Is it too early to systematize your business?
When I talk to people about what it is that I do, I often talk about that time in the growth trajectory of a business when everything that used to feel fun and simple becomes messy and complex.
Ya know, that time when you feel like you don't quite have a handle on things the way you used you. There's too much going on, things are starting to break, and all you can think about at night is how you're going to keep everything on track or what new problems might pop up tomorrow.
But what if things get to a point where everything feels that way? When everything feels equally important and equally chaotic?
It's definitely time to systematize, right?
Well, according to YouTuber and fellow systems geek Layla Pomper, that's the exact wrong time.
According to Layla, if there's chaos everywhere, that means that your focus really needs to be on taking action to stabilize the crises going on. Not investing in new infrastructure.
You can't re-engineer a building that's on fire. You've got to put out the fire first.
Systemizing is an investment. You're investing in the future of your business. And you can't invest in everything all at once. If everything feels equally important, that really means that nothing is important.
That's why I focus so much with my clients on finding their weakest link. That one area in the business where if you fixed, it would make everything else that much easier.
So if you look at your business and there's not that one clear area you see that you know is holding you back, then you've got one of three options:
If everything is in chaos, you've got to go into stabilizing mode. You're too early for new systems.
If everything is sparkly clean and humming along, pour yourself a nice glass of 🍷 or 🥃. It's time to take some time to appreciate what you've done.
If nothing's on fire, but it still feels like you're walking through mud, now might be a good time to think about investing in a more scalable infrastructure. That's when we talk.
Still not sure if your business is ready to scale? Take 5 mins to answer these 20 questions, and I'll let you know where your focus should be.
And let me know, how have you decided when the right time is to invest in growing your business?