Building Your Business Through Systems

Building Your Business Through Systems: Part One

There is a component of business that could support or derail your entrepreneurial goals depending on the amount of intentionality you bring to it.

One of the reasons why a lot of entrepreneurs and businesses don’t make it is because they don’t have a support system, which we’ve already discussed. Failing to build a system of systems is another lesser known reason why people fail.

The further I get into my own business, the more I’m starting to see some trends emerge which will derail any growing venture if they go on without accountability.

I’m way more interested in building something that is sustainable. That means building solid systems for each component of the business. Even if that means it may not grow as fast, I know it’s more sound from a principles aspect.
At this stage, it honestly means that at times we are just slogging it out as we build these systems. But we are building them to a point where eventually the business will be self-sustainable. That is my goal!
I’ll cover one system that I know you can all implement on some level today. The rest of the systems will be discussed in Part Two, coming Thursday.

The First System

Content needs a system. As an entrepreneur you are learning so much every day – and the world NEEDS your experience!

But be honest – part of being an entrepreneur is devoting resources to moving the business forward. When it comes to making choices on how to spend your time, creating content around what you are learning is too often cut.
I’m guilty of this myself! Which is why I’m building a system to capture these important moments and publish them. It is critical.

My Content System

My system is very straightforward. On Friday, I have an interview with one of my content writers. Blog post production occurs that weekend. Content is then scheduled throughout the week on web, email, and social channels.

Why this system? Because I wasn’t producing content. I knew that unless I built this system nothing was going to be different. It would be the exact same thing over and over.

I always said, “Publishing, blogging, and getting content out there is so important!” But my actions didn’t reflect it. Building this system was essential to getting my desired results. Sound familiar?

Your Systems Define Your Results

Often times we don’t see the results we want and can’t figure out why. The problem is not usually solved by making one or two or even three changes.

The problem is usually a system that we have allowed to be established by default. By default, it produces the results it’s created to produce.

Think of an assembly line. If you have an assembly line that produces widgets and one of the mechanisms isn’t working, you’d be silly to continue to let the system run without fixing the system.

What Systems are You Running?

If you are have a business, either part or full time, you have systems which are running by default. Systems running by default means they are running without intentionality. Without intentionality, you cannot steer a business. You have a broken assembly line.

I challenge you to take time this week to recognize the systems your business is running. What is working? What needs to be fixed?

Come back for Part Two of this post on Thursday!

The systems we’ll be discussing are:

• Productivity
• Time Management
• Cash-flow
• Marketing
• On-boarding (for both team members and clients)