Is Systemizing Your Business Actually Worth the Effort?

Systems get a bad rap with business owners. They are perceived as complicated, expensive, inflexible, and just plain boring. Instead of implementing systems, many entrepreneurs choose to focus on more exciting activities like sales, marketing, and product launches. While definitely interesting, that choice to avoid creating systems comes at a very high cost – your time.

Without quality business systems, you end up working too hard and too long which causes overwhelm and frustration. You may occasionally wonder if being a business owner was a good idea given all of the hours you are working. Fortunately, adding the right business systems creates more ease and freedom in your life.

What exactly is meant by a system?

A system is a collection of processes that are active and available without the need for your intervention, explains Ryan Allis of The Startup Guide.

“As your business grows, you’ll need to build systems and processes that can be automated as much as possible,” he said. “Systems are rules, policies, and procedures that trained individuals can repeat as your company grows and then run independent of you.” I’d add that systems which use technology can even replace individuals, saving you training time and money.

Systems are under appreciated for two reasons.

First, most systems are internal and behind-the-scenes. They take a back seat to more glamourous activities like marketing and sales seen by the outside world. Second, some business owners think it’s difficult to measure the ROI of systems as they are the slower, more indirect path to profits.

Systems and automation generate profits, but in a non-traditional manner. Rory Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose, shared great insight on the global Productivity Success Summit where we were both speakers. He said, “Automation is to your time what compounding (interest) is to your money. Automation saves you time and makes you money in the future.”

The success of your company is highly dependent on the quality of the systems that you implement. Essentially, put the effort in now to systemize your business, then enjoy the rewards of time and money year after year. If you still feel systems are complicated, expensive, inflexible, and just plain boring, here are some reasons to focus on systems:

4 KEY BENEFITS YOU GAIN FROM SYSTEMS

• 1. Allows Your Company to Grow and Scale Seamlessly

Systems are repeatable processes that work regardless of company size, industry, or location. Your systems allow you to copy what’s working at one location to many other locations around the globe so you can expand and grow. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time a new location is added. Systems even allow you to offer licensing or franchising opportunities to ultimately scale your company consistently.

• 2. Commands a Higher Price Tag when You Sell

Many people seeking to buy a business want a turn-key operation – one that already has proven systems that generate consistent profits. Systems add value to a company so it can continue to run without the founder’s involvement. This value merits a premium price over non-systemized businesses when it’s offered for sale, according to business brokers. Investing the time to systemize your company pays off nicely when you are ready to sell.

• 3. Saves (aka: Makes) Money on Resources

Many systems do the work FOR you. They take the place of employees, saving you money on payroll, taxes, and benefits. For example, a CRM tool that sends autoresponder emails and an online scheduling tool cost a fraction of the cost of an assistant. Allowing your customers to pay online using ecommerce is less expensive than hiring a full time bookkeeper for account receivable tasks. Once configured, these can be ‘set it and forget it’ systems that require minimal human intervention.

• 4. Provides Consistent, Repeatable Results

One of the most valuable benefits of systems is their reliability. When you have proven systems - lead generation, sales conversion, follow up, customer care, product development, and pricing - you get consistent, desirable, and measurable results every time. The consistency provided by systems is essential at all touchpoints to enhance the customer experience which leads to greater sales.

By implementing just a few more systems today, you will be able to leverage your company’s full potential and outperform your competitors. Systems free you to prioritize and focus your time on the most important actions to grow your company. In the long run, systems allow you to create a legacy that succeeds in your absence, according to John C. Maxwell, one of the most influential leadership experts in the world.

I’m sure you are now realizing that having a few more business systems will maximize your revenue and help you gain back valuable time to focus on what’s important in your life.

With systems, you conquer the overwhelm and busyness that distracts from true productivity.

Check back here often to get more proven, how-to tactics to systemize your company. My team and I have created proven systems for Fortune 100 companies, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs. You will learn the RIGHT systems that make money and gain you time, consistently. Please leave a comment sharing the ONE process you will systemize today in your company.

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Implementing proven systems adds incredible value to your company. Do you want help putting systems in place that create time, freedom, and money?

At Gain Advantages, we maximize business productivity and bottom-line revenues by implementing the most effective systems and processes.