Personal inspirations for business development (3)

“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today” (Elbert Hubbard)

One of my unpublished books is titled “The 100 Year Company”. The book attempts to describe the different mindsets of people when they set out to establish a business. In the book, there is the comparison of starting a business with building a house. For example, just as the erection of a house is preceded by the design concept, the building plans and laying of the foundation, among others, so must the establishment of a business be preceded by the business design concept and building strategies.

Importantly, the preparations made for building a bungalow will obviously be different from that made for the erection of a high rise building. That is the same for a business. Therefore, the mindset of a person that starts a business with the intention of the business having a global reach and relevance is quite different from that of someone whose business is designed to serve only local needs. Similarly, a business that is planned to operate for many years and decades will be different in thought and concept from the business planned to exist for only a short period of time.

In all of these instances, the business ideas and desires compel a specific mindset for the business founder. For instance, there are business founders whose motives and desires in establishing a business are based on some trans-generational aspirations. Their wish in this regard is that the business will outlive them. On the other hand, there are others who establish their business just to satisfy their immediate and sometimes desperate needs. The motive in the latter instance is not the lifespan of their business, but rather the ability of the business to meet certain essential needs.

These different mindsets in the motivations for establishing a business highlight the importance of business systemisation. Business systemisation in this context refers to the situation and position of a company being driven by a set of systems, collectively called business systems. Business systems in turn describe the sum total of values, technical operations, beliefs, philosophies, cultures, practices and knowledge that characterise the business and make it distinct from other businesses.

Business systemisation is therefore an important business building and development concept that usually plays a critical part in business coaching. This is because a lot of the time, the business coach is hired to help facilitate and entrench certain practices within the business. The idea is to establish these practices as a means of getting the business to operate efficiently, effectively and sustainably. The motive behind the establishment of business systems in this regard is often to assist a business to run smoothly, with a business owner running it, and not the other way round.

It is worth mentioning that in many business coaching engagements, the coach is actually busy developing solutions that would help the business owner to run the business, so that the business will not continually ‘run the life of the owner’. Business systemisation in this regard ensures that the business does not continually revolve around the owner, but rather operates on a set of systems. This then affords the business owner a lifestyle that allows him to do what he enjoys, when he wants it.

As a business coach, I hold a very strong opinion that a business owner has the responsibility to seek ways to develop systems within the business, which will ensure that he does not remain merely a hard worker in his business. The end game of developing business systems in this regard is that the owner can continue to work on his business as a strategist, instead of in the business as an employee. This means that he has a business that rewards him handsomely for his innovation as an investor, rather than pay him wages for his hard work. Business systemisation makes the difference.

Furthermore and equally important, where there are sustainable platforms to establish business systems, the business owner does not need to micro-manage people or even spend long hours attending to his business operations. This becomes possible simply because he has leant to pay the price by installing business operating systems that do not require his physical attention and presence all the time.

What this means is that, when the business is running on a well established system, the business owner can afford to be away from the business for varying length of time, without being afraid of business failure. This of course can only come out of the confidence that the business would operate just as efficiently as if he was there. In some instances, the business could even operate better when he is away doing something else that gives him equal satisfaction.

This is one of the desires of many business owners, and remains a constant request when engaging a life, business or organisational coach. As attached as many business founders, owners and managers can be to their businesses, they still crave to have the benefit of being able to do many other things that they enjoy outside running their businesses. Business systemisation is the best business coaching solution.  You can read more about the transformational power of coaching at www.ceedcoaching.com

Emmanuel Imevbere