Building a structure for your business is important – no doubt – but maybe not quite as easy for every entrepreneur. Some managers and founders even think they have a structure, only to find out at some point that they do not. Or, that they had built the structure around a person – most likely themselves.
The first test to know if you have an independent business structure is to ask the question; “If I am absent, can the business go on without me?” In addition, replace your name with each of your staff’s names one after the other, and ask the same question. If the answer is no, for one or more persons, then you may have been building your structure around a person. That is the reason some founders travel, only to return and find out nothing productive was done in their absence. Or an employee resigns, and it suddenly seems like the business is falling apart.
Here are 3 things you can do to gradually build a business structure. It is an acronym I call D-D-M, Document, Delegate, and Monitor. It works even if you have a small business, medium-scale enterprise, or large business. It does not really matter how long you have been in business. You could start it from your first day in business, or at whatever point you come to the understanding that you need a business structure.
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First is to document all your processes and daily activities, possibly starting from when you are running the business alone. What are those problems you have to solve every day? and what are the processes? Why is your presence necessary around the office? What exact need are you meeting and how do you meet it? Once you have this list, write out in detail the processes you take to achieve them.
If your business has grown beyond the early stage, and you now have a small team of two, three, or more employees, have them do the same thing. This is the process of creating a Standard Operating Procedure document which can become your business manual (if you are okay with such a term). What this achieves for you as a small business owner is that you can easily see what each staff is doing and how they are contributing to the team productivity, and you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure that you are optimally utilizing your team. With this, anyone can go through the document and understand the exact way to carry out the tasks in your company without asking too many questions.
The second stage is to delegate. If you are trying to separate the business and ensure that it runs smoothly in your absence, you should try delegating some of those things you are solely responsible for. Instead of having your team running to you every time they have a challenge, delegate some of the problems to another staff to resolve them. You will need to brief him or her on what to do, and possibly get them to use the document earlier prepared. You will always need people to run your business no matter how solid your business structure is. Learn to employ quality people, delegate responsibilities to them, and trust them to deliver.
The third part is to monitor. You cannot just delegate a task and then leave the person to figure things out on his own. You will need to closely monitor at the beginning and make sure that they are doing it right. You can also correct it as you go, till they are able to fix things without your supervision.
Ensure that you are getting the results you want, and if you are not, keep making adjustments until you do.