Picture it: You. Blissfully heading off into a long, stress-free extended vacation somewhere that serves those tropical little umbrella drinks (or hey, maybe it’s the mountains – do your thing!). But it’s stress-free because you know your business will keep humming right along even without you there.
Because let’s face it – as an entrepreneur, worrying about your business is part of the job, right? Will it crumble by the end of the year? Stop generating business and slowly sink over the next two years?
Or do you have things so buttoned up that, truthfully, your team may never need you again?
I have a not-so-secret secret: Most business owners fall into the crumble or sink category.
That’s why you need to get your business out of your brain. How? By writing your business playbook. So you can sit on a beach, sipping that little umbrella drink, knowing that your employees back home have everything under control. Your playbook is the answer to making your business run without you. And I’m going to teach you how to write it.
What Should I Document?
When writing down your policies, processes, and procedures, finding a place to start can feel overwhelming. You may ask, “What exactly do I document in my business?”
I have a simple answer for that. And it’s a framework that I coined: Do it. Document it. Delegate it.® This is how you need to approach everything that goes into your playbook.
First, work through the task in an experimental way. This is when you’re actually figuring out the best way to tackle that responsibility. Then, once you’re doing it consistently, you can document it.
Now comes the part when you let out a sigh of relief: Delegate it. Because the exact instructions have been written down, there’s no room for second-guessing by your employees.
If you write things down too prematurely (before you have the best system for doing it), your instructions will probably get tossed in the trash. And that’s because it’s not a proven process. So really, the “doing” part is even more important than the delegating part.
How Much Do I Need to Document?
So, you have way too much to document. Plus, things change – sometimes pretty frequently!
And you’re right – both of those are true. That’s why you should strive to document 50%–60% of your business systems. The remaining 40%–50% is left for innovation because businesses change frequently. And you may not have the perfect system nailed down for a specific part of your business just yet.
I always say, “Don’t write the way until there’s a right way.”
What Do I Document First?
When you start from scratch, it’s difficult to know what to document first. Think of it like this: The biggest ROI is the content that applies to the most people in the business.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What does everyone need to know?
- What department has the most people?
So, you start based on the information or systems that will have the most impact on the greatest number of people.
The good news: I have a system for this too. I call it the four elements of a business playbook. I’m going to break them down a bit here, but you can get more in-depth with specific how-tos by picking up The Business Playbook.
The Four Elements of a Business Playbook
Your playbook should focus on four key areas. Let’s dig into each of them.
1. Profile
Your company profile should explain what your business is and who the business is at its core. It’s composed of the founding story, history, mission, vision, and the company’s values. It should answer the following questions:
- Who’s my ideal customer?
- What products and services do we offer?
- What makes my business unique?
2. People
New employees coming into the business need to know who all of your people are. Everyone has different roles and responsibilities, unique backgrounds, and purposes for why they’re a part of your business.
The people section of your playbook should include employee bios, lists of roles and responsibilities, and an org chart so that everyone knows the structure of your team and where they fit into it.
3. Policies
Without policies, your people may feel lost or uneasy. Policies are things like health insurance benefits, PTO policies, and short-term disability. They can also be legal, like your sexual harassment policy. They’re the documents that will reassure your employees.
There are also cultural norm policies that set expectations around the way you do things at your company. What’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable in your business? Think remote-work policies, password protection, the technology used, and more.
4. Processes
And, of course, processes. These are the how-tos in your business. This might be the way you package and ship an item or how you prepare the dough in the morning to make pizza throughout the day. It’s the piece of the playbook you can hand over to anybody to complete a task.
Remember, if you’re delegating something, the actual process itself is what you need to delegate. Not just the responsibility.
Where Do I Go from Here?
There’s a lot more information in The Business Playbook. You’ll find templates, checklists, and other resources that you can use throughout your documentation journey.
I’m also the founder and CEO of Trainual, which is a software tool that you can use to house your business playbook.
I hope these tips are helpful in getting your business out of your brain. That way, you can take back your time and spend it on the things you love.
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