Breaking Down Your Business | Small Business | Business Owners | Entrepreneurship | Leadership

What’s In This Episode:

Systems are great, we said. You'll love them, we said. ... except when they go wrong.

"It's almost always user error." - Brad

Sometimes systems can go wrong - especially where automation is concerned, says Jill. Brad has a system with an automation that's connected to a Google form and somehow, he accidentally sent the same email to the same person a couple of times. Sometimes the software changes, but you don't know. The point is - there are a million things that could go wrong.

"Be more forgiving of yourself when a system goes awry." - Jill

But at the end of the day, isn't maintaining your system less work than not having them at all? Brad thinks so. Plus, it never hurts to audit your systems, especially automated emails: Check that the links still work and that the flow is what you think it is.

Ever had a system go wrong? 

Sponsor:

If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_338.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 3:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

What are "systems" anyway? To Jill, it means organizing what you need to do in a process that's easily replicable. And, Brad adds, they should happen without you touching them.

"The very best systems are actually automation." - Brad

Jill has systems has for onboarding leaders for her Founding Exchanges while Brad has one for his invoicing - there's even a system for how these podcasts get published. Systems are useful because they get things off of your plate, and they get done in a way that the quality is good (and if they're not good, then you know something isn't being followed or that something needs to change in the system).

"A system has to be functioning." - Jill

Systems can just be a checklist, a Google doc, a video... whatever is the most helpful to you and your team. But systems are great because it leads to more consistent performance and decreases the need for you, as the business owner, to check up all the time. Plus, the more you get into it, the more fun it is. And it frees up your time, which is something every business owner can appreciate. Also, if someone quits, systems make it so much easier to transition.

What "systems" do you have in your business - and if you don't have them, how can you get started?

Sponsor:

If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_337.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

Business owners wear too many hats. Systems turn the insanity into sanity. They help you (theoretically) to make sure everything gets done on time.

"From a business owner's standpoint, what is your job?" - Brad

As a business owner, what is it that you do? Business owners have to:

  • sell. No one is going to sell as effectively as the business owner does.
  • recruit and train. You need to be responsible for who's in the business.
  • own the brand. What does the brand mean and is it consistent?
  • do strategy. Where is the business going?

Anything that you don't do should be the responsibility of someone else. That's where systems come in.

"You don't own it because it's the scariest role to take on." - Jill

What are you handing off in your business for someone else to do so that you have room to breathe? And are the materials your team needs easily accessible to them? Brad recommends getting a pack of notecards with one task that's written on each that needs to get done in order for your business to succeed. With your team or by yourself, arrange those cards by skill or tool. Each of the piles you end up with is a job.While you may need to do these tasks yourself, eventually you might be able to outsource to a VA (learn how to hire a VA here).

Who takes care of what in your business?

Sponsor:

If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_336.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 2:00am CDT

What’s In This Episode:

How do you handle the operations in your business? HR, IT, accounting... all of the foundational things. Isn't accounting the most fun part? 

"Accounting helps you answer questions that you might have about your business." - Brad

Even if you hate accounting, it provides value to you in your business. Some business owners hire accountants, and some do it themselves. But if you're not understanding cash flow or other accounting principles like an income statement, you might constantly worry where the money might be coming from or wonder whether you can afford what you want to buy. A good bookkeeper should go over an income statement, cash, and receivables once a month to make sure that you're on the same page.

"I have such an aversion to the word 'accounting' that every time you say it, it hurts." - Jill

There are also indicators of future revenue in your business, and you can figure it out by organizing your budget. Some business owners run their business blindly, but if you figure out your budget and pay attention to feedback and results, you can tweak it with a little help from data and a spreadsheet.

Do you do the accounting in your business or other operational items?

Sponsor:

If you’re a manager or business owner, chances are you juggle many HR tasks and are trying to keep up with the ever-changing employment laws. HR 101 from ComplyRight is a free online training program that will give you a solid understanding of employment law so you can handle typical workplace issues like a pro. The six courses include General Legal Obligation for Employers, Recruiting and Hiring, Classifying Workers Correctly, Managing Your Employees, Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discipline and Termination. Explore ComplyRight’s free courses at www.complyright.com/courses.

Direct download: Breaking_Down_Your_Business_EP_335.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 8:26am CDT

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