In speaking with a lot of Home Stagers who are struggling to really get their businesses going, what’s missing is not talent, design skills, or a passion for what they do. The root of the problem is not having a strong foundation from which their business can grow and that foundation can be found in creating systems. Every business can attribute their success or lack thereof to having systems. Systems is what allows everything to function properly - it’s how we get water to our homes, it’s how hundreds of planes can be in the air at the same time, and trains can travel across the country without smashing into each other, and it’s how large and small businesses function with thousands or employees or with just one or two. It’s an outline of how we do things and how we let people know how we do things.
Think back to when you started employment with a previous company. During orientation, you were probably presented with an Employee Manual. This Employee Manual outlined all the dos and don’ts, company policies, dress codes, an outline of company holidays, pay schedules, etc. Companies create these Standard Operating Procedures as a tool for organizing their business. It is the blueprint of how the business should be run. Well, this is no different in a Home Staging business, but unfortunately, most do not have systems in place and therein lies the problem. As we all know, “winging it” only takes you so far.
The operations manual for my staging business was born our of necessity and eventually as a means for training my staging team. I knew that in order for my business to grow, I would need a team to work with, but that also meant that my team would also need to work independent of me. It would not be efficient to have a team, but also need to babysit them throughout the day. So, I broke down every step I took in the staging process and created a system to communicate my instructions, ideas and plans for each project so that they can execute and complete the project without my having to oversee the entire process. I was able to do that through checklists and other communications. As a side benefit, this operations manual also becomes an ideal training manual for new employees and a great way to ensure consistency from your team on each project
The trouble is, by the time most business people realize they need to systematize their businesses, they’re so deep into their businesses that finding the time to create and implement these systems seems downright impossible.
Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Block out some time to sit and think about everything you do in your business, from the moment you answer the phone to what you do after you destage a property and write those down.
2. Break each event into steps, i.e. Incoming calls – what questions do callers usually ask? How do you answer the questions? What information do you need from them?
3. Think about things that you’ve forgotten or you’ve seen fall through the cracks - it’s ok, it happens to everyone – you just need to identify what those are
4. Now, create forms and checklists which include all the steps you take for each of those areas
5. On your next few projects, take these forms and checklists you’ve created and follow them religiously (have your team do the same if you have a team)
6. As you use these forms and checklists, add, change, modify, and refine as needed
7. Put together a binder that outlines how you run every aspect of your business – congratulations, you now have your own company operations manual!
Ultimately, the key to success is to PUT IT INTO ACTION and FOLLOW IT. Don’t go through this exercise and then ignore it. Trust me, you will feel more organized, confident, and this will translate to more credibility and professionalism in the eyes of your clients and prospects.
Good luck and let me know how it goes!