SOPs. What do YOU think about when you hear that word?
For most people, SOPs or Standard Operating Procedures are all about checklists and systems- basically just about the most boring stuff known to a businessman.
However, we here at High Speed Low Drag happen to think systems are sexy!
Why are they sexy?
Systems are sexy because they are effective at streamlining your life and how you work.
With no system in place, Antonio found himself working over 100 hours a week just to keep up with his business when it was just starting out.
You certainly do not want to be in the same boat. You do not want to be trapped in your own business.
The advantage that veterans instantly have when it comes to systems is that they come from a world of systems already.
The military in general is just system after system after system. From the army to the navy, everyone needs to learn certain systems in order for operations to go smoothly.
Veterans should take this advantage and apply it when they are starting a business so that their own endeavors can run efficiently and effectively, sparing them from unnecessary collateral damage.
We then also started using a virtual office service called Virtual Office London, as that’s a great way to operate a business in London (and having a London postal address) when you’re not actually in London.
Most small business owners are running their ventures in chaos. Most are solely focused on making money and trying to do as much work as they can.
Having a 12-hour workday is not really a good business model. Instead, business owners should be thinking of ways to scale and grow their business to the point where it can allow you to work less hours as time goes by.
So how does one begin building SOPs?
The key is to first find something in the business that already works. Find a paying point in the business and find customers that are willing to pay you to solve a problem.
When you?ve accomplished that after a while and you?ve found out what works for your business, you want to systematize that to scale. You want to do this early on and even if its just you in the business.
1.? One of the first things that a business owner can do is create an organizational chart- even if it is just you in the company at this time.
Break your chart down to figure out who is running what. Once that has been down you can start to create checklists of what is really involved in each position.
This is important because when you get to the point to make your first hire then it will be easy for you to see what kind of person you need to be there with you so that it frees up more time for you to focus on something that you may only be working on 20% of the time but actually yields about 80% of your revenue.
2. 
The second point is to really focus on those checklists.?
Checklists are incredibly important.
No one is too creative or too important to use checklists. What checklists enable you to do is to avoid forgetting important details that you may take for granted.
Checklists allows business owners to hire people and train them up very quickly. This can lessen the burden of having to find hires with super specialized skills because a checklist is able to teach an ?average? hire most of what he needs to know anyway.
3.? Realize what aspects of the business you can grow and scale and do that.
Different people have different skills, strengths and weaknesses.
For example, accounting is a strength for a few but a weakness to most business owners.
Therefore it would make sense to scale the accounting tasks out. Sure it can cost money but it can also save a business owner so much time and effort and at the end of the day, that really matters.
When backed with a solid checklist and an equally solid organizational chart then you can be confident that whoever you hire and whatever tasks you scale out there will be a guide present to allow them to be accomplished well.
These three tips can be the start to creating a personalized company SOP that is really catered to your business? needs and that truly works for you. If you are just starting out in business, do consider these tips for the benefit of your own venture.
A final word on SOPs is that they should not be rigid. SOPS should be living documents that can change as the business grows. An SOP is effective if the company’s employees can use it and apply it to their everyday tasks to make their work easier and more effective. Keep this in mind when making your own SOPs and you won’t go wrong!
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