Having a successful business isn’t created by taking a series of random actions. You need intention, a plan, inspired actions and a system in place to make it all happen without hiccups.

Most business owners don’t put systems in place until something falls apart. Don’t make that mistake. Be proactive! I’ve asked the Queen of Systems (and sweet as pie), Beth Schneider to give you the low down on easily creating business systems to rock your world.

By Beth Schneider, Process Prodigy

I was having a conversation with a client yesterday. I thought it might be relevant for you too.

He was overwhelmed and confused and the main reason was because he’s trying to do everything at one time. He gets excited, gets motivated and tries to do a year’s worth of work in a week.

He starts off strong, but it’s not long until he’s overwhelmed, exhausted and totally burned out. This flashflood method doesn’t get him where he wants to be…and that is what a lot of small business CEOs do when they are trying to implement systems.

Here are four steps to getting started with systems:

Step 1: Stop Shoving the Entire Sandwich in Your Mouth

You have to take human bites. It’s not realistic to think you can systematize your entire business in two weeks. It takes time to develop quality systems, it takes time to train your team (or find your team for that matter), it takes time to incorporate everything into your day-to-day workflow. So give yourself the gift of time.

Step 2: Get Focused

The number one question we get is, “where do I start?”

Spend some time looking around the business to determine what’s just not working right. What’s keeping you up at night? What fires seem to always happen? What areas are not producing the results you’d like to see? Make a list of what’s not working right and then prioritize what needs to get fixed first…start there. But only work on one piece at a time. Now this step is often easier said than done.

Step 3: Set Aside Some Time

So now you’ve got a list of things to work on. Make a recurring appointment with yourself and/or your team to work through your list. If you don’t set specific time in your calendar, then somehow you’ll always be too busy. But if you set aside the time, then you’ll see regular progress and somehow all the other things you need to do will also be done.

Step 4: Hold Your Feet to the Fire

If you had an appointment with your most important client, would you arbitrarily blow them off? I doubt it. Treat the appointment you set for yourself as if it was a meeting with your most valued client. Sometimes this is easier said than done, so if you need it (and you know who you are) find an accountability partner. Give permission to someone to remind you and ask you about your progress, or reward yourself with something special once you’ve completed your system. Sometimes we all need a little kick in the pants!

Follow these steps and feel free to eat all the sandwiches you want.

And if you happen to be looking for that kick in the pants, I’m hosting a FREE training on February 11th: Make Sure Your Great Idea is Bringing in the Bacon: Kick Start Your Profits in 30 Days or Less.

I’d love to see you there!

Beth Schneider, President and CEO of Process Prodigy is a highly sought after, internationally known systems expert. Beth works with small business owners, showing them how to streamline their business so they can work less, make more money and create Outrageously Effective Systems in their own business.