How to eliminate chaos in your business using systems
This guide is based on Mixergy’s interview with Kelly Azevedo.
After her client discovered that her company was thrown into chaos whenever an employee left, Kelly Azevedo coached her into documenting everything and keeping her business running smoothly no matter what. It was all done by creating simple systems to delegate more work, so we invited her to teach you how to do it.
Kelly is a systems engineer who helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses by improving their business operations.
Here are the actionable highlights from the interview.
1. Define your goal so you know where to start
Kelly’s client wanted his business to run without him while he traveled for a few months, so she helped him create systems to delegate the tasks he used to do while on vacation.
- Take Action:
- Identify your goal, then figure out which tasks need to be delegated or documented to achieve it.
2. Document your tasks so employees can do it exactly the way you want
Kelly had a client who documented how to create a blog post by specifying where to place the photo, which tags to use, and how to schedule the post.
- Take action:
- List all the jobs you do on a regular basis, create specific step-by-step instructions for each one, and include screenshots if necessary.
3. Review instructions with employees to prevent future errors
By asking one of her clients why she hadn’t received any of their emails, Kelly helped them realize that they had overlooked the small step of telling her about her new email account.
- Take Action:
- Sit down with your employees, go over the instructions, take note of any questions they may have about the process, and respond by filling in the gaps with more detailed steps.
4. Identify and correct problems that arise so you won’t have to deal with them ever again
One of Kelly’s team members found a solution for a coworker who had trouble logging into multiple Gmail accounts at once, and Kelly used the opportunity to update the instructions in case a future employee ran into the same situation.
- Take Action:
- Listen to any complaints your employees may have about the process, fix the problem, and revise the documentation to include the new and improved method.
5. Outsource jobs that distract from your focus
One of Kelly’s clients had all the employees clean the office instead of hiring a cleaning company, and as a result, the employees were distracted and couldn’t focus on the core business.
- Take Action:
- Identify the tasks that can be outsourced, and appoint a team member to take over or hire an outside company if necessary.
6. Measure the quantity and quality of your team’s output, so you know whether to relax or step it up
Kelly says that by using this tactic, you will be able to avoid a mistake made by one of her clients, whose business suffered because he neglected to monitor his team’s progress before going on a vacation.
- Take Action:
- Create a spreadsheet that lists each task along with its due date and the person responsible for it, then use it to record whether or not a task has been carried out effectively.
7. Expand the team to run your system and grow your business
One of Kelly’s clients had a very successful launch because he hired an affiliate manager to handle the company’s online presence while he focused solely on serving his clients.
- Take Action:
- With a successful system in place, hire more people and delegate accordingly or tweak your system to increase the cash flow.