There are a lot of items on any business owners’ to-do list.

In fact, that list can often seem overwhelming and never-ending.

With the right systems and processes in place, though, you can drastically cut down on the amount of time and energy exerted over many of these tasks, meaning more efficiency, time freedom and profitability down the line. 

Setting up these structures may take more time up-front but the investment will pay you back enormously in the long-run, as long as you’re intentional and diligent about documenting, adhering to, and regularly reevaluating the guidelines you create. 

Here’s why creating these systems is worth the effort. 

What are systems, processes, and tools? 

First let’s lay some groundwork to gain clarity on what I mean when I use the words systems, processes and tools. 

The below chart gives you an idea of the differences between the three terms. 

Essentially, systems are a group of related processes that encompass an entire area or department of your business. You may have systems related to financial management, marketing, onboarding, customer service, FAQs, production, coaching, etc.

Systems can overlap each other and different disciplines within a business.

Processes, on the other hand, tend to be more siloed. Each system typically includes multiple processes that outline a specific group of steps that need to be followed in order to complete a given task.

When we look at marketing, for example, each month you may need to create a content calendar outlining what you’re going to post on social media. This process will look different depending on what platforms you show up on, how you source and create your content, and how often you post.

Finally, tools are the software you can use to help complete each given task within your processes. Not every system will require a tool, but often systems and processes can be made easier or more efficient with the introduction of a tool (this is often why tools are created in the first place)!

Benefits of processes and systems

Oftentimes, especially when business owners are just starting out, everything is kept in their mind.  

Tasks are getting done, but may be completed in different ways or with different results each time, because there’s likely not a set of clear steps being followed.

And, even if there’s a general outline they follow in their mind, no one else would be able to complete the task in exactly the same way as they do because there’s no documentation of what’s being done.

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing” - (W. Edwards Deming, Total Quality Management).

When someone is working in this way it can be overwhelming because they’re trying to remember everything that needs to get done, and it means that the business owner has sole responsibility for all tasks being completed in their business.

It’s also extremely difficult to begin to outsource or delegate tasks in this scenario because it will require a lot of hand-holding and time spent trying to extract the processes from the business owner, if they want things done in the same way that they’ve been completing them.

And often, because it seems daunting to try and train someone in this way, business owners will hold onto tasks and wear all of the hats in their company for far longer than they should.

When you start to document the processes you have in place in your business, you’re preparing yourself for future success in your business:

• They prepare you for growth and scalability because they’ll support you in outsourcing your work easily with a smoother transition and training period,

• They can improve efficiency and productivity because tasks can be automated, combined, eliminated or delegated more easily if you’re aware of what you’re doing each day/month/year and can see redundancies or gaps in your processes,

• They create more organization and structure (and therefore less stress) because there’s no questioning what needs to be done or how to complete it,

• They allow for consistency because tasks will be completed in the same order, using the same tools each time, and

• They reduce costs and improve profitability over time because less time will be wasted and less mistakes made.

When to start implementing systems

I recommend creating many of your systems and processes as soon as you can along your business journey! Will they change? Probably many times. In my experience, though, they change far less when you have something written down.

Most business owners create their business with the intention of growing and scaling it, and if that’s your goal, you need to prepare your business for that future success.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits

Consider the concept of a franchise business model. Franchises often have extremely clear guidelines for the systems and processes that have worked in the past, which makes it much easier for future locations to replicate the same success.

For example,

• Systems and processes for hiring

• Management systems and processes

• Cleaning systems and processes

• Goals and KPIs to hit, and

• Advertising systems and processes

Even if you never plan on franchising and don’t care to grow beyond a solo owner, documenting systems allows for more ease, repeatability, and scalability than is possible if you’re keeping everything to yourself or “winging” tasks without keeping track of the data.  

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you need to invest in every tool on the market or create every system right at the beginning.  

I’m very conscious of the fact that small business owners have limited resources (time, money, and energy) available to them.  

However, for any tasks that you find yourself doing on a regular basis, begin documenting what you’re doing.

From there you can start to acknowledge what processes might be able to be handed off, which systems and processes are redundant, and where a tool might make a task easier.  

(And p.s. you don’t need a whole system in place to define/refine processes and choose the right tools).

If you start this process early on, you’re setting yourself and your business up for success by preparing for future growth and easy hand-off.