If you have worked in the corporate world, you know that big businesses have procedure manuals and policies for how things are to be done. They may vary in effectiveness, but they have been thought out and written.

Maybe you consider this something that only belongs to big business, but small and medium businesses should also have some procedures written out.

A small business will have fewer procedures, may not call it a manual and may be more flexible in their approach, but the concept is the same.

 Why have procedures?

Many small business owners, especially sole traders, know how to run their business so don’t see any reason to write down their procedures. But what happens when the owner isn’t the one trying to carry out a particular task one day?

By having procedures written down, someone else is able do the job with minimal disruption to clients and the overall business.

Here are some the main reasons to have procedures written down for your business:

• Someone is able to fill in for you if you are sick or go on holidays
• Less time is required to train new staff
• You have a system to sell, either as a franchise or if you sell the entire business
• There are less likely to be human errors because someone forgets a key step
• Clients receive consistent answers and service

For some tips on how to start getting some procedures for your business, read my article on business procedures. For a full run on why procedures are useful and how to use them as well as how to prepare procedures for your business, my preparing procedures eBook is jam-packed with information and tips.