Here are 6 tips to help you scale your systems and structure:
1. Systems are reliable processes and procedures that empower your business to consistently produce an excellent result for your clients or customers. They’re documented best practices that increase your company’s efficiency and reduce costly mistakes.
As you scale, one of the most important systems you need is the system of how you store, organize, access, and update your systems. In our business coaching practice, we call this your “UBS” (Stands for ultimate business system.) As you scale you must create your company’s UBS.
2. Your need systems for both capturing historic company knowledge such as vendor agreements, client concessions, and joint venture partner idiosyncrasies. You also need systems to functionally help you do a task or perform a process.
3. Every successful business system has two layers: the process layer and the format layer.
The process layer consists of the step-by-step process or procedure you’ve created. Does your system accurately capture the steps of the process so that when you follow it you consistently get the desired result? It does you no good to formalize poor processes. You want your systems to capture your best practices and winning moves, making it easier for your company to replicate and scale those successes.
The format layer deals with how you package and present your system to your team.
Is your system easy to use? Is it transparent so team members intuitively understand how to use it? Can it be automated so much of the work happens via technology instead of manual work?
As you scale, you need to refine both layers of your company systems.
4. To scale you need to have grown your personal muscles of letting them lead and own functions inside your business. 20 years of coaching business owners has taught me that this is not something to take for granted. Many business owners are scared to let go of control in their business and as a result, they remain trapped in the job of their business.
5. When you’re solving a business challenge, look for solutions that can be scaled. For example, imagine you were selecting a web platform to process orders from your field sales force. When evaluating which platform to use, I suggest you choose one that could handle the high transaction volume you eventually want to have, provided the cost for this greater capacity isn’t too high. If the cost doesn’t make financial sense, consider a smart alternative. Choose a platform that can be easily upgraded later as your sales volume increases and you have the excess cash flow to warrant the upgrade. You’d say “no” to any platform that couldn’t handle your expected sales volume or be easily upgraded and expanded later.
The bottom line is that you need to think about scaling as you run and operate your business. In many ways, you build a scalable company through the cumulative impact of hundreds of small decisions through time.