Before you add the magic sprinkles, fix the foundations of your business
A lot of businesses I work with come to me for the end result…the magic sprinkles.
Of course they do.
No one sets out thinking, “I’d really like to uncover and fix all the deeper problems in my business.”
We want the lovely end result. Preferably yesterday.
You might want:
A CRM that will help you do XYZ
To be “more organised”
Beautifully written processes that your team will “just” follow
A perfect customer journey that increases your income
To get “sorted” before taking on or growing your team
More time
More headspace
…the list is endless.
But before we can get to the lovely, sugary sprinkles finale, we need to understand what’s underneath. What’s really going on in your business…
What do you have now?
What do you actually want?
Where are you going?
What ingredients are already in play?
And, importantly, what needs to be improved, tweaked or fixed first?
Because otherwise, you can set out wanting a beautifully decadent chocolate cake with sprinkles and somehow end up with a tasteless, flat carrot cake.*
Firstly, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
And, more importantly, you’ve ended up with completely the wrong outcome.
What I look at before we get anywhere near the sprinkles
When I start working with a new client, part of my discovery phase is understanding the business foundations that are already in place.
I’ll ask whether they have things like:
A written business strategy
A risk and continuity plan
A written sales and marketing strategy
A documented customer journey
Documented processes
A client onboarding process
A client offboarding process
An optimised IT stack they’re actually happy with
A centralised “business hub” for files, folders, templates etc.
Solid GDPR and IT security standards that work in practice
Strong financial/accountant support
Annual budget setting and planning
Regular reviews of finances, profit margins and spending
And the answers can be:
Yes. No. Maybe. A bit. No idea. Should I have these?
All are perfectly valid starting points. There is no shame or judgement here.
Does a small business really need all of that?
Now, don’t get me wrong. That list might feel like complete overkill if you’re a one-person business.
And in some cases, not everything will apply. And yes will be overkill.
But these things don’t need to be pages and pages long. They don’t need to be complicated, corporate documents that sit in a folder gathering virtual dust.
A very, very simple version of the things that are relevant working documents, specific to you and your business, that can help you build much stronger foundations for your business.
When we start out, most of us have none, or very few, of these things in place.
And that’s absolutely fine and very normal.
But at some point, normally when you’re trying to make a big decision, grow the business, take someone on, change direction or when sh!t is about to hit the fan, you suddenly discover that one or more of them is missing.
And that is the thing we need to deal with before we move on to the sprinkles.
So, before you buy the shiny new thing…
If you’re feeling stuck, finding it difficult to make a big decision or suspecting sh!t is about to hit the fan, resist the temptation to jump straight into buying or implementing the solution.
Go back a step.
Look at what you already have.
Look at what’s missing.
Look at what isn’t working.
Look at where you actually want the business to go.
Then start unpicking the real problem.
Because the CRM, new system, process document, staff member, automation or shiny bit of software might well be part of the answer.
But it needs to be the right answer.
Otherwise, you’ll end up with carrot cake.* And it could be costly in terms of time, money and energy.
And you don’t want that.
If you need some help unpicking where the issues really are, I’m here to guide you through and find them, help you fix the foundations of your business and then put the magic sprinkles in place, with you or for you.
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*Insert whatever cake you’d be disappointed to eat.
A small disclaimer about my cake analogy: I cannot bake. It is not my strong suit. I can cook. If you would like photographic evidence of the TERRIBLE baking and cake decorating I attempted and presented for my daughter’s fifth birthday during Covid, email me with the word “Unicorn” and I’ll happily entertain you. It’s bad. Really bad!* 🤣
***I don’t do perfect, and I’m very happy to share the good stuff and the bad stuff with you, even if it’s super embarrassing. That’s how I roll. Open, honest and enjoy a good laugh.
Looking for business consultancy or advice? I am here.
I can work with you to improve the foundations of your business and explore ways to introduce or enhance the services you offer and the profits you make.
Send me an email, book a no-pressure virtual coffee, or head to my services page to find out how I can help.
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