You want to end this year with peace of mind, feeling inspired by where your business is heading but your schedule is only getting more packed with Q4 deadlines, holiday travel, and more demand for your time and attention. Now is the time to assess your operational strengths and pinpoint growth opportunities.
Where to Check for Readiness
We recommend focusing on these key areas when evaluating growth-readiness:
- Finance and Budget: Knowing the state of your finances is critical, and not just for covering expenses. You may identify opportunities for cost savings, or shine a light on a team or department that’s under-resourced compared to their workload.
- Operational Efficiency: Operational efficiency depends on clear processes, foolproof systems, streamlined communication, and having the right tools to facilitate it. Auditing what works and what doesn’t can determine whether or not you start the next quarter on strong footing, or stuck in a frustrating feedback loop.
- Goal Setting and Action Steps: We all want to plan for growth, but your goal setting and evaluation systems themselves may be part of what’s holding you back. Making sure you’re striking a balance between stretching and maintaining momentum keeps everyone challenged (in a good way) without burning them out.
- Team Member Interviews: You can’t run your business without your team. Make sure they’re supported by their colleagues, as well as the tools and workflows they use. If a talented employee wants to do their best, but isn’t hitting benchmarks, it’s time to dig deeper and find a solution.
More Than a Gut Feeling
Fully, accurately answering “are we ready?” takes more than a gut feeling. Sure, it’s good to listen to your instincts. And it never hurts to get curious about why and where you feel frustration and hesitation when working to get things done. But without a measurable, methodical approach, you risk wasting time and resources on tools and systems that aren’t the right fit for your team.
Can You DIY an Operations Audit?
Self-assessment is an important part of the process (and can be done anytime), but a comprehensive, third-party business operations audit is the best way to ensure greater objectivity and transparency when gathering feedback across teams and departments. Working with an expert partner frees you up to continue running your business and keeps the process from hitting snags and roadblocks, especially at the implementation and evaluation stage.
Hit Reset and Refresh
Operations audits benefit the entire organization, not just the business owner.
- Every team member gets greater clarity on their roles, on gaps that exist, and how each person will work to address it.
- It’s a way to reset and refresh how you do business (and how you work together). You’ll declutter how you operate and know where to focus your time and energy.
- An experienced operations auditor helps leaders and teams learn valuable insights from one another.
- When all your processes are clearer and more efficient, there’s less waste (and more margin) across the board.
One Week Will Make a Difference
With an operations expert, the audit process itself is dynamic and growth-oriented. And it can happen in just one workweek. Our operations audit is a 5-day virtual deep-dive built to give you a clear, actionable plan. We combine best practices in business development and operations to get results for every client.
Our partnership with Cremona Consulting helps us support businesses of all sizes, from solo operators to growing teams, with clear, comprehensive operations and strategy audits. Each day has a different focus on areas integral to business success. Leaders complete a questionnaire independently, we have a 30 to 45-minute clarifying call, and we get to work.
If you want to start the new year with crystal clarity on everything from leadership and finances to HR, marketing, payroll, and more, we’re here to set you up for success. Book a consultation today to learn more about how an operations audit can help your business grow.