SO, YOU HAVE:
You are, in other words, at the amplification phase.
This is a crucial point. Your business is now a little more than you can manage on your own or with your small management team.
In effect, this means you are at risk. Your operation will not survive long without a strong team implementing clearly repeatable processes or without systems to support those processes.
TO SCALE A BUSINESS BEYOND INDIVIDUALS, YOU NEED to implement processes and systems in the same way that successful franchises do.
It is time to explore how to implement proven processes and systems that can be executed by an effective team. The goal is to scale the operation beyond the individual, while paying attention to the fact that people are always a vital ingredient in efficient systems.
Long-term commercial success rests on how effectively your company can run without your direct influence. In addition, it is defined by how well the company runs without the input or guidance of any particular individual within the team that you have put together and nurtured.
Truly great businesses develop their own personalities and skills. They become very much like people. They operate with their own strength and personality in the world. They do not rely on a single human or a group of humans for their existence.
Your final mission is to get your business to this point; to become a process-dependent operation.
It is also important to note that this understanding applies to your relationships with business partners and service providers. Often, these role-players bring vital skills into your operation. If your business is not authentically process-dependent, it can become trapped in a situation where relationships with third-party providers create success or cause failure. To address this very real risk, the business must evolve to the point where it stands on its own, very clearly defined, operational feet.
SHIFTING TO A PROCESS-DEPENDENT BUSINESS STRUCTURE:
1. Define a set of processes and systems that are not dependent on you or a single individual or personality.
2. Establish the resources and infrastructure required to support and maintain the efficient running of these processes and systems.
3. Get a team in place that enjoys a strong personality and culture fit, and that has the technical skills to handle and manage the processes and systems.
4. Add business intelligence insights to your processes to:
– monitor and increase productivity and improve the quality of service to customers; and
– continually reduce costs.
THE SEVEN CHARACTER TRAITS OF AN A-GAME BUSINESSES
IN MY VIEW, A TRUE A-GAME BUSINESS IS a legacy business. In other words, a business that operates beyond the life of its founder. There are a lot of successful businesses from which we can learn. Their successes – as well as stories of their failures – can teach us what works, and what doesn’t.
But first, let’s be clear. A legacy business is, in my view, a business that has succeeded in the most important area possible. It has become founder-independent and process-dependent.
Here is a list of character traits that many legacy businesses seem to have, and to which we can all aspire.
These businesses:
1. Deliver great value for money to their customers.
2. Consistently deliver what they promise – every time.
3. Are process-dependent – they don’t rely on particular individuals.
4. Successfully implement (and use) technology systems.
5. Have generally happy and loyal customers.
6. Generate significant profit.
7. Have fulfilled owners and staff.
