Systematize your business

I recently read a great post over at Small Business Trends about startup lessons which really brought home the importance of something I've been working on lately.

Systematizing your business. And the importance of doing it sooner rather than later.

I'm in the process of writing my procedural manual for the business. Somewhat of a step-by-step quide on how we here at Scratchpad Secretaries do business. Our ethics. Our business practices. Our systems. How we serve our customer from beginning to end. The branding of business letters, thank you letters, surveys, how to turn a pdf into a jpeg (!)... the list goes on.

One thing I'd highly recommend is doing it as you go along. Whenever you perform a task, take a few extra seconds to make a list on the steps involved in execution. Me? I didn't do that. "I know it", I thought, "It's not rocket science."

No it's not, but if you have a new employee or sub-contractor on board, who's to say they don't do it they're own way? A different way? And just becuase something is different doesn't make it wrong, but you've got to look at the branding of it as well. Not just colours and logos, but the flow, the languaging, that sort of thing.

I started with my website, in particular the services page. I've written down the steps to each service we offer as a virtual assistant practice. And the follow up; what it takes to get the project back to the client and how we do this. Leave no stone unturned! Write it all down. Create a manual.

It will ease your mind if/when your business skyrockets overnight, or if you hit a really busy period and find yourself needing to hire some extra bodies. Just think, you have everything outlined for a smooth/smoother transition.

It will also give you a better peace of mind knowing that your values and your ethics in your business are being respected and followed and the branding will be consistent - as will your reputation!

Here's to systemization!