Why the ‘boring stuff’ (systems & processes) is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING when you’re launching your new business
Okay, look. I get it. Systems and processes are BORING.
*YAWN*
(Side note: I actually LOVE the boring stuff, but I know I’m in the minority here!)
You’d much rather be spending your time and energy on perfecting your services, posting on Instagram, working with that brand designer and copywriter you’ve been stalking for AGES - all the fun, creative stuff that you signed up for.
And sure, that stuff’s important. Because that’s the stuff that’ll get potential clients knocking on your door desperate to work with you.
But then what?
What happens when an enquiry lands in your inbox?
Have you thought about how that enquiry is handled? Are you doing discovery calls? Are you sending custom proposals? Do you know what type of contract you need to set up for each type of client?
If you don’t, that client’s experience is gonna suck. And giving clients sucky experiences is NOT how you build a successful, reliable, trustworthy business that actually earns you a living…
If 2023 is the year you finally launch your new business (or the year you force your current business to glow up!), here’s why you absolutely 100% unequivocally need to be focusing on systems, processes and the “boring” BTS stuff - BEFORE you go out hunting for clients.
What exactly is “the boring stuff”?
So big caveat before we dive in: “the boring stuff” isn’t actually boring. Or at least, not to me!
I love the processes and systems and organisation that comes with running a business, which is why my business focuses on helping other business owners with that stuff.
But the reason we’re sitting here calling it “the boring stuff” is because 99% of the business owners I speak to do find it boring. Because they’re creative people who started their business to do more of what they love, not dull, repetitive admin.
So when we’re talking about “the boring stuff”, we really mean things like
Planning the stages of your onboarding processes, your offboarding processes, and the processes you need during actual client projects
Creating template emails and documents to use with your clients
Setting up the BTS systems, like invoicing platforms, client portals, email platforms, etc
Creating SOPs for each of your processes
Basically, all the stuff that you don’t think you’ll actually need for your business until you suddenly do - by which time it’s too late… It’s all the fiddly BTS bits that have nothing to do with what you started your business to do.
They’re not typically ‘fun’ or ‘creative’ or even enjoyable (unless you’re me) - which is why so often they’re put at the bottom of the priority list and left gathering dust until after you’ve done all the fun stuff, like getting your logo designed, building your website, getting brand photos taken and having your website written by a copywriter.
But the whole reason I’m here is to convince you that the boring stuff is JUST as important as the fun stuff (more so, actually!) when you’re starting your business. And here’s why…
Reason #1: time & efficiency
It’s tempting to spend the early days of launching your business posting on Instagram, announcing your new role on LinkedIn and generally doing whatever you can to drum up some sort of interest in your business.
And if you’re good at that part, it won’t be long before you hear that sweet *ding* of an email landing in your inbox…
Instead of scrabbling about and running around like a headless chicken when that dream enquiry materialises, imagine how much better it would feel to know exactly what to do next.
That’s what Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) give you.
(If you have no idea what that means, head over here for a quick-start guide!)
Your SOPs don’t need to be a thousand pages long or involve 1-2 million steps conducted by 7 different departments. If you’re just you right now, they can be a quick bullet point list of everything that should happen when an enquiry comes in.
The point is that having this planned out before you go hunting for clients means that when you do get enquiries coming in you can deal with them quickly and efficiently - because, trust me, when enquiries start coming in AND you’ve already got projects on the go, handling those repetitive tasks in as little time as possible will be your number one priority!
Reason #2: scaling
Sure, your business might just be hypothetical right now. But with your crazy-good services and crazy-good marketing and crazy-good client reviews, you’ll be growing faster than you could possibly imagine.
And then what?
If everything about running your business is based on how you feel that day and not on an actual, thought-through process, how are you going to handle things when you literally don’t have the time to do everything yourself?
Outsourcing is a big thing for any business owner - but if you want to grow your business without burning out and feeling overwhelmed AF every single day, you NEED to put processes and systems in place right now.
Before you actually need to outsource.
Bringing in team members to a business that’s organised, systemised and has some sort of processes in place for repetitive tasks is SO MUCH EASIER than trying to bring in help when everything lives in your head right now.
If you have any sort of growth-related goals for your business (who doesn’t?!), get those systems and processes in place at the start, rather than trying to retrofit them when there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Reason #3: client experience
If you have spent all your time, energy and resources on the fun stuff and left the systems and processes neglected, it won’t be long before your clients begin to notice.
A hastily-cobbled-together onboarding process that uses documents thrown together in Canva at the very last minute does NOT make your client happy.
Sure, it might get the job done. You might get lucky and find clients who are willing to overlook your haphazardness because you really are good at what you do. But even those clients won’t be WOWED so much that they refer you to their friends, their fellow business owners, and their great aunt Mildred.
To get that level of enthusiasm about what you do, your processes need to be just as amazing as the service your clients pay for.
Your onboarding process needs to set your projects up for success. Your client portals need to be easily accessible and give your clients everything they need. Your template documents need to be clear, concise and consistently you. Your offboarding process needs to leave your clients with the best possible taste in their mouth - and encourage them to leave you a glowing review that’ll help convince the next client to sign your contract.
None of that good stuff can happen without you planning out your processes and making the most of your systems ahead of time. That doesn’t mean your processes can’t evolve as your business evolves (because, let’s face it, running a business is a huge learning curve and even 6 months later you’ll have found even better ways of doing things) - but it does mean that every single client feels cared for and supported throughout their journey of working with you, rather than feeling like an afterthought.
FIRED UP about “the boring stuff”?!
You should be!
Yes, the systems and processes and ‘boring’ bits do need some of your time and energy that you might prefer to spend on the more exciting, creative parts of launching a business - but they’ll have such a HUGE difference on the trajectory of your growth.
There’s zero point in having a beautiful brand, a beautiful website, a beautiful Instagram feed and an inbox full of enquiries if those enquiries aren’t handled properly. If they’re not nurtured, supported and taken care of by your processes, you’re attracting enquiries for no reason - because they’ll run away screaming when they realise how disorganised your BTS is.
With processes and systems in place from day one, you can show up in your marketing confidently, knowing that when an enquiry does come in you know exactly how to handle it. Or, for added bonus points, your automated system knows exactly how to handle it, so you can spend all your time on the fun stuff.
So if 2023’s the year you’re launching (or levelling up) your business, focus on systems and processes just as much as you focus on the outward-facing stuff - because it really matters!
And if you need a helping hand with “the boring stuff”, I’m here! I love organising the BTS stuff, even if you don’t, so let’s work together to launch your business with systems and processes in place right from the start!