{"id":794,"date":"2019-10-06T04:14:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T08:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.westernston.com\/?p=794"},"modified":"2019-10-29T15:39:23","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T19:39:23","slug":"the-power-of-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.westernston.com\/business-systemization\/the-power-of-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post about the power of systems was recently lost in migration. What that means is that we recently switched our web host, and due to unforeseeable technological problems, this particular article was not brought to the new host. So here we are reprinting it, hopefully fixing the 404 errors in the process.<\/p>\n

Jack Duncan is one of my favorite marketing writers and thinkers. I absolutely hit buy everytime Jack comes up with a new product, software or tool. I’ve known him for well over a decade now, and his thinking on business and marketing has always inspired me to expand my own mental framework on the subject. Recently, Jack sent an article talking about the power of systems, and with his permission, I’m reprinting\u00a0 it here for your benefit. You should definitely check out\u00a0 all his products, tools and content over at marketbold.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, I’ll let Jack talk about the power of systems…<\/p>\n

\n

She Still Beat Me, Because She Had One BIG Advantage…<\/h2>\n

I enjoyed a nice, sunny walk
\nto my office this morning.<\/p>\n

While I was walking, a really old
\nlady raced past me.<\/p>\n

We were going to the same
\nbuilding, but she got there
\nat least three times faster.<\/p>\n

She wasn’t stronger than me.<\/p>\n

She wasn’t more athletic than me.<\/p>\n

She couldn’t walk faster than me.<\/p>\n

But she still beat me by a long
\nshot, because she had one BIG
\nadvantage:<\/p>\n

She used a system.<\/h3>\n

We call that system a bicycle.<\/p>\n

And using that system, she was
\nable to easily pass me.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, another man
\nflew by me on a bike.<\/p>\n

So, this system was learnable and
\nrepeatable. (a key concept we’ll
\ncover another time…)<\/p>\n

When you really start to look for
\nsystems, you’ll notice them
\neverywhere…<\/p>\n

On Sunday, I made my wife
\nChicken Alfredo for Mother’s Day.<\/p>\n

It would’ve been nasty
\nif I hadn’t used a system.<\/p>\n

In that case, the system
\nis called a “recipe”.<\/h3>\n

Think about that for a second…<\/p>\n

A recipe is simply a list of
\nresources (ingredients, pans,
\nwork space, machines, time,
\ntemperature) and a list of steps
\nfor how to use those resources.<\/p>\n

I can’t think of anyone who
\nhasn’t used a recipe before.<\/p>\n

But if you ask someone if they
\nuse systems, you might get a
\nstrange look.<\/p>\n

Why bring this up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, I’ve seen
\ncountless companies suffer (and
\noften go under), simply because
\nthey’ve never developed and used
\n“recipes”.<\/p>\n

They try to do everything as
\nthough they were doing it
\nfor the first time.<\/p>\n

And that simply won’t work.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Because…<\/p>\n

“Success is not built on success.
\nIt’s built on failure. It’s built
\non frustration. Sometimes
\nit’s built on catastrophe.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– Summer Redstone<\/p>\n

Imagine if I tried to make<\/strong>
\nChicken Alfredo without a<\/strong>
\nrecipe…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Overcooked noodles…<\/p>\n

Food poisoning from
\nunder cooked chicken…<\/p>\n

Runny sauce…<\/p>\n

All those failures have been made
\nat some point by someone making
\nChicken Alfredo.<\/p>\n

Why rethink everything, as though
\nit was the first time it was
\nbeing done?<\/p>\n

Why ignore the fact that someone
\nalready knows how to make
\ndelicious Chicken Alfredo?<\/p>\n

Because I followed a 5-star
\nChicken Alfredo recipe, the
\ndelicious outcome was almost
\nguaranteed.<\/h3>\n

That’s the power
\nof a great system.<\/p>\n

Now, I’ve read a ton of
\ninformation on systems over the
\nyears, and most of it is
\n“rah-rah” about using systems,
\nbut very impractical when it
\ncomes to creating systems.<\/p>\n

If that’s been your experience as
\nwell, or if you don’t currently
\nuse systems, then I’d like to
\nhelp you change that.<\/p>\n

And here’s the first step…<\/p>\n

Think of a “systems”
\nas business “recipes”.<\/h3>\n

That simple shift in terminology
\nwill get you headed in the right
\ndirection.<\/p>\n

What recipes should you use every
\nday in your business?<\/p>\n

What’s in your business cookbook?<\/p>\n

Start making your “recipe” list.<\/p>\n

Just make a small list…<\/p>\n

Don’t worry about writing down
\nthe “recipes” just yet.<\/p>\n

If you spend 15 minutes this
\nweek, just writing down system
\nideas, you’ll be well on your way
\nto improving your business with
\nsystems thinking.<\/p>\n

And chew on this while you make
\nyour list:<\/p>\n

“We should work on our process,
\nnot the outcome of our processes.”
\n– W. Edwards Deming<\/p>\n

“If you’re too busy to build good
\nsystems, then you’ll always be
\ntoo busy.”
\n– Brian Logue<\/p>\n

“A bad system will beat a good
\nperson every time.”
\n– W. Edwards Deming<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All the best,
\nJack Duncan
\nMarketBold.com<\/p>\n

\n

So that’s it. Jack nailed it.<\/p>\n

Business Systems Are Recipes<\/h2>\n

With the right systems, you could beat competitors that have far greater resources than you… competitors that have all sort of concievable advantage over you. With the right systems, an old lady can absolutely demolish Usain Bolt on a quarter mile race track. Why? Because she would have the unfair advantage in the form of systems.<\/p>\n

The question is… do you have this undue advantage in your business?<\/p>\n

If yes, great. But if not, why not?<\/p>\n

Here at Westernston, this is what we do. For a very small number of clients, we work on systemizing their businesses. So that they can scale. So that they can become the Davids taking on the Goliaths of their respective marketplaces.<\/p>\n

So keep on systemizing your business. Because that’s what YOUR job is as a business leader and an entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

\"Lakshay<\/p>\n

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