Papa Olabode: How To Run Your Business On Auto-pilot

Your presence is always required at work.

This is one thing that bothers a lot of business owners – your business always needs them. Without you being physically present in the store, shop, factory, office, etc., it feels nothing concrete gets done. And it shouldn’t be this way. The truth is that a business is like a little child that needs your love and attention to grow. So there’s nothing wrong in nurturing it with all the support it requires. However, it’s reasonable to expect that after a while, the business can thrive without you. For a lot of business owners, that’s not the case.

Why is this even important? In our present economy, there are quite a few people who have a side business that they can’t give their full attention to (because they need to be at their 9-5), ability to run your business on autopilot, will come in useful. But I would say, it’s even more important for full-time business owners, who act as their business shadows – they’re forever present. It’s time for a change.

So what should you do? Here are three relatively simple things you can action on from today:

Treat your employees well
This is fundamental starting point – treat your people well. At the end of the day, the success of your firm is dependent on your people. It’s about giving them the right training, setting the good examples, creating a non-toxic environment where great work can flourish. In summary, having the right culture, means you have to have the right culture.

A good place to start is a practical guide on how to treat your employees You expect people to treat you (or your business) well,

Get tools in place
I especially recommend tools that are flexible enough for you to check from anywhere and any device. So if you need Point-of-Sale and Inventory to run your small business? Check my startup PrognoStore. Or you require managing your accounting and bookkeeping better? Check Freshbooks or Xero. They all have the same thing in common, ability to log in wherever you’ve got the Internet. Remember, you can’t be at the shop/factory/office, etc. all the time, but you still want to know what’s going on in your business.

Have documented processes and policies
You have to have a repeatable way of carrying out tasks. Ideally, this should cover everything from making your product to the customer service offered to clients. This is where documented policies make a significant difference. My advice: prepare for the unexpected.

That’s it, folks. In summary, treat your employees well, equip them with the right tools and be sure to document processes and policies. Do you agree or have other points you deem more important? Please share in the comments.

P.S For regular readers of my column, you can grab a special invite to an event Taking your Retail/Service Business To The Next level, which we’re having in conjunction with The Mumpreneurs Network Nigeria and supported by Konga. It promises to be good as an interesting lineup of speakers such as Banke Meshida-Lawal (BMPro) and Valerie Obaze (R&R Luxury), Olajide Adamolekun (Konga) and of course, myself, will be sharing knowledge and tips on Taking your Retail/Service Business To The Next level. Register here