From the desk of Kamahl Simon, one of our top 10 coaches to watch out for in 2021.
It’s been said that the space shuttle uses up to 70% of its fuel lifting just 3 feet off the platform, and over 90% by the time it reaches orbit. Once in orbit though, its trajectory can be shifted with the lightest touch.
Building a business is the same. In fact, around 70% of small businesses burn through all of their resources before the end of year 1, and over 90% never make it to orbit (that elusive 5-year mark). Over 90% of these businesses are complex, get micromanaged, and stagnate quickly.
So what is different about those that make it?
A sustainable and scalable business (i.e., not a bought job that you’re tied to for life), cycles around 3 key pillars: simplify, automate, and replicate.
The problem that the 90% have is that they try to grow rapidly and create automations, or “systems” well before the business is ready. What appears simple to the business owner is in fact complicated to onlookers. If you’ve ever thought that it’s hard to find “decent” workers, then this is absolutely happening in your business.
Systems help run efficiency, but more often than not, most business systems were built when the business owner was doing all the work—essentially creating an efficient inefficiency.
The classic example of this is that folder of great systems you wrote sitting on the bookshelf right now collecting dust. Ask your team, “Who here knows where the systems are?” and every hand will go up. Then ask “Who has read them all cover to cover and can implement them 100%?” and only Tony’s hand goes up (because Tony helped write the systems).
To your team, you’re like those friends who always insist on showing you every picture of their kids. They’ll politely say, “Oh, how beautiful,” but really they’re thinking, “Did I remember to put the dishwasher on?”
Efficient inefficiency is a problem because it hinders the second pillar, automate, from being implementable… and this flow on means that the final pillar, replicate, is impossible to use to scale growth.
So instead of simplify, automate, replicate, we have complex, micromanage, and stagnate.
All because the business owner was overworked, spinning all the plates and decided he needed to offload some of the tasks to free his time.
Great thinking, poor execution.
The good news is that the fix is very simple. It’s not easy, as it will take an undoing of how most business owners think, but it is simple.
It is critically important that we look at the pillars and their component parts in order. We must light the engines before we attempt takeoff.
To do this, focus first on the “simplify” pillar. Specifically, look to simplify the way you attract new prospects, then how you convert them into clients, then finally, simplify the way in which you deliver your products or services (your client experience).
Attract, convert, deliver—in that order.
Next, you may start to look at “automate” as a pillar of focus. The 3 key areas (again, in order) are what we call “systems flow,” where each system has a 1-page maximum design and flows effortlessly into the next. After systems flow, we concentrate on building out the “toolbox.” Adding any new tools that will enhance the systems, and more importantly, removing all of the tools that no longer serve us. Finally, we implement “plug and play,” where any new system can be plugged into the business and its uptake is instant and effective—like how Apple computers were designed to work right out of the box, no assembly required.
Systems flow, build your toolbox, plug and play.
This is the foundation of automation, which now means your business can start exponential growth without you having to now work 26 hours a day, 8 days a week. In fact, the average business owner we put through this process grows over 220% and drops down to 2-3 days per week in the business.
Finally, it’s time to replicate the sustainable scaling of your business.
The problem with scaling too early is that the business owner ends up having to micro-manage and stress exponentially with their growth, doing the work of many of their paid audience, I mean, staff.
The focus for this pillar first falls into “proof of concept.” Taking the automations and testing their plug and play abilities, one at a time, until they can truly operate without you. Don’t rush this; rework every system 20 times if you must because your sustainable growth depends critically on this step.
The second phase of your “replicate” pillar is leverage points, whereby you can have 1 conversation that leverages your message to 10, 100, or 1,000 people, communicating with efficiency and scale. This is for your team, for your clients, and has a huge flow on its effect into your marketing channel—attract.
Finally, with everything else in place, it’s time to build your championship team. Yes, the team comes last (I told you you’d have to think differently).
We create an environment of excellence before bringing the top players in. If you bring in the big guns, but your environment doesn’t support them in an epic way, then they won’t stay for long and you’ll find yourself working even harder with recruitment, training, and wondering what the hell keeps going wrong.
Proof of concept, leverage Points, championship team.
Three pillars—each with 3 focus points—that, when executed in order with patience and diligence, will all but guarantee long term, sustainable success in your business.
Once that’s done, your business is well and truly in orbit, and making changes will take the lightest of touches.
It takes a lot of work to build out this foundation. Seventy percent of your fuel to get just 3 feet off the platform. Of course, this does pose 1 obvious question though…
Why don’t they just build the platform 3 feet higher?
You can learn more and connect with Kamahl on Facebook.
