Yes, SOPs Are Important (IMO)

Are you down with SOPs?!​​​​​​​​

Ya know, those sexy Standard Operating Procedures?

​​​​​​​​Before I opened our coworking space I was given a book, The E-Myth Revisited. It talks about running your business on systems and standard operating procedures. ​​​​​​​​

“Your business runs on processes and people run the processes.” Michael Gerber

Realizing we hadn’t created any of these we paused and started working on them. 

  • Opening checklist

  • Closing checklist

  • How to sign up and onboard a new member with childcare

  • How to sign up and onboard a new member without childcare

  • How to use the coffee pot

Yes, all of those fun things.

We then determined which tasks belonged to who based on our strengths and the workflow​​​​​​​​.

Once we opened we went back and updated some of them based on actual implementation

**pause** 

Notice we didn’t worry about making them perfect - we just created them based on how we thought they would flow and how we wanted the client experience to be. 

**unpause**

We stayed on top of these until we got "too busy".​​​​​​​​

And not until I had to onboard a new employee did I realize what “being too busy” actually cost me. 

​​​​​​​​It took 2 days to create a 5-page step by step process. ​​​​​​​​

It took 2 days because this was on top of our normal daily workload.

Guess who learned a lesson 🙋🏼‍♀️

​​​​​​Never again!​​​​​​​​

From there on out we updated processes as they changed and created them as we created new things in the business. 

Now, maybe you’re reading this and you’re like “I'm a solopreneur, why should I do this?”

Well, friend... 

  • If you want to incorporate a project management system it’s easier to have it all written out and then start organizing it into your system of choice

  • If you want to hire some FT, PT, or even a VA you’ll be able to spend less time onboarding

  • If you have a team and you, unfortunately, get sick, or go on maternity/paternity leave, or *gasp* go on vacation they can have all the answers at their fingertips 

  • If you want to someday sell your business or turn it into a franchise  it’ll look like a turnkey opportunity

  • They create consistency in how you run your business 

  • They clear out brain space as they keep you from having everything in your brain

While creating these are not as sexy as marketing or networking events - they help create a solid foundation for you and your business! 

Are you down with SOPs or are you cringing at the thought of creating them?!

​​

Amanda Quick