How do you build a business or organization which is bigger than yourself? A business which lives on after you are gone? How do you grow from being a solopreneur sole proprietor to managing a business which can someday keep running without you?
It’s not easy, but it’s simple (best I can tell):
- Clarify your mission
- Build your team
- Establish your processes
Clarify Your Mission
Why does your business exist? Why do people want to work for your business? What is the Big Hairy Audacious Goal of your business? Where are you going as a business? How do you envision the world being a different and better place in 10, 20, 30, 50 years because of your business?
Build Your Team
Assuming your business is going somewhere worth going, you can’t get there alone. You don’t have all the talents, gifts, skills, and resources to get there. Frodo Baggins the Hobbit needed a team to accomplish his mission. And so do you.
Establish Your Processes
How is your team of people going to accomplish the mission of your business? They need resources (e.g., money, equipment), but they also need guidance on how to use those resources to achieve the mission. Your business needs Standard Operating Procedures. Documenting and delegating these Standard Operating Procedures is crucial for building a business bigger than yourself.
Photo by Sanni Sahil on Unsplash