Why Guidelines?
Guidelines are crucial to maintaining consistency and excellence in your business. McDonald’s and every other franchise of the world have detailed guidelines and protocols in place to ensure that services are performed the same way, every time. Employee Handbooks and Business Guidelines (even if it’s just for yourself) are important to make sure that your business can run without you and that quality is guaranteed every time.
If you were to speak to any restaurant consulting company or start-up advisor then they might also reiterate the same instructions and guidelines to set the company’s tone that you see perfect for your business. This explains that the core mission/standards of your business is to cover all aspects of the company you can dream of, going beyond the protocols.
It may also include environmental laws for a business, for it to get clearance from a local government as well as to achieve sustainability, which is in trend these days. For that, as an entrepreneur, you can also consult environmental consulting firms to get your company to follow the necessary standards. Moreover, you have to keep your staff into consideration as well, including team member benefits, work behavior, and the specific conditions that constitute an absence, tardiness, or termination. Guidelines are a great resource/reference to have for you and your team in uncertain situations.
Read the E-Myth and the 4-Hour Work Week to change your life as a business owner.
Gerber offers insightful strategies and tactics to conquer having your dream business. Starting a business has always been hard, but it’s arguably harder now than ever before. There are tools to make it easier, like social media for expanding your reach (Twicsy might be able to help with this), and software for project management, but it can still be difficult to know where to start. Gerber walks you through the cycle of a business, from, “entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective” (Amazon). The E-Myth is considered mandatory reading from us for anyone looking to start a small business.
4-Hour Work Week
From an entrepreneur himself, Timothy Ferriss shares a common problem all entrepreneur encounters. The work overload and no life balance what so ever. He introduces a new acronym, (also the names of the chapters): DEAL (Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation). It’s so easy to get caught up on the hamster wheel and before you know it, running a business means working day in and out endlessly. Read the 4-hour workweek and seek the balance you want in your live/work life.
It’s a Bonsai Tree Thing
If you already have your guidelines in place, be sure to revisit them and update/edit any changes once in awhile. Owning a business is a constant learning process and as you grow, your guidelines should become more detailed and fine-tuned as your business changes.
