You must have one system before you can successfully outsource. Scaling your online service business means having your systems in place, especially this system. If you think you are ready to outsource (or scale) your business, then make sure you have this one system in place.
Defining the “Foundation System”
Your “foundation system” must be in place. What is a “foundation system”?
A foundational system for any business is necessary. It is a system of factors that help run your business. From core beliefs to the software you use to help run accounting, processes, marketing, and sales.
“A business foundation refers to the fundamental elements, principles, and core components upon which a business is built and operates. It encompasses the primary building blocks providing structure, direction, and stability for a business entity.” Cultivate Advisors
One of these foundation systems that is necessary before anything else is your processes. Your processes should be documented in an easy-to-access place by everyone in your business. Whether you use software to document it or whether you use Google Docs to house them, it should also be a secure place.
Why Hiring Without A System Causes Frustration
If you attempt to hire or outsource without a system in place, it will only cause frustration. Frustration for you and your team member.
You need to document your processes before bringing on any team members. If you do not have your processes and systems documented, it will be difficult to bring others on board and expect them to do the tasks you hired them to do.
Simple Starter Checklist For Documenting Your Work
To help you document your processes, I created a checklist that you can pick up below. This is a simple checklist so you know where to begin. Many of my clients say they do not know where to start documenting.
Remember, you need to house these processes in a secure yet accessible place for your team to access them. I housed mine in my project management system, Wrike. Documenting them under each client and then setting up a subfolder for each task we provided for them. Housed within the task were the processes for that task.
For example, if Client A was contracted with us for social media management, then I had a folder for Client A and a subfolder for Social Media Management. Within the social media management subfolder, the processes for that task were housed. This helped my team work with this client on this task to be able to follow my processes and use my systems.
The reason this was necessary is that I may hire a subcontractor who knows how to do social media management, but everyone has their way of doing it and reporting to their clients. After a first video run-through with the team member, they could then consult the processes housed in our project management system to follow through with the way I wanted it performed.
Having processes documented simply helps your business run smoothly the way you want it to run. The best compliment I received when running my digital marketing agency was after I assigned a new team member to a client; she informed me that it didn’t matter who worked on her account because she knew she would get the same great services because of my processes. She knew no matter who worked on her account, they all followed the same system I set up.
Download Your FREE Checklist/Sign Up For Next Workshop
Naturally, the next step is setting up your processes and systems. I’ve created a quick checklist to help you get started. This checklist is a simple but powerful tool if you follow it. It will guide you through documenting all of your client tasks as well as your tasks for your business.
Download Your FREE Processes Starter Checklist
If you need further help with starting your agency team or scaling your business, feel free to reach out to me.
Tammy S. Durden is an award-winning business coach who specializes in helping women online service providers grow a business to fit their lifestyle rather than squeeze a life around their business.
She is also a thought leader, course creator, and speaker in the online service industry.
Tammy has established herself as an authority figure over the last 17 years while creating and growing several online service businesses.
*This article may contain affiliate links – meaning if you were to purchase something from it, I would receive a small reward for referring you. It does not cost you more; in fact, it often saves you more.