From my experience in working with service based business owners over the years, I have seen many issues, large and small with some far out fixes that were really not doing too much but reducing the flow out of an already leaky bucket. So if you find that your business is a bit like a leaky bucket and you’re tempted to throw everything at your business to get it into a bearable state, then there are 4 things you must know before you start applying quick fixes and band aides.

1. Entrepreneur Systems Tips, Strategies and Advice by Kim Morris, Systems
Expert and Chief Efficiency Optimiser
What you must know before attempting to systemise your
business
When you are flat out, tired, and running on
empty, it can be tempting to fantasise about
“what if my business was like this…”, or “I wish
my business was like that…”, or “why isn’t my
business like such and such”, which eventually
leads to “I’m sick of this, I’m going to streamline
things because its unbearable!”. These thought
patterns are inevitable if your business is in a
state of chaos.
But, there are a number of things that you absolutely must know and have in place
before you get into “fix it” mode and trying and “make your business better”. Without
having these key foundations in place, trying to fix anything will be fruitless and it will
probably just go back to the way it was before, simply because trying to fix something that
doesn’t have a strong foundation to begin with, results in patching up leaks, and putting on
band aides when what is really needed is a total clean break from old ways, and a plaster
cast put in place to align new habits and ways of working to create a solid foundation for the
future.
From my experience in working with service based business owners over the years, I have
seen many issues, large and small with some far out fixes that were really not doing too
much but reducing the flow out of an already leaky bucket. So if you find that your business
is a bit like a leaky bucket and you’re tempted to throw everything at your business to get it
into a bearable state, then there are 4 things you must know before you start applying quick
fixes and band aides.
1. You need to understand the problems and all their associated issues
thoroughly before you can fix them. Ie: one problem may have many issues, with
may require several different approaches to fully address it. To get a clear
understanding of a problem, I generally like to write each issue out on a single post it,
so each issue can be examined on its own merit
2. Focus on one issue at a time. Select the most pressing issue that will yield the
biggest results
3. Write down how the selected problem is occurring in as much detail as
possible.. This will be your baseline for improvement
4. Next, you will need to determine, what kind of process you can put in place that
will eliminate the problem or issue.
a. To create a system solution for your problem determine WHAT the system or
process will be called
b. Determine what you want to happen in a perfect world, that is, your expected
outcome.
1 An Entrepreneur Systems Resource | 2012 | www.entrepreneursystems.com

2. Entrepreneur Systems Tips, Strategies and Advice by Kim Morris, Systems
Expert and Chief Efficiency Optimiser
c. Work out how you would get there in terms of the steps needed to reach your
expected outcome
Without taking the time to breakdown the issues associated with a problem, you may not
consider the problem in its entirety. With each individual issue you can look at its cause
and when you focus on the cause of an issue you generally begin to see that there is
a “lack of something” that you need to address.
Focusing on the cause of the issue encourages you to shift your perspective to a more
solution focused mindset, or a proactive mindset, rather than a reactive one, which is where,
most often, quick fixes and band aides are applied.
So, take one issue at a time and work it through to completion before moving on to the next
one. Loosing focus and trying to “solve” or “fix” too many problems at one time, without
looking at the underlying issues, will mean results are slower, and the overarching problem
will persist for longer.
The wrap up: streamlining your business can only be done when the proper foundations
are in place. Its important to keep in mind that a systemised business is overall a net
result of systemising many individual processes, by identifying underlying problems,
issues and challenges and turning them into system solutions!
Kim Morris is a Systems Expert and Business Efficiency Optimiser. Kim provides simple
systems and solutions for service based business owners to help them systemise and
streamline so they have more time and more fun in their business. For you FREE
Systems Development Blueprint with bonus templates and action plan visit
http://entrepreneursystems.com
2 An Entrepreneur Systems Resource | 2012 | www.entrepreneursystems.com