want them to, with high standards. In this case, you need to make sure that your values are reflected in all your team’s work, so your company culture needs to form the basis for the way you operate.
Now, your business is going to have a culture, whether it’s by design or not, so you’re going to want to make sure it’s by your design, and not left to chance.
No matter how small your business is, the minute you come into contact with a potential new team member or client, the culture you desire must be made very clear.
If someone in your business doesn’t want to read off the same page, then they are not a good fit for your business.
Involve your team when systemising your business so that they can contribute and feel valued.
Existing staff may resist change because that’s human nature, but they’ll come around if you tell them how business systemisation will benefit them too, and if you include them in the planning so that they feel involved and valued.
5. What If I Don’t See the ROI of Business Systemisation?
Systemising your business is the most valuable action you can take for many reasons, some of which are:
- It contributes towards business growth allowing you to scale.
- It improves productivity, which means your team gets more done.
- Improves customer satisfaction, and you are likely to get repeat business as a result.
- A business that is systemised is more valuable than a business that is not.
- Many systems take the place of needing to hire people, so you save on associated costs.
The Top 5 Excuses To Systemizing Your Business and How to Smash Them
Conclusion
The truth is that business systems often get pushed to the side and put into the “too hard basket” or they get overlooked because they are “not important enough”, only because the significance is not always apparent.
But, if you look at any successful, thriving business, in particular, those who make millions, you will see how they are built with efficient systems, which is a core element of their success.
Systemisation can give your business the edge, and it’s possible that if you haven’t systemised yet, most likely your competitors haven’t either. The good news is that you can differentiate yourself from others by putting systems into place.
Whatever your ambitions for your business, business systems will get you there quicker.
The best thing is that you don’t need to do it alone. Get in touch with me, and I’ll give you a plan for how to achieve systemisation in your business.
