Something You’ll Hear at Epiphany (And Elsewhere!)

As I stepped into the conference room, it was an all too familiar drill. Grab a cup of coffee, find a place to sit, and settle in for a firehose of incoming information.

Fortunately, I found an empty chair next to a very successful entrepreneur I had met here last year (Ontrapolooza 2017). We chatted and he talked about his latest acquisition: a marketing agency. Interesting.

I asked if he had found them to have their processes, protocols and procedures written down and archived. That’s when he laughed. He had inherited a mess. That was the point where I said, “I always tell my team, if you get hit by a bus, we aren’t missing a step or dropping a ball. I want all of your processes in writing so the next person can step in, pick right up, and keep us going.”  Imagine the looks on both of our faces when the head of the conference opened his keynote and the conference with my exact words! My seatmate and I looked at each other and we shared a quiet laugh.

As business owners, bosses, and leaders, these are the questions we must ask ourselves. Daily. And truth be told, if you ever sell your business or hand it off to your successor, your style—if not documented—is the only thing that separates you from your competition. It’s what makes your brand YOU. The way you do things, the way you handle things, your code of conduct… That is all you have when you sell, retire, or move on should the day ever come.

Sure, we don’t have time to stop and do this. Trust me, I know. It’s a challenge to continually drive home to my team and force myself to review and document as well. But, for the good of the order, and for the health of the company, it must be done.

If you don’t know where to start or can’t even imagine finding the bandwidth to begin this journey, give us a call. We’ve been there. We understand, and we’d be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

With that, greetings from lovely Santa Barbara where I have committed time to stay in the know, learn a bit about trends, and discover more about how to be a better service provider for you, — our clients and colleagues.

Until next time,

Stephanie

#OPLZA

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