5 Steps To Map Your Business Success
by Brett Linnenkohl
SOMETIMES, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS IS RUNNING YOU.
Everything is fine, mostly.
Whenever you step into your business, it seems like you’re getting pulled in every direction–no one knows the password to the Wi-Fi, or where the supplier’s check is, or what to do when the printer is jammed, or who the contact is at your cousin’s wife’s college roommate’s company–and that’s if you’re lucky.
You started your business so you could have more freedom, authority, and really get to execute the ideas that excited you. Un- fortunately though, you find yourself neck-deep in a rat’s nest.
Nothing is really outright broken, but, when you’re honest with yourself, you know things could be better. Your reviews get dogged by the same type of complaints. Constant turnover creates an unstable work environment. Your social media accounts are basically virtual ghost towns. You know that if it wasn’t for you or your closest 1-2 team members, there simply wouldn’t be a business. You know you could be delivering more to your customers, and standing out brighter from your competition.
SO, OKAY, MAYBE THINGS AREN'T THAT FINE
But even thinking about untangling the complex rat’s nest that your systems have become is an enormous headache. You’ve pretty much convinced yourself that these little fires–the ones that only take you an hour or so to fix–aren’t so bad. Most days you’re just thankful that no one has made a fatal error in a contract, or your right-hand person hasn’t decided to move on to another opportunity.
Maybe, one day, you’d like to hand your business down to your family. Or perhaps you’d like to cash out eventually and enjoy the efforts of your hard work. But if you ever want anyone else to be in charge of your business, you need to make sure it is self-sufficient.
BECAUSE YOUR BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY MORE PROFITABLE IF IT CAN RUN ITSELF WITHOUT YOU.
The problem is that every road in your business leads straight to you–and only you.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners tend to be self-sufficient, visionary individuals who love delegating and creating momentum. But they often have glaring blinds pots, and if they aren’t fixed, the blinds pots can be fatal to even the most successful businesses.
You just can’t build a sustainable business off good luck and the 1-2 superstar employees by your side! Likewise, you can’t expect to have a profitable business when all the passwords, contacts, and methods are in your head alone. You need support, organization, and (most importantly) you need systems.
HERE’S HOW TO MAP YOUR BUSINESS
SO YOU CAN REMOVE YOURSELF FROM YOUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AND MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MORE PROFITABLE:
1 - OBSERVE
First, you need to change how you view your business. You need to be honest with yourself–what areas of your business are the most snarled, unpredictable, or on the fritz? It’s imperative that you give yourself a bird-eye view of things as they are and identify the building blocks which make up your business.
But...how do you get this view?
Begin by examining your current systems as they are. Simply ob- serve yourself and your team for a day or two, and perform busi- ness as normal. While observing, make note of the actions and outcomes each department performs. Then log these individual processes. You need to especially take notice of how the actions of one department turn up in another department. These are your systems!
By scrutinizing this data, you’re able to identify problems with a clear head. If one of your systems tends to go haywire, chances are, it’s affecting other systems too.
Let’s say a small company receives most of their leads from the CEO’s personal network. Sales are incredibly easy to close, but the number is severely constricted by how many people the CEO personally knows. Not only does this ultimately reduce revenue, but it is very difficult for the sales team to really be a meaningful part of the team because they were unable to perform at the same level. People grow bored or bitter, and leave shortly. Training becomes dusty and muddled because of constant turnover. But if the CEO was able to reformat his network acquisition, this other (seemingly unrelated) issue would be solved as well.
2 - CHART
Systems identified, it’s time to look at them together. The best way to visualize all that info is with a simple but effective visual tool: a flowchart.
A pen and paper will do just fine if you’re brainstorming, but there are also plenty of great, free flowchart tools online. (We like Whimsical.) Whatever you choose, make sure to clearly identify systems, sub-systems, etc, until you can outline the exact process of every task and outcome.
Map each system and identify what comes up on a flow chart. As you go along, you’ll identify subsystems and what outcomes arise from them. Continue to identify each process and the systems that support them.
This exercise will illuminate to you that your business truly is the sum of its parts. Each department is just one box in a series of many boxes that make up your business. If one of those boxes is crooked, or broken, or rusted through, the whole system will be off-balance. By really going through each box and its connections, you’ll be able to clearly identify every step of every process.
3 - STRATEGIZE
Flow chart complete, it’s time to assess the data you’ve compiled.
Crossed wires and leaky processes right in front of you, you can see the areas that need to be smoothed out. Perhaps the reason your product’s shipment is constantly delayed isn’t because of your “forgetful” team–it’s because you’ve been shipping on the busiest day of the week!
Using the boxes and your data, assign roles to your team members based on the needs of the business and their skill levels. To ensure you create a leakproof system, you need to plan from the bottom-up. Perhaps that right hand of yours can take many, many boxes, but your new hire should be eased in a bit and can only take one or two. Be mindful of your needs and your team so you can guarantee your system will stay in place.
This exercise will illuminate to you that your business truly is the sum of its parts. Each department is just one box in a series of many boxes that make up your business. If one of those boxes is crooked, or broken, or rusted through, the whole system will be off-balance. By really going through each box and its connections, you’ll be able to clearly identify every step of every process.
4 - OPTIMIZE
Want to ensure perfection every time? No, it’s not a fantasy! With automations, you can reduce your workload tremendously.
The internet is an extremely powerful tool, and offers a ton of free (or very inexpensive) software that can support your structures. Always automate as much as you can.
So many tools only need to be set up once and then work forever without any chance of human error! Software only helps your business and it makes operations smoother, faster, and perfect.
So, with this in mind, look at any unassigned roles (over over- crowded boxes) and assess which ones can be automated. Per- haps, instead of tasking marketing to do follow-up calls to confirm bookings, you can automate those messages by sending text messages instead.
5 - REFINE
After all that work, it’s time for the fun part: refining. This step is what will take your business from good to great—once and for all.
You need to continuously strive to keep your systems organized and efficient. Look over each box, and determine how it can be optimized for peak performance.
For example, you and your team must have objective measures that can track the output of each box. This will allow you to track output and also easily identify the source if you ever have an issue. By using KPIs (key performance indicators) you can give your team clarity.
Another great method of planning is using if/then mapping. If one of your systems creates actions that may have different outcomes, it’s important to be aware of each outcome so you can plan on how to optimize opportunities. For example, let’s look at customers.
A little hint: customers will always be the most unpredictable part of any business. So that’s a great area to log several approaches. Let’s imagine you have a customer feedback box. You can plan on the potential interactions, and outcomes that arise from them. If someone asks for the store hours, the answer is X (and so on). This is a simplified example, but by using this logic, you can predict nearly any out- come in your business.
Quality control checks are another essential tool to make sure you show up with bells and whistles every day. With built-in feedback loops, you can log outputs in each system by outside sources to reduce any chance for error.
AND THERE’S YOU’LL HAVE IT: A FULLY MAPPED-OUT BUSINESS! NOW SELF-RELIANT, YOU CAN TAKE A BREATHER.
No more headaches, no more incessant issues cutting into your productivity, no more crossed wires...with your head clear above water, you have a much better view!
STILL DOUBTING?
Just call us for a quick, free chat! We can do a deep analysis of your business and fix your systems. The more tangled, the better. Every day doesn’t need to be that hard! Give us a call, and get on the road to a thriving, independent business.
5 Steps To Map Your Business Success
by Brett Linnenkohl
SOMETIMES, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE YOUR BUSINESS IS RUNNING YOU.
Everything is fine, mostly.
Whenever you step into your business, it seems like you’re getting pulled in every direction–no one knows the password to the Wi-Fi, or where the supplier’s check is, or what to do when the printer is jammed, or who the contact is at your cousin’s wife’s college roommate’s company–and that’s if you’re lucky.
You started your business so you could have more freedom, authority, and really get to execute the ideas that excited you. Un- fortunately though, you find yourself neck-deep in a rat’s nest.
Nothing is really outright broken, but, when you’re honest with yourself, you know things could be better. Your reviews get dogged by the same type of complaints. Constant turnover creates an unstable work environment. Your social media accounts are basically virtual ghost towns. You know that if it wasn’t for you or your closest 1-2 team members, there simply wouldn’t be a business. You know you could be delivering more to your customers, and standing out brighter from your competition.
SO, OKAY, MAYBE THINGS AREN'T THAT FINE
But even thinking about untangling the complex rat’s nest that your systems have become is an enormous headache. You’ve pretty much convinced yourself that these little fires–the ones that only take you an hour or so to fix–aren’t so bad. Most days you’re just thankful that no one has made a fatal error in a contract, or your right-hand person hasn’t decided to move on to another opportunity.
Maybe, one day, you’d like to hand your business down to your family. Or perhaps you’d like to cash out eventually and enjoy the efforts of your hard work. But if you ever want anyone else to be in charge of your business, you need to make sure it is self-sufficient.
BECAUSE YOUR BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY MORE PROFITABLE IF IT CAN RUN ITSELF WITHOUT YOU.
The problem is that every road in your business leads straight to you–and only you.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners tend to be self-sufficient, visionary individuals who love delegating and creating momentum. But they often have glaring blinds pots, and if they aren’t fixed, the blinds pots can be fatal to even the most successful businesses.
You just can’t build a sustainable business off good luck and the 1-2 superstar employees by your side! Likewise, you can’t expect to have a profitable business when all the passwords, contacts, and methods are in your head alone. You need support, organization, and (most importantly) you need systems.
HERE’S HOW TO MAP YOUR BUSINESS
SO YOU CAN REMOVE YOURSELF FROM YOUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AND MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MORE PROFITABLE:
1 - OBSERVE
First, you need to change how you view your business. You need to be honest with yourself–what areas of your business are the most snarled, unpredictable, or on the fritz? It’s imperative that you give yourself a bird-eye view of things as they are and identify the building blocks which make up your business.
But...how do you get this view?
Begin by examining your current systems as they are. Simply ob- serve yourself and your team for a day or two, and perform busi- ness as normal. While observing, make note of the actions and outcomes each department performs. Then log these individual processes. You need to especially take notice of how the actions of one department turn up in another department. These are your systems!
By scrutinizing this data, you’re able to identify problems with a clear head. If one of your systems tends to go haywire, chances are, it’s affecting other systems too.
Let’s say a small company receives most of their leads from the CEO’s personal network. Sales are incredibly easy to close, but the number is severely constricted by how many people the CEO personally knows. Not only does this ultimately reduce revenue, but it is very difficult for the sales team to really be a meaningful part of the team because they were unable to perform at the same level. People grow bored or bitter, and leave shortly. Training becomes dusty and muddled because of constant turnover. But if the CEO was able to reformat his network acquisition, this other (seemingly unrelated) issue would be solved as well.
2 - CHART
Systems identified, it’s time to look at them together. The best way to visualize all that info is with a simple but effective visual tool: a flowchart.
A pen and paper will do just fine if you’re brainstorming, but there are also plenty of great, free flowchart tools online. (We like Whimsical.) Whatever you choose, make sure to clearly identify systems, sub-systems, etc, until you can outline the exact process of every task and outcome.
Map each system and identify what comes up on a flow chart. As you go along, you’ll identify subsystems and what outcomes arise from them. Continue to identify each process and the systems that support them.
This exercise will illuminate to you that your business truly is the sum of its parts. Each department is just one box in a series of many boxes that make up your business. If one of those boxes is crooked, or broken, or rusted through, the whole system will be off-balance. By really going through each box and its connections, you’ll be able to clearly identify every step of every process.
3 - STRATEGIZE
Flow chart complete, it’s time to assess the data you’ve compiled.
Crossed wires and leaky processes right in front of you, you can see the areas that need to be smoothed out. Perhaps the reason your product’s shipment is constantly delayed isn’t because of your “forgetful” team–it’s because you’ve been shipping on the busiest day of the week!
Using the boxes and your data, assign roles to your team members based on the needs of the business and their skill levels. To ensure you create a leakproof system, you need to plan from the bottom-up. Perhaps that right hand of yours can take many, many boxes, but your new hire should be eased in a bit and can only take one or two. Be mindful of your needs and your team so you can guarantee your system will stay in place.
This exercise will illuminate to you that your business truly is the sum of its parts. Each department is just one box in a series of many boxes that make up your business. If one of those boxes is crooked, or broken, or rusted through, the whole system will be off-balance. By really going through each box and its connections, you’ll be able to clearly identify every step of every process.
4 - OPTIMIZE
Want to ensure perfection every time? No, it’s not a fantasy! With automations, you can reduce your workload tremendously.
The internet is an extremely powerful tool, and offers a ton of free (or very inexpensive) software that can support your structures. Always automate as much as you can.
So many tools only need to be set up once and then work forever without any chance of human error! Software only helps your business and it makes operations smoother, faster, and perfect.
So, with this in mind, look at any unassigned roles (over over- crowded boxes) and assess which ones can be automated. Per- haps, instead of tasking marketing to do follow-up calls to confirm bookings, you can automate those messages by sending text messages instead.
5 - REFINE
After all that work, it’s time for the fun part: refining. This step is what will take your business from good to great—once and for all.
You need to continuously strive to keep your systems organized and efficient. Look over each box, and determine how it can be optimized for peak performance.
For example, you and your team must have objective measures that can track the output of each box. This will allow you to track output and also easily identify the source if you ever have an issue. By using KPIs (key performance indicators) you can give your team clarity.
Another great method of planning is using if/then mapping. If one of your systems creates actions that may have different outcomes, it’s important to be aware of each outcome so you can plan on how to optimize opportunities. For example, let’s look at customers.
A little hint: customers will always be the most unpredictable part of any business. So that’s a great area to log several approaches. Let’s imagine you have a customer feedback box. You can plan on the potential interactions, and outcomes that arise from them. If someone asks for the store hours, the answer is X (and so on). This is a simplified example, but by using this logic, you can predict nearly any out- come in your business.
Quality control checks are another essential tool to make sure you show up with bells and whistles every day. With built-in feedback loops, you can log outputs in each system by outside sources to reduce any chance for error.
AND THERE’S YOU’LL HAVE IT: A FULLY MAPPED-OUT BUSINESS! NOW SELF-RELIANT, YOU CAN TAKE A BREATHER.
No more headaches, no more incessant issues cutting into your productivity, no more crossed wires...with your head clear above water, you have a much better view!