Systems: Your Best Sidekick

You know the feeling of being stuck, spinning your wheels, or being completely overwhelmed? 

Often, the culprit isn't a lack of passion or hard work, but a lack of systems. That’s right, systems. One of the most underrated Ps of your 7Ps matrix. 

Wait, don’t get overwhelmed and click out of this. Let me explain and give you tools to implement strategic changes to make your business work for you. 

Imagine a roommate who couldn’t manage their life well, so their room was a constant mess. Their articles were all over the house, dishes were continually in the sink, and it smelled like a middle school locker room because who knows how long laundry had been sitting there or what was growing on the carpet.

Are you reliving the terrible experience again? Good, because the same can be true of your business without systems. We can go about living in your own turmoil, and though it may not affect you, as you grow and more people begin to occupy space and have opinions about the operational structure, your systems will be crucial for maintaining high performers and scaling with efficiency and cleanliness.

Here are three reasons systems matter: they will prevent you from:

• Continually reinventing the wheel

  The expression work smarter, not harder applies here. How many times have you had to dig through your email, notes app, or those random papers you have scattered around to find ideas or recall information about a project? 

  It doesn’t have to be that difficult. Systems can help you keep track of everything you need

• Dropping the ball or having to juggle as much

  When systems are engaged well, you can accomplish 10x what you can without them. Automations are incredible tools that do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. There are so many incredible tools to utilize from Zapier to Kit, Calendly, Jotform, and Riverside.fm, to name a few. These are some of our favorite tools. 

  Using a project management tool allows you to set up tasks, leads, and other resources, set reminders, track updates, and more. 

  Instead of fumbling through your email each time you remember to follow up with a prospect, add them to a list in a project management software, set a deadline to follow up with them, and then add notes about each interaction. This way, when you get a notification to follow up with a lead, you can have everything in one place to create a more meaningful conversation. 
  

• Being a bottleneck as you grow

  By building systems as you start and scale, you can train employees on existing processes. This decreases onboarding time and increases visibility and efficiency.

  It also serves as a great tool when positions change and new hires are brought in. Not to mention, if you ever want to sell your business, processes will be crucial to its success. The same is true of seeking funding or partners.

  The more organized your business, the more valuable the asset.

Imagine having a clear roadmap for onboarding new clients, managing your finances, or even creating content. That's the power of systems. They bring order to the chaos and lay the foundation for sustainable growth.

Systems are like Robin to your Batman, Luigi to your Mario, Barney to your Griffith. They’re reliable, helpful, and at times bail you out of a circumstance where you’re behind the ball. Or in Barney’s case, he made Andy look like a brilliant hero more often than not. Your systems are your support to change the world in the ways you’re called to. 

Here’s a guide to help you implement sustainable processes. If you want a more in-depth view of what systems can help you scale and best practices for building them, join the Build Emboldened Hub for access to those resources and much more.

We want to be your Buzz Lightyear, helping you plan your mission impact to infinity and beyond!