Intro

John Saunders is the Creative Director / Founder of:

• 5Four Digital - branding, design and development for startups
• Black Illustrations
• Urbanwallet - acquired about a year ago
• Working on a video game development with his son

What Are SOPs

• SOPs: Standard Operating Procedures
• A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out complex routine operations. 
• Allows you as an agency owner or business owner to systematize your tasks and processes, opening up your free time. 
• SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output and uniformity of performance, while reducing miscommunication and failure to comply with industry regulations. 
• Case study: McDonalds

• Ray Kroc
• Kroc’s strategy led to a fully made burger in 60 seconds. So how did he do it?
• Because of his systems, he was able to hire lower paid employees that could easily learn the systems and standardize the quality
• Kroc standardized operations that included portion sizes & food preparation, packaging and ingredients in a 75-page manual
• Processes were efficient and easily learned. As teen employees came and went, this was important to the operation so that customers would continue to receive the food they expected.
• Kroc’s strategy was a vital role in helping McDonald’s grow to 25,000 worldwide stores becoming the #1 fast food chain OF ALL TIME.

• What aspect of your business requires consistency? Whether it’s just you, a Virtual Assistant or your most talented salesperson, SOPs are a game changer.
• Why Create An SOP?

• Creates a dedicated knowledge portal of ALL of the tasks in your business - no matter how complex.
• Mitigates mistakes.
• Improves accuracy. If you have a definitive list, it is much harder to make mistakes.
• Makes onboarding new team members easier and faster. Helps your team member execute at a high level because of the clarify of responsibilities and steps.
• Less business BS (💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩)

How to Create an SOP

• Identify

• Identify what you would like your SOP to accomplish.  
• When you can understand this, it’s easier to write an outline and define the details.

• Perform

• Next, actually perform the task yourself.
• Take your time and be as efficient as possible.
• Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, SOPs change constantly.

• Document

• While performing the task, document EVERY ASPECT.  
• Write down a detailed list of items that need to be executed with the end goal in mind.

• Record

• Now, using software like Loom, Camtasia or Zoom record your SOP for your team (or self) to execute without you.
• Be as detailed and descriptive as possible.

• Review

• Review the SOP with team members to ensure it does the job.  Take notes, accept feedback and keep going!

• Update

• Update the SOP as needed. As in every business, things change and you need to be sure you’re on top of your game.

SOP Case Examples

• Things you’ll need:

• Notion
• Screen Recording Software
• Loom
• Camtasia
• Zoom
• Bonus: Great MIC (get it HERE)

• Structure of an SOP

• Main

• Main list/database of SOPs organized by a Notion and linked to each SOP

• Folder

• Folder list of organized SOPs within the business so team members know where to find them

• Doc

• SOP Docs dedicated to video training and step-by-step execution

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Freebie SOP Download Link

https://5four.notion.site/Website-Quality-Assurance-Webflow-daf1525e238d4654b4cac7c6b5c474c7

Q&A

Q: How do you find the motivation to get organized and find the time to get your SOPs in place?

A: Block out specific times. It doesn’t have to be every week, but having your time blocked out a specific time, 1-2 hours every week. Throughout the week brainstorm SOPs to start creating during that 1-2 hours every week. 

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Q: Is it worth going through this process if you don’t have a team?
A: ABSOLUTELY! You need these to reduce risk. You can also productize your SOPs and sell them digitally for an additional revenue stream. 

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Q: I haven't made the transition to notion yet. We use Asana and Google Drive for project management and organization. Can you talk about your experience in notion as well as other platforms for SOPs and project management?

A: At the ends of the day, these tools do a lot of the same thing. So it depends on preference.

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Q: How do you manage client-specific views in Notion while preserving confidentiality and preventing clients from accessing other clients' views, taking into account that permissions need to be assigned at the original database level?

A: Key is to share only the page with the client that has their info on it, rather than the entire database or folder.

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Q: How do you have your team stick to your SOPs?
A: They need to be enforced. Have meetings with the team, review the last edit date of the SOP and ask the team if it’s still being used. If it’s not, why not and how can we start using it? Also becomes second nature once they’re used a lot.

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Q: How do you hire the right people to follow these SOPs?

A: Usually bring on 2-3 people at once to work on a project basis. Have them design a homepage to trial their stills, communication, speed, etc. Then get selected from there. Want to have diverse minds and perspectives working on projects, tethered by the SOPs.

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Q: As creatives, a lot of people have the desire to just say “I’ll just do it myself. It’s faster that way.” What do you say to someone with that mindset?

A: If you do the work, you’ll be doing it forever. If you do the system, you can do it once and pass it on. 

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