Unpack Your Kitchen. Level Up Your Business. | Kasey Writes Day 11

I’ve been told by a number of particularly nasty misogynists that I need to go back to the kitchen because that’s where women belong. I don’t make a habit of listening to misogynists, but I will say, one of the most profound and impactful epiphanies for my business came as a direct result of going back to my own kitchen. In a last-minute, birthday-induced panic, I tore my kitchen apart looking for a cupcake holder—since I had absentmindedly forgot to order my girls a birthday cake, haphazard cupcakes would have to do.

I sat on the hardwood floor with every dish I owned engulfing me, except the very one I needed—the cupcake holder, which was nowhere in sight. At that moment I realized a staggering similarity between my business and my kitchen. Things get messy, even more things get neglected, and sometimes, most times, it takes a good unpacking to bring clarity and improve your effectiveness. A business’s systems also need to be taken apart from time to time, sorted into manageable pieces and rearranged to function at optimal efficiency, so you can find what you’ve been looking for, and what it needs to level up.

In my years as an entrepreneur, I have started eleven businesses and seven of them run entirely on the strength of the systems I established. I love efficiency and despise chaos. So, when I saw how our housekeeper had allowed my kitchen to become so disorderly, I couldn’t find anything I looked for, I had to fix it. Right then. And when I realized all systems required maintenance to continue functioning properly, I knew it was time, even if it was right before a birthday party. Sometimes you don’t even realize that a frisbee has put in with your fine china plates until you serve dinner on a piece of chewed plastic. And you can’t solve the problem until you know it’s there.

Here are the three steps I used to unpack your kitchen and level up my business:

1. List every step in a process and note its purpose.

I like to call this “identifying” or “documenting.” The goal with this step is to simply take everything out of its hiding place and lay it out where you can see it, understand its purpose, and decide where it should go. Choose one process within a system such as responding to a lead in your sales funnel.

For this step, you’ll want to be as detailed and specific as possible. What did you click and how many times did you click? Which programs did you use? How is the information stored and tracked? Is anyone else involved? How long did the process take? 

2. Once you see what you have, categorize it.

The goal here is to decide what to keep, move, or throw away. Some people are naturally skilled at weeding out unnecessary steps in processes, but for others, the task can be painful and stressful. It may be helpful to bring in a trusted friend, partner, or employee to help you sort through these steps and determine what is truly necessary. I recommend asking these questions of each step in your process:

• Why do you do it this way?
• Is there an easier/faster way?
• Is this task necessary or just nice? Why?
• Is this step helping you accomplish the goal of this process?
• Could this be accomplished in another way?

Some things belong in your kitchen. They should stay there.

Some things are great, but if they stay, they can cause trouble in the future. 

The trick is distinguishing between the two and acting accordingly.

 3. Once you know where everything goes, create a stronger, more efficient system that does what it’s designed to do.

Once you have categorized all the steps and you know what is necessary and what is not, remove everything that does not belong. You should be left with a lean process that is flexible and easier to scale. You will also have increased the capacity of your system by saving time and reducing inefficiencies. But your work isn’t done yet.

Systems, like kitchens designed in the 70s, require updates every so often. It is good to create calendar reminders to help you prioritize regular systems checkups to help you keep that lean flexibility and scalability. You will also want to do regular checks for automation that could further reduce your steps and increase capacity.

When your systems are running as they should, they create ease and confidence. You can walk away and experience freedom because you know your business will continue to run without your constant oversight. Better still, you won’t have to worry about serving dinner on the dog’s frisbee.

Next Steps

• Preorder Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers on Amazon!
• Want to learn more about the HHN and the foundational levels of your practice? Check out these blogs:
• Sales Is An Issue… Now What?
• Diagnosing Sales Issues
• Profit = A Healthy Business
• Ready to start fixing, but aren’t sure how? Check out this post!
• Learn more about Kasey and how she helps
• Get in touch with us!