I am writing today while sitting in a field on a farm in Wyoming next to a river, in our RV. We watched the sunset, took a walk, picked some wild raspberries and then slept like teenagers. This morning, was so nice and cool. Pete made coffee, we talked and prayed. Then we went for a walk with Mick and Dangny down a dirt road that lead to the water while we watched the sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve experienced…since last night when we watched the sunset over the hay bales and fields.
RVing may not be your thing. You might love to experience this from 20,000 feet in a private jet. Or on a fishing boat, or from your bedroom window. My point is, I have the ability to experience it as often as I like because of my business structure and systems; Pillar #9. Currently, we are on our way to Cody, WY to meet our friends of 25 years. We will spend the next 12 days together, touring the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole. Pete and I decided to drive casually yesterday and stay as a Harvest Host. It is a variety of places along the journey such as farms, breweries, museums, vineyards and so on that let RV’ers stay overnight. In exchange, you can purchase some wine, cheese, a meal, wool socks or whatever your heart desires. It supports the small businesses and you get to stay in a place that you would otherwise not have the opportunity to see and experience. In our case, we are staying at a 280 acre farm. We were greeted by the hosts upon arrival, shown where to park and then invited to pick and enjoy all the fresh raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers we wanted. It is all organic so you can eat it right off the vine and oh my goodness. Talk about delicious! We purchased 2 jars of homemade raspberry preserves, one with a blend of peaches and another with a blend of rhubard. And of course, a jar of dill pickles because I can’t refuse those! Everything they sell here goes to fund charities which of course is near and dear to my heart.
We RV about 15-20 weeks a year, maybe more next year with Mick and Dagny always in tow. So my question to you is, are you ready to get your systems in place? My business structures and systems allow me to live the life I want. I can travel, explore new places, work my own schedule, spend time with friends and be with those I love as often as I like. And, this is because things are systemized.
I know when I write, when I shoot videos, when and how my real estate marketing is produced, who is doing what and when and I even have a timeframe set aside for answering emails and calls. Does life sometimes get in the way and I have to stop and work outside my system, yes. Does it happen more often than not, no. Because, I am in control, my team is empowered and my systems work.
It isn’t complicated to set up a system, but you do have to take the time to do it. And then, you have to implement it. Initially, you will need to review that system quarterly, then bi-annually and then simply once a year.
The SOP is your best friend when it comes to setting up a system. I’ve referenced these before but haven’t shared with you how to create one. SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure. In other words, it’s how you are going to get things done. This is how we do it. This is how it works. Anyone can look at the SOP and implement the system, project or task. Yep, it can and should be that simple. We are busy women, don’t overcomplicate it!
I remember before setting up my systems and SOP’s my businesses were a nightmare. Everything took me 10 times longer to do because I would reinvent the wheel every single time. When I first started staging and then creating training systems on staging, I would set up new staging scenes, photograph them, outline the scene in the training system and then do it again and again. I sold these systems for $497.
Eventually, it dawned on me that these are micro systems. They all had rules that I was following and teaching but not as a system. When I started to ask myself what the system was behind my staging scene, I came up with the fact that there was color, continuity, theme and flow. The color always got me started as once I knew the primary color I was going to use, I was able to add continuity to the scene, the room and the house. That gave me continuity. Then the theme had to do with the home, the room, the area and the buyer. And once I had theme, I added it to color and created flow. You can see how this works. Before I knew it, I had systems with everything I did in my staging training company. Now, I had to turn it into an SOP so everyone knew how to implement the system. That is the defining difference in a system and SOP although we might use them interchangeably. A system is how you do it and an SOP is how you teach your team or clients to do it.
In creating your SOP, you take your existing system, and now turn it into an educational tool. You can do this in writing, or via a video. We tend to do both depending upon the SOP. Sometimes it is easier to learn tech systems by watching a video and giving a live tutorial. Other systems are more readily learned with a checklist style SOP. You decide which works best depending upon what you are teaching. When I turned my systems into SOP’s for my staging training company I went from selling a $497 staging manual to selling a $10k staging business systems training course.
As always, I will load a W.I.N. One Sheet on the W.I.N. membership site so you can begin the process of transforming your systems into SOP’s.
In a nutshell, you have to know the system and why you need it. Next, who do you need on the team to implement the system? Always define these by position vs. name as I promise you, names change. What is the objective or mission? Then, break down the process.
Listen ladies. You can do hard things, and this isn’t that hard once you get past the first one or two. You have been doing this your whole lives. Schedule time each day to work on your business, which means, systems, sales and marketing vs. working in your business which means working the cash register, cleaning the floors or doing the books. You deserve to build your dreams and I know you can do it because you, are a W.I.N.-Her! Now go right that SOP and tell me all about it!
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