Does everything live in your head?

I’ve had clients tell me that when it comes to their business, “Everything lives in my head.” 

These business owners were very organized and knew exactly how they wanted their business to be run. However, they were the point person for every single decision. I could see how it drained them.

I suggested we create a business operations manual. Here’s why…

What’s a business operations manual?

When all decisions fall on your shoulders, it sucks away time and leaves you unable to grow your business. 

The trouble with everything living in your head is that in an emergency, no one else will be able to keep your business running smoothly. (This was made obvious during the pandemic.)

Sharing the ins and outs of your business can be a relief

I’m not suggesting you offload all your skills to your team or give someone access to your bank account or do anything that makes you super uncomfortable.

What I do recommend is that you begin by creating an operations manual. This is a file that will contain all the basic information necessary for keeping your business afloat in an emergency. 

A business operations manual gives you peace of mind

You’ll sleep easier knowing that: 

• another team member can step in if and when the need should arise 

Stuff happens—and not just to you. A team member might go on maternity leave, have surgery, or win the lottery and call you from Bali. Knowing who’s Responsible for what and when will let you and your team know where someone left off with their work and the next steps to follow.

• you have a written guide for operational excellence so your team will understand customer needs and expectations

Everyone will be on the same page about providing outstanding service and building client relationships. You will also have a clear policy to point to if a team member needs a reminder.

• you’ll have a resource for training new team members (and shorten training time)

When you’re onboarding a new team member, you will have everything they need to create a successful stress-free experience. You can go beyond a typed file and include video tutorials. This will cater to different learning styles and provide a quick reference once your new hire is getting up to speed.

• you’ll be able to grow your business since you won’t have to answer every question and make every decision 

Once your business operations manual is documented clearly, team members will have another source of information when questions arise. Fewer interruptions mean you will have more time to focus and it will be easier to complete your work and take breaks!

• you’ll have more energy because you’re not doing everything

When you have a set of documented processes, it will be easier to delegate tasks. Once you remove tasks from your plate, you’ll have more breathing room. What could you do with a couple more hours in your day?Grow your business? Go for a walk? Play with your kids? Buy a new toy for your pet? All of the above??

• you’ll know how to plan for the future

Now that you’ve been able to delegate and team members can easily find the answers to many of their questions on their own, you will have the bandwidth to look around and wonder, “What’s next?” You’ll be able to spend time imagining the future of your business, new offerings and products, and how your team might move forward along with you. They may have discovered new talents through your delegation and maybe it’s time you shift their roles so you can all be excited as your business grows!

A business operations manual is an insurance policy for your business

Taking what’s in your head and creating a business operations manual means your team will have access to it. This will cover you in an emergency and allow you to go on vacation with less worry. 

When creating your business operations manual, be sure to add:

• Job descriptions and contact information 

Be sure to add your company’s business address, your website URL,  and contact information for your team members and essential vendors. 

• Operating hours

Your team will appreciate a policy that clearly states when your company does business. Knowing up front will assist them in managing client expectations, too.

• Company policies

Sure, this information is probably in their contracts, but does your team have easy access to company policies? Having accessible policy information could save you heartache later.

• Standard Operating Procedures for all processes

Having all your SOPs in one place will save time in an emergency. Their visibility will also help new hires get acclimated and remind you to update. It will help to have checklists for repeated tasks with many steps. 

• Training examples

Give your new hires a smooth onboarding experience with examples of tasks they will need to complete. Add videos to increase their learning speed. 

• Emergency procedures

Keep these instructions clear and direct. Let your team know what to do if your email, social media, or website get hacked. List who to call and the steps they should take. 

• Passwords 

List the steps for logging into a system, but put your usernames, passwords and codes into a password management platform. This way, your account information is only available to a limited number of people and the passwords are protected.

It takes patience to create your business operations manual 

If you work on your business operations manual for 30 minutes a day, it won’t feel as overwhelming and you’ll have a draft prepared before you know it. Be patient and take the time to cover everything. 

Add images and videos to leave no room for error! Remember: some of this information gathering can be delegated to your team, so make use of them! Or, hire an online business manager to handle this process for you.

Once you complete your operations manual, give your team members the task of checking it quarterly. A lot can change in three months!

By creating and maintaining your operations manual, you and your team will feel confident about what to do on a daily basis and in an emergency. Take this step towards helping your business to run without you and notice if you feel lighter. Be sure to let me know how it goes!