How To Create Structure Within Your Business

When it comes to running a business, there are a million different ways to get things accomplished. And if you have even a few employees, you know that if given the chance every employee will do things just a little bit differently. Which can not only cause confusion and difficulty in cross-training, but can really slow down your growth trajectory if left unchecked. So today, I wanted to talk a little bit about creating structure within your business and give you some tips on how to streamline the process for maximum efficiency.

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The UBS

Within my own business and that of my business coaching clients, we teach them to create systems which we call UBS’s or universal business systems. Which is a fancy acronym for a set of documents, videos and guidelines for how we do everything within our business. It’s the structure that we use for meetings. It’s a structure for how you communicate with others on your team, clients and outside vendors. It’s a structure for how you share plans and do strategic planning. It’s a structure for how you hold each other accountable. It’s the structure for how you do compensation within your organization. It’s a structure for a shared sense of identity. Your mission, your vision, your values and your culture. And all these things collectively, are so important for your overall growth as a business and need to be documented.

Getting Started

Creating a library of UBS’s can seem intimidating at first, especially if you are starting from scratch. So the first thing I often suggest to my clients is that you start off by writing down the first five or ten systems that you would like to document and starting there. Then when those are complete, write out ten more and so on and so forth until you have your core set of documents created. And then as you go about your daily activities make it a habit to document the processes as they happen. If you start using a new program, have the person who owns the platform write out a simple document on how to login, where to find the key features of the program and other tidbits that would be helpful for others using the platform.

Create a Culture Around Structure

Another key thing to remember is that you shouldn’t create all of your systems and UBS’s yourself. Not only would it be impractical for you to spend your time doing so, but you would be missing out on key pieces of information that others on your team may possess. Instead, encourage everyone on your team from all areas to create UBS’s when they take on a new task or project. Have new hires create UBS’s as part of their training, and revisit them often for updates.