Do you want a practical guide for building systems in your Business? Don’t know where to start?
In Show 017 – Systems for Businesses originally broadcast on Facebook Live on Monday 25 September 2017 we give you a specific tool to help you build a manual for your business.
Show Notes
Today, on Fast Fix Monday we are going to discuss systems in your business. In our last episode we talked about the importance of developing a manual for your company. This can be hugely important especially when you sell the company. You are selling your processes and techniques as much as you are selling your building and equipment. Your manual should include each of the following sections.
- INTRODUCTION TO MANUAL
You want to start that manual with a brief description of what the manual is and who it is for. That’s important because you want to have it ready for any prospective employee to pick up and take with them. - INTRODUCTION TO THE BUSINESS
Next up is a history of your business, a list of services you provide and the contact information for everyone involved in the business. - PREOPENING PROCEDURES
This section should include everything that you need to do before opening the business. If you are already operating your business you might not think this is necessary but it will be if you ever expand or sell the business. - PERSONEL
In addition to the names of all your employees you should also write down their roles and responsibilities. Employment agreements, job applications and recruitment methods should also be written down in this section. - DAILY OPERATING PROCEDURES
You really need to include everything in this section. From opening the office to closing at the end of the day. To get this done you should write Post-It notes throughout the day with all the minutiae of your daily routine. You should get your employees involved in this as well. - SALE PROCEDURES
The reason to include this section is to ensure consistency of your sales and service across your business. - MARKETING
You might well have a marketing strategy laid out for your business and it’s a good idea to have that written down. Local marketing, public relations and obtaining marketing approval should all be included here. - ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
This can include links for legal or accounting help as well employment law and tax information. - MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTS
In here you can put things like staff policies, sexual harassment policies, job application, drug testing consent forms.
You will find that there will be plenty of information that you will discover about your business while going through this process. It will also be a good refresher for your employees about what is expected of them.
To find the templates please visit our page on Operations Manual.
More about this Show
We started Business Legal Lifecycle to create a simple way for you to understand complex legal terms. Most importantly we want to help you to develop a plan to take your business successfully into the future. There’s a startling statistic the underscores the importance of developing a solid plan. The majority of business owners are just seven months away from losing everything. A single aspect of your business that is not set-up correctly can shut down your whole operation very quickly. Legal advice is not cheap and even when you can afford it there is often a divide between lawyers and their clients. We want to close that gap once and for all. We want to put legal knowledge and tools into your hand to prevent the worst from happening to you.
Twice a week we are going to deliver those tools right to your home or office with Business Legal Lifecycle TV. We’ll start the week with Fast Fix Monday, a short 5-10 minute video that will tackle a single issue that businesses have to deal with. Then on Wednesday’s our main show will feature with more fulsome discussions and interviews all delivered in a straightforward and easy to understand format.