Running a business is often chaotic. And the true is that most businesses will always experience at least a small amount of chaos and/or confusion. That’s part of business—customers are unpredictable, supply chains get interrupted, and the market continues to evolve.
However, in my experience, the vast majority of the chaos that small businesses experience is NOT unavoidable. It’s not due to customer unpredictability, or supply chain issues, or market changes, or any external factors at all.
Instead, the majority of the chaos that most businesses face is self-inflicted. It is a result of internal disorganization.
This might not sound like good news, but it is. Why? Because it means that YOU have the ability to eliminate the vast majority of the disorganization and chaos that drives you crazy in your business. Here are five important steps to take in order to reduce the level of “self-inflicted” chaos that you experience:
1) Clearly define the job descriptions of your employees. Do your employees have a clearly defined role and purpose within your business? You’d be surprised how often small business owners answer this question with a “no” – which means that their employees are often filling ill-defined roles, which in turn leads to disorganization. Your employees should know exactly what they are responsible for.
2) Provide clear instructions for key processes. We’ve talked about the dangers of micro-managing, but too little direction is an equally bad habit. Your employees should clearly understand how key processes within the business are to function. Don’t leave it up to the employees to figure it out on their own, because chances are you’ll end up with a disorganized system in which everyone does it “their way.”
3) Define communication procedures. Communication breakdowns often lead to disaster. So don’t take any chances – it’s important to define standards for communication, at least as it relates to important functions. For instance, requiring your managers to physically sign off on a checklist ensuring that their department has fulfilled its responsibilities guarantees that there can be no confusion about what has been done, and what hasn’t. Communication breakdowns are a major source of self-inflicted chaos – don’t be victimized!
4) Create a system of organization for key information and documentation. Every business has key data to store. Whether it is customer contact information, shipping orders, manuals and procedures, billing information, it’s important that you have a system to keep it organized. When you’re busy (and let’s be honest, you’re always busy!), the last thing you can afford is to waste time looking for files or documents. So get organized – and if you need help, get in touch with me!
5) When things go wrong, figure out why – and fix the issue. Finally, take time on a regular basis to review your performance. When you experience chaotic days, weeks, or months, try to identify the root cause of the issue—and make adjustments to avoid this unnecessary chaos in the future.
If you’d like to learn more, or if you’d like help getting your business organized and running smoothly, I can help. Contact me today to learn more!