Do you have the belief that you are the only person within your business who can do that task the best without any systems or procedures. Hell yeah – I knew the best way to do everything, and that was my attitude many times during the day. I had my head so buried at times in certain tasks, that I was forgetting other areas within my business. In particular how to manage the business.
I was often guilty of having staff working aimlessly, as they had no direction or system to follow. From a customer’s perspective we probably looked rather chaotic when we were busy as well.
I mean to say you probably don’t need a system if everything is neatly filed away within head. Nor when you work 70 hours + per week, and are not bothered about spending time away from the business – because you are the business. If that is you then you have bought yourself a job and not a business.
If you are content with the above, then this post is probably not much benefit, or suggested reading for you. However, if you have an open mind read on!!
How long are your customers expected to wait for a relatively simple lunch to be prepared?
It dose not have to be hard
Today I would like to discuss something I believe is a priority to any small business and that is the importance of Systems and Procedures within your cafe business. Sometimes as small business owners we think that Systems are only for the big players. Those that are franchises or large restaurants or food chains. This is furthest from the truth my friend. Systems and Procedures are vitally important to your cafe, from any operational and profitability perspective.
Creating Systems can grow your business, and it need not be that difficult to get started. When systems are in place you can then train up your staff, and if you implement this correctly and with guidance, your staff will reward you by doing their job well. This with some practice and your staff will be proud of their skilled learnings and may one day do it better than you.
Have you ever wondered at the how that would feel?
From little investments big things grow
When you notice a problem within your cafe operations ask yourself “How can I fix this so it doesn’t happen again?” “How can a system fix this”, and what parameters can be put in place allowing for flexibility and staff decisions.
Your role as a cafe owner is to identify and create systems and procedures as they appear. Write down every problem that occurred within that day and implement a process to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Work on the key important factors to resolve first. Identify the functional areas around your business that scan be simplified with a system. Keep jotting down your notes and going down the list.
Ask yourself “How can I do this better? What technology is available? What are my options?”
Start with allocating some time
Set yourself some time each week for working on your systems. This could be as little as an hour a day, or batch them up and spend 3 hours a week. Systems are not only isolated to manual areas, they may also pinpoint areas of investment required in equipment to assist the staff in their roles.
Observe your operation throughout the day and look for the weak spots. Areas where you feel that if it were improved the customer would benefit.
Also, a lot of produce can be purchased in now to your specifications which would save on labor and provide consistency in product.
Once set up, it manages itself
Once you have identified a problem and have written a system to ensure it dose not happen again, review the system, particularly with your staff routinely, be it weekly of monthly. With their input you will be assured that the system remains achievable, so if they are no longer in that position, another person can pick it up quickly. Systems can also create or be part of a checklist.
If you were to improve one little thing each day and systemize it, then that is one less thing to worry about. It also becomes part of a job description as well, therefore everyone knows what needs to be done and how.
Think of your favorite sport, where the score decides the winner at the end. However, it’s the system that is at play here, where the team practices to get better each day. The coach knows that for the team to win systems are best for making progress. You can learn more from James Clear.
Feel assured it is all coming together
Put in Systems and procedures to ensure that everything operates within your establishment as required. Create a support structure. Systems make your operation appear to work seamlessly, whilst producing great tasting product on time.
Automation also plays a key role in systemizing your operations. Suppliers may have online ordering options for supply, there is technology to handle social media campaigns, employee scheduling software, integrated POS systems, automatic on demand grinders and tampers.
Time to plan for your few days off
Problems are opportunities, and this generally means that if there is a problem, there is no process or system in place. Alternatively, if there is a system or process currently in place, it may need to be reviewed and adjusted.
Keep your systems simple. Don’t go down the road of the big players who put systems of speed and convenience before care of the customer and their experience. Afterall its service and quality that keeps your customers coming back regularly.
Come one day you will want to sell your magnificent growing business that you have now worked on. You have invested your time in the right areas, so that you working on your business and less time in it. Time invested through initiating systems and procedures will have your business functioning like a Swiss watch.
From a buyer’s perspective, would they prefer a coffee shop where the owner works 70 hours a week. Or would they prefer a cafe down the road where the owner has not long returned from a 14 day South Pacific holiday. Read that a few times and ask yourself which one would you buy. Good Luck on your journey!!!