Planning for Growth
Now that we’ve established what’s needed to set up your Business Foundation Formula, we can move into the next phase, which is all about planning for growth. This is where we’ll talk about the things, and by things I mean handbooks and manuals, that you’ll want in place as you begin to get bigger and bring on a team - even if it’s just a small team.
Manuals and Handbooks
ONWARD to the world of operations manuals, employee handbooks and internal training documents. We are going to keep this area a bit high level because it can get super nitty-gritty and I’d like to keep your attention. But I want to at least have you walk away with some of the basics for each. It’s also important to say that these documents will continually be edited and amended as the years go on. You may change how you do things over time and make updates regularly. It’s also OK if you don’t have all this material right away; just start drafting what you can and continue to add to it over time. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
Internal Training Docs
So the more practical place for you to start is likely your internal training documents and employee handbook. These will likely be the most relevant items you’ll need first. Let’s start with the internal training docs. These are essentially your guide to how you want to hire, onboard and train any new employees. You’ll want a solid idea of what specific role you’re hiring for and what those responsibilities include. Be clear and concise. Once you know that, you’ll create your job description for the role. This will include pay, general logistics, responsibilities, expectations and qualifications. Next, you’ll need to think about how you want to get your ad out there, where you want to post/look for candidates and how you’ll sift through applicants. What’s your Yes, No, Maybe pile, qualifications? After you have a pool of candidates, you need to know what your interview process looks like. How will you conduct interviews, what questions will you ask (and also what questions you legally CANNOT ask!) and how will you determine who you’d like to move forward with. Ok so let’s say you’ve found your perfect candidate, now what? Well next, you have to extend an offer, have them accept and then get them onboarded in your company. Things like HR, benefits, paperwork, scheduling, payroll, all that jazz, go into this phase of planning and preparation. Lastly, you’ll need to figure out your training plan. How will you train them in, what will they need to know, what’s the ideal training schedule and timeline? And that’s the gist. Those are the basic details for compiling your internal training documents.
Employee Handbook
Once you have a new employee, during their training, they will need an employee handbook. Think of this as their guide to your organization and how to conduct themselves. Some details from your internal training docs will likely overlap and be included here as well: payroll, scheduling, HR details, and responsibilities to name a few. But, you will go more in depth on your company overview; these would be details on your Business Identity, who you are and what you’re about, mission statement, core values, etc. Basically anything you want them to know and retain about your business. You will also go into more depth on your training. You’ll be very specific here with details they’ll need to know to perform their job well. Any policies, procedures and expectations will also go in here. So things like, attire, communication, clocking in and out, time off, professional conduct, administrative responsibilities, reasons for termination. I would suggest giving them both a digital and hard copy of this handbook so they can reference it throughout their time with your company.
Operations Manual
And lastly, that brings us to the big guy - the operations manual. I want you to think of this manual as your company bible. Yes I do. This manual should have literally everything needed to run your business. You should be able to hand this to someone, someone on the admin level that is, and they should be able to read through it and take over if necessary. All the ins and outs, all the do’s and don’ts, everything top to bottom. I know this is a tall order and it definitely takes time to compile. But remember how I told you earlier that once you start getting your procedures in place to write them down? Yep, those will go in here! Ideally you will already have some of this documentation written down and it’ll just need to be organized. But, if not, no worries, you’ll just have to take it step-by-step and build it out over time. The overall goal of your operations manual is to have your team be able to reliably and efficiently complete their tasks with consistent results. Because at the end of the day, that’s what systems is all about. Consistency and efficiency. And that’s what these documents, details, manuals and handbooks, allow you to be able to do. So if we break down the operations manual just a bit, what you would focus on is creating different segments within it - think administration, operations, customer service, business development - any department that’s high level. Then, you would go through each department's roles, responsibilities and procedures. Break it all down, write it all out, and organize it within the appropriate section. Again, try not to get overwhelmed, just break it down into smaller parts. Over time, you’ll create a cohesive working document.
The beauty of all of these documents is that they are live. They’re not a one and done kind of thing. You will revisit them annually and make updates as needed. So they don’t have to be 100% perfect from the get-go. They just have to have all components necessary, knowing that you can make changes as your business grows.
OK! That’s it! I feel so passionately about systems and business operations because I recognize that it is not everyone’s area of strength. However, it is so pivotal to successfully running your business. The major takeaways I want you to have from these last few articles are these:
Spend time creating a solid Business Identity
Focus on solidifying your Business Operations
Get a strong handle on those two prongs so you have a concrete Business Foundation
Get organized!!!
Document all the policies, protocols and procedures required to run your business
Plan for growth by working on those internal training docs, handbooks and manuals
So there it is. That’s your path for moving your business forward and creating your Business Foundation.
