Evaluating Your Workflows: 4 Must-Dos Before Growing Your Business

Growth is tempting for any business owner.

More customers, more revenue, new opportunities—it’s an intoxicating vision.

But unrestrained growth can sink even the most promising businesses if not pursued strategically.

Before chasing the next big chance to scale, take a step back. Evaluate your current workflows and processes. Are they truly prepared to handle an influx of demand?

When evaluating your business's readiness for growth, there are many areas you could dig into. But let's start with the basics.

Follow these four must-dos to set your business up for smart, sustainable growth.

1. Document Everything

Formalize workflows by creating SOPs (standard operating procedures) for key tasks. Outline each step required to complete the job.

Make sure nothing relies solely on one person’s knowledge. This prevents fires when someone is out sick or quits, and allows new hires to onboard faster. It also optimizes training time as your team expands.

I cannot stress this enough, SOPs are like the studs in a house - they provide an essential underlying framework and support for workflows.

Without them, well, things are bound to fall apart.

2. Cross-Train Employees

Don't keep everything locked up in little knowledge bubbles. Foster a culture of transparency by cross-training employees.

Let your sales team shadow customer service reps. Have client managers sit in on sales calls. When information flows openly, processes improve.

3. Assess Bandwidth

Audit your team’s bandwidth before pursuing new opportunities. Calculate utilization rates for each department/employee (depending on the size of your business).

Identify capacity limits.

This allows you to predict scaling challenges, like whether your current staff can handle a 25% increase in workload.

Hire, automate, or outsource accordingly!

4. Map the Customer Journey

Follow an order/purchase/booked call from start to finish.

Look for pain points or delays. Interview employees for frustrations.

Mapping the customer journey in detail shows you exactly where processes break down. Fix these issues before they become catastrophic.

The Road to Growth is Paved With Planning

Growth is imperative for any business, but not at the expense of controlled, strategic expansion.

Lay your foundation first.

Do this legwork upfront, and you'll save yourself the massive headache of having to backtrack and redo sloppy processes down the road. Get your workflows tight now, and your business will sail smoothly into its next phase of success.