Building a business organically from the ground up into a living, breathing entity takes some doing, not least because the majority of the expertise (at the point you start to become successful) has been gained through making some pretty big, cringe-inducing mistakes along the way.
All the great leaders on this exhausting planet of ours have either crashed numerous businesses (some spectacularly) or learned humbling lessons along the way. However, what has made them different to those who have failed is the determination of not failing or being afraid to fail; always changing what they are doing until they get it right rather than repeatedly making the same mistakes.
Refining process is an ever-changing feast, particularly in our business here at Connectivity CX as we are always keen to learn from our clients needs. Couple their needs with the ever-evolving technology that we deploy then you can guarantee we need to move quickly and smartly, endeavouring not to mess stuff up along the way (yep, we’ve done that too, plenty).
Getting to the point where you have a sizeable team, some with different roles and responsibilities means that process (in particular ‘written process’) must be in place, just like the handbook in the glove compartment of your car. You don’t always need it but referring to it and having it there when you sell is good practice.
My rabbit-in-headlights task over the next couple of years, is to write and produce an Operations Manual that will not only tie all our processes together, but act as a living and breathing guide for anyone who is joining or working within the business. Writing the table of contents alone took hours, however; the back-filling of the subject headings will make the Lord of the Rings trilogy look like the Mr Men compilation.
As I take this long (and often lonely road) I shall appraise you of some of my blockers and quick wins, either on the subject headings themselves or the topics I am writing about. Equally though – I would be thrilled to hear from any of you who wish to join in the conversation on this vast subject. I’m already getting Forest Gump vibes for when I finish the journey so some stragglers in their sweaty trainers would be most welcome along the way, particularly as I believe there is a cold beer or ten at the end…
