Would you like to be able to have your business run without you even being present? SOPs can make that possible.
Standard operating procedures, also known as SOPS, are an important part of every business. These documents allow you to delegate effectively to your team and allow you to spend time working on the next bright idea or a new revenue stream.
Creating SOPS does take some time, but the benefit of getting these procedures down on paper is that it will free up time for you in the long run. You need to pay attention to the details when you write these to ensure that a fourth grader could complete the task without you being present.
Getting started is the hardest part, so I’ll break this down to the 7 types of SOPs you should start with.
Money
One of the first SOPS that you should concentrate on writing is related to your financials.
If you use software for tracking your revenue and expenses, how does the information get into the program? How do you produce those monthly reports that allow you as a CEO to know where you are spending money each month? If you have a bookkeeper, what are the steps and documents they need to do their job?
See, there are many ways that SOPs can help with financial management.
Team Members
If you do not have a one-woman show or plan on being a millionaire CEO one day, you need to think about your team members and how you will handle them.
You can have SOPs for:
- onboarding and offboarding people
- tracking time
- performance appraisals
- how to set up their payroll
- how to complete forms for taxes
If you are just starting out, you might not need all these SOPs, but you should think about the possibilities.
Clients
If you provide a service or a product, you have clients. You might need SOPs for:
- onboarding and offboarding clients
- customer service
- testimonials and feedback
- how to deal with complaints
- how to invoice clients
- how to enter new clients into your CRM (customer relations management software)
Product / Service Launches
If you develop a new product/service, you need to consider adding it to your website, creating graphics for it and marketing it to your audience. What are the steps you take to get this new item out there?
Metrics
How do you know what is working or not unless you are tracking it? Create SOPs for your business metrics that explain how to get the information from Google Analytics, social media, sales and email marketing.
Social Media Scheduling
How do you schedule your social media? Do you create each post daily or do you create content by batching and using a tool to post for you? SOPs can contain the details on how this is completed so a VA (virtual assistant) can do it for you!
Email Marketing
What email marketing service do you use and what are the steps for creating a new funnel? How do you create and distribute your newsletter? How often should you send emails to your list? How do you handle Friday Flash sales? And most important, how do you grow your email list?
Take Action Today
This list is an excellent place for you to start. You don’t have to do everything but pick 5 and get started. It will become easier as we work on them.
Just think, you can develop a library of SOPs so that you can spend your day sipping fruity drinks on the beach while your business continues without you!
Hire a consultant to do this for you!
Still not sure where to begin? Or don’t want to go through this all by yourself? Complete a form for a Discovery Call with me and we can figure it out together!