Ep 352 How to Get Your Business to Run Without You - Jodie Cook
Aug 26, 2022
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Jodie Cook, a social media agency owner, shares her journey of systematizing her business with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). She discusses the importance of systems and processes, adapting to different personality types, and handling client resistance. Implementing SOPs allowed her to free up time and empower team members, leading to the successful sale of her company.
Implementing systems within a company is crucial for growth and balancing creativity with processes ensures smooth functioning.
Creating effective standard operating procedures (SOPs) with clear titles, descriptions, and step-by-step instructions promotes ownership and familiarity.
Empowering employees and delegating tasks, including sales, leads to increased efficiency, better team collaboration, and improved client services.
Deep dives
The Importance of Systemizing Your Business
Jody Cook shares her insights on why implementing systems within your company is crucial for growth. She explains that while creativity is important, it must be balanced with processes to ensure the smooth functioning of the business. By systemizing various tasks and delegating responsibilities, companies can sustain themselves and create more room for creativity. Jody emphasizes the role of systems in eliminating bottlenecks and administrative tasks, allowing entrepreneurs and their teams to focus on core business activities.
The Journey to Systemization
Jody Cook discusses her personal journey of systemizing her service business. After realizing she couldn't take a vacation due to being the bottleneck for every process, she decided to implement systems. Jody explains her approach, which involved analyzing her daily tasks, creating an Excel spreadsheet to track processes, and gradually delegating or automating them. She highlights the importance of prioritizing tasks and gradually freeing up more time for creative endeavors.
Creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Jody Cook shares her process for creating effective standard operating procedures (SOPs). She explains that each SOP included a clear title, description, and purpose, helping to establish a common language and ensure clarity. The SOPs provided step-by-step instructions for each process, with additional details and resources when needed. Jody highlights the importance of involving the responsible team members in creating SOPs to promote ownership and familiarity with the processes.
Empowering Employees and Delegating Sales
Jody Cook discusses the importance of empowering employees and delegating tasks, including sales. She explains how she trained her sales team to ask the right questions and create personalized proposals. By trusting her team to handle sales, Jody freed up her own time to focus on other areas of the business. She emphasizes the value of hiring individuals who are genuinely interested in the company and have enthusiasm for their work, ensuring authentic and engaging interactions with clients.
The Impact of Systemizing on Business Success and Sale
Jody Cook highlights the positive outcomes of systemizing her business, including increased efficiency, better team collaboration, and improved client services. She emphasizes that having standard operating procedures (SOPs) and a comprehensive employee manual played a crucial role in the successful sale of her company. The SOPs provided clear answers and guidance, reducing the need for her involvement in day-to-day operations. Jody's experience demonstrates how systemizing a business can lead to smoother operations, increased value, and a more desirable exit strategy.
When Jodie Cook started her social media agency, nothing happened without her involvement.
Desperate to free herself up from the minutia of running her company, Cook started to systematize her business with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). After a few missteps, Cook mastered the art of delegation.
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