Why "Winging It" Will Ground Your Small Business
We get it - you're a self-made entrepreneurial machine without a traditional road map. Having the hustle to wing it and pivot on the fly is usually praised. But are there core operational areas where shooting from the hip is sinking your small business's growth?
From bookkeeping to HR policies, establishing reliable systems is critical. We're laying out the key areas where winging it does more harm than good.
Bookkeeping/Accounting - Playing Maverick with your books and finances is a recipe for disaster. Haphazardly tracking income, expenses, payroll, and tax obligations leads to costly errors, penalties, and incredible stress come tax season. Winging it could mean missing out on major deductions, too. Get professional accounting support to systematize your processes – local accounting firms are great resources to get you started with Quickbooks or another accounting software. They can get you set up and show you how to use the software. Or, if you don’t have the time or know-how to do the daily accounting, they can do it for you. Hiring a bookkeeper is another option – just make sure to do your due diligence before you give someone access to your financial information.
Legal/Compliance - Your small biz isn't exempt from regulations just because you're winging the whole operation. Not classifying employees properly, neglecting permits and licensing, or missing compliance requirements opens you up to brutal fines and lawsuits. Get the proper structural foundation solidified. You don’t have to keep a lawyer on retainer, but you should have one that you can reach out to when you have questions.
Marketing/Sales - Having a razor-sharp unique value proposition and brand positioning is what separates you from competitors. But winging your marketing with a haphazard, uncoordinated approach is the fastest way to blend into the noise. Get an actual strategy and systemized process in place for consistent audience engagement.
Customer Service - You could offer the greatest product/service in the world, but if the customer experience is a constant game of disorganized whack-a-mole, you'll bleed clients. Trade ad hoc chaos for systematic service standards, policies, and quality control measures. There are so many free resources online (including AI) that you can utilize to develop your own customer service policies!
Operations/Logistics - The smoother and more automated your operational systems, the easier it is to scale. Flying by the seat of your pants with no formalized workflows, distribution process, or asset management creates massive inefficiencies long-term. Make sure all your employees are on the same page with written policies.
At the end of the day, winging it with zero systems makes your business centered entirely around you, creating a big ol’ bottleneck. And that's extremely limiting! But taking the time now to implement reliable, well-designed processes is what allows you to step into a true CEO role - strategizing the vision of your business while your systems and team handle execution.
