A business that is governed by systems

Hello and welcome to the Nerd Startup Incubator Podcast. I am your host Dr. Chantel Nicolas and in this episode we are going to break down into further detail the critical steps to business Idea generation. During the last episode I introduced how to create a business idea that SLAPS.

SLAPS is an acronym for: statement, lasting, attracts, package, and systems. And today, we are going to talk about systems. This episode is for you if 1) you are a dope professional and subject matter expert looking to create or advance your business and 2) you have not yet created reproducible aspects of your business as of yet.

Now, as a scientist, you can appreciate that I love reproducibility. As a coder, reproducibility is encoded in my various R and Python scripts. Otherwise, every time I would try to analyze a new dataset, I would have to customize every single step... and ahhh! Look! To all my nerd friends out there, please repeat after me: ain't nobody got time fo' dat! Reproducibility can sometimes be as good as predictability.

So can you imagine, then not having a workable process for doing things that need to happen over and over and over again in your side-business? Knowing that you live a very full and busy life? I feel like you’re getting the picture.

Then listen in and see whether you are positioned to have in place the reproducible systems that you can depend on for keeping your business going for as long as you would like. Because the last thing you need is to start an incredible business, and then stop due to burn out -- burn out from either not delegating or not implementing systems and tools that can help you see it through.

Here are 4 operations that at a minimum constitute a business that is governed by systems.

Taking payments

It’s not cool for you, or your client, for you not to have something official or concrete in place before you start working together. Ever hear the phrase: people pay to pay attention. Having an official process ensures that 1) you are compensated for your solutions and precious time and that 2) your clients have buy-in both literally and emotionally in their transformation process. This is to ensure that they actually implement your strategies or use your tools for getting them from their point of pain to their point of pleasure.

Scheduling calls

Being a busy professional and wearing several hats on any given day in your life - all while looking to create a business - is tough no matter how you look at it. So let’s get you some peace of mind, that your clients will be well taken care of and that they will likely keep coming back because you’ve made it so seamless for them to reach you and get their transformations going.

Creating marketing content

I know, I know… you hate social media! And even if you are warming up to it, you may not know what to actually say and you are struggling to make it work for you so you can get your name out there in a way that does not confuse your ideal clients.

There are so many ways to get feedback from your clients. You can use tools like Google Forms or Typeform to capture sentiments or record one-on-one interviews after your client has undergone their full process of transformation.

Getting feedback

You literally get to build yourself a system for operating in excellence while developing client-based talking points for future marketing.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is super important that as you look to develop or cultivate a business idea that SLAPS - that yours is one that can be governed by systems. At the very least, you can create systems around mundane or routine aspects of your business and in this episode we covered 1) Taking payments, 2) Scheduling Calls, 3) Creating marketing content, and 4) Getting feedback. Yep, because reproducibility is your ticket to being a CEO. Compassionate, Excellent, and Optimized. So te