People’s memories are sh*t. Even when paying attention to something they’re highly interested in, there’s still a good chance that important details get lost. The worst thing about having to explain how something is done? Having to do it over and over again.
Unique
Fortunately, there are plenty of attention-seeking small business owners (like me) around publishing online templates, how-to manuals, and outlines. These can be helpful, but your business management style is as unique as your personality.
Whether you’re a shop of one or large enough to have a ball pit & beanbag chairs in your corporate HQ, you’ll want to start developing your Standard Operating Procedures.
What
Anything you find yourself repeating: links to frequently used software, communication expectations, scheduling, payroll, the list goes on… It will be a living document and should be easily accessible from a mobile device.
If you write in as a journal to yourself, it will make sense to others after a little tweaking down the line.
When
NOW. A simple Google Doc with a rough journal on navigating daily tasks is a great start. It will be a while before anyone reads it, so it can be a steaming mess for now.
The worst time to develop procedures and policies is when they’re needed. As if it doesn’t suck to write this stuff out already, imagine having to do it in a rush.
I’m onboarding new team members this week and kicking myself for not doing this sooner.
Why
No matter who you hire or team up with, a short guide explaining how you handle tasks will save everyone time and hassle. The business world scales exponentially, and repeating yourself over and over is exhausting and leaves a lot of room for errors.
Actionable Stuff
Start making rough notes into a Google Doc that can eventually be turned into your own SOPs. It beats the hell out of starting them from scratch when you needed them yesterday.