Different businesses mature at different speeds. Sometimes it is because of how you have it laid out the development. Sometimes it is due to the marketplace. Sometimes it is a combination of conditions, but usually it is a reflection of your leadership.
Look at your business as if it was a child.
Initially you must do everything for your Baby Business. Gradually, as it starts growing, it begins doing more and more things on its own. Being a concerned parent you establish boundaries and guidelines to ensure it plays fair and communicates with well with the others in the marketplace. These procedural guidelines, also known as systems, become an automatic response to behaviors in the “home” (workplace) as well as in the play area of the marketplace. These fundamental guideline/systems define preferred action and reaction for Baby Business, and apply to all of the staff from the top down.
As Baby Business continues to grow, more and more systems must be put into place and kept updated. Example: When Marketing sends a potential customer in the door, what procedures (systems) are activated for sales, customer service, processing the payment, delivery, follow-up etc. If these systems are clearly written, consistent on-going procedures, any new caretakers (employees) can be quickly brought up to speed, as well as able to more quickly adapt to the guideline philosophy of Business. Everyone at each level of management should be comfortably knowledgeable of all aspects of the care and conduct of Business as it applies to their area of expertise.
To develop and maintain strong core philosophy, it is imperative to integrate the systems, policies, chain of command and social skills (customer service, marketing, sales, interoffice relations, etc.) from the very beginning. If these procedures become a part of daily life with “Little Business”, it will make it much easier to survive the Terrible Twos, as well as the Pre-Teen through Teenage years. Once these values are embedded within the core, “Little Business” will mature into a self-sufficient “Big Business”. And “Yes”, Business growth goes through all of these stages just as an offspring does.
There is one decided advantage to raising a Business vs a Child. If you didn’t get all of the proper systems in place along the way and you lose control, you can close the doors and walk away; free to start over with all of your freshly acquired knowledge. (It is only failure if you didn’t learn from it.)
The purpose for all of the systems, policies and procedures is to allow “Business” to continue taking more and more responsibility and initiative. Business needs to be encouraged to grow into maturity. This will allow you to slowly start backing out of being the primary care-giver. You should gradually transition into only being an advisor during the occasional rough spots, and eventually not even that.
By this time Business will have put quality, well trained managers and employees into all of the positions. All systems will have been well tested by time and use. These foundation systems will only need scheduled “tweaking/adjustment” to stay current with the business’s changing services, products and the ever evolving marketplace.
So when is your Business mature?
The day you can walk out the door for as long as you like and know Business will “continue as usual” – supporting itself and you – by itself.
Compliments of Lew West Business Consultants
www.lewwest.com Blog – http://www.mynext30.com/
