I talk a lot about creating structure in business. For some business owners the question becomes “What exactly do I need to create structure for?” The answer is simple and complex. EVERYTHING. Look at it like this: when any action takes place you need to analyze, strategize and systematize. (tweet this)
Analyze: It’s important to know what you’re doing and why. A good way to measure if an action is necessary is to understand how it represents your brand and what the Return on Investment (ROI) is for that action. If the action is indeed necessary, the next question you need to ask yourself should be: is this the most efficient way of doing this? Which leads me to…
Strategize: Create a plan of action for every activity in your business. If the action is necessary, then ask yourself how can you maximize it and receive the highest return on investment. Create a plan to put that action into motion in front of the right people as often possible. It’s important that you know when and where to be at all times (tweet this), know what you want to get out of that time and how you’re going to communicate your message.
Systematize: No detail is too small for a system. (tweet this) When I gave this talk recently, I had a business owner tell me that I just created justification for all the nit-picky things that he bugs his team about. The truth is he’s not bugging his team. He’s setting a standard for his company and he’s holding his employees responsible for upholding the standard. The next step is to create written documentation for the system in the form of an operating manual for all of his employees. Then he removes himself from the process and can refer employees back to the manual when they need a refresher on policies or procedures. He is no longer spending as much time performing remedial training. I love this story because as a business owner, you are responsible for how your brand is represented even if others are doing the representing.
Remember, you are reflection of your brand and your brand is a reflection of you. (tweet this) For those who have employees, interchange the words ‘you’ and ‘me’ with ‘employees’… My employees are reflection of my brand and my brand is a reflection of my employees. (tweet this) This also holds true to your storefront office space. My store is a reflection of my brand and my brand is a reflection of my store. (tweet this) Are you seeing how every component of your business is a reflection of your brand?
Ammie’s Assignment: Take the time to analyze, strategize and systematize every component of your business to ensure that every action is reflection of your mission.
