Reducing Your Small Business Stress
For most small business owners, day-to-day business operations are their biggest source of stress. They feel like jugglers, always keeping balls in the air and dealing with customer, vendor and employee problems.
You can reduce the stress from your small business by focusing on the answer to this question: Do I own a business or a job?
Owning a job is the toughest situation of all. You must do it all. Without you there are no customers, no business and, of course, no income.
A business, on the other hand, operates and makes money whether you're there or not.
To determine what you have, ask yourself: What would happen if I didn't show up for three months? If you'd have nothing left, you own a job.
To build a business you must first accept that you can hire people to work your business who will do at least as good a job as you. Next, focus on making your customers' experience consistent and enjoyable no matter how, when or where they encounter your business.
Consider, for example, your last Red Lobster® experience. I'll bet you were greeted, had menu choices and experienced your dinner in about the same way as your previous visits, whether or not you visited the same restaurant.
This happens through systems. Systems are written procedures that describe in step-by-step fashion how to perform a particular task. Systems give your employees the tools to consistently deliver outstanding results and you the ability to actually manage business operations.
To create a system start with a task you want to standardize. Find the employee who does it best and watch them step-by-step, noticing every aspect and detail of how they work. Write down the steps and have another employee follow them exactly. Notice where the second employee's outcome was different. Revise the steps and follow again. Once the procedure reflects the best outcome, finalize the system so that all employees performing the task do it according to the system.
For simple tasks, a system might only be a ½ page in length. But, all systems must describe the how, what, when, where and why of the task.
Systems for the tasks of a job are put together in a binder. When an employee is hired, she reads the binder to learn how to do the job.
To manage, you ensure the team follows the systems and make changes that improve profit.
For example, if you find one employee successfully cross sells better than any other, make a cross-selling system based on his skills. Have the other employees cross sell using the system to increase overall sales and profit.
Systems reduce your stress because they reduce problems, help your employees consistently deliver great service to your customers, and help you scientifically manage and grow your business. You can take a vacation with confidence that the business will make money while you're gone and be there when you get back.