How can a business have one foot in chaos and the other in structure? It’s possible, but it’s not ideal. In fact, disorganization has a significant impact on your bottom line and your ability to create new opportunities. The moment you start a business of your own, the systems you need to develop and sustain get more complex. If you’re starting as an entrepreneur, it can be overwhelming to sift through what’s necessary and what’s not. To make things easier, here are five ways to align your systems and eliminate chaos.
5 Ways to Align Your Systems and Eliminate Chaos
1. Determine Your Needs
To get started, you’re going to need a few things, not just any kind of “things,” but the right things. You first need a system and tools that will help you run your business smoothly. If you’re currently using an e-commerce platform, a CRM, or social media tools, make sure you are taking advantage of all features to organize and automate these areas of your business.
Remember, cheaper is not always better. Taking the time to research and find the best tools for you will save you valuable time and money, trust me. For my biz, I like to use tools that will allow me to run my business from my computer, tablet, and smartphone. Here is a list of my personal faves (aside from our own marketing dashboard):
- ClickUp
- Google Workspace
- Quickbooks
- Slack
- Zoom
2. Align Your Systems with Purpose
Culture in organizations – what is it? It involves more than just an “in-person event” or a “nice product.” Instead, it consists of processes, policies, and procedures that allow an organization to make decisions in line with deeply held values. Without this, an organization’s core values will be more of an ornament than an integral part of daily life.
The culture that we’ve set in our company is one that makes each team member feel valued while contributing their special genius to help each of our clients grow their business.
However, this is a difficult journey for many organizations, and it requires a change in mindset from short-term goals to more long-term thinking. While it is challenging to resist the allures of instant gratification, an organization must remain in alignment, grow, and be successful.
3. Spirituality – Your Secret Weapon
Scotty McLennan recently said in an interview with Stanford Insights, “since spirituality, often directly derived from one’s religion, lies at one’s core and involves a commitment to one’s value system, it is critical to nurture those sources as much in the workplace (business) as in private life”. This can be done through personal rituals, applying scripture to business values and situations, and developing corporate credos and sagas that can affect a business’s culture.
In researching companies for his book, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, business professor Ian I. Mitroff found that “Spirituality could be the ultimate competitive advantage.”
When you run a business that is in the heart-led space, this is especially important because it is often our desire to help make the world a better, kinder place, that leads us to start our businesses in the first place.
4. Correct Limiting Thoughts and Behaviors.
It is important to take stock of your negative reactions, not to beat yourself up, but to remind yourself of how you can handle similar situations differently in the future. If you constantly work on removing limiting thoughts and behaviors, you will grow in spirit and business.
Be Positive. We all know that when you see the good in people, you will see the good in yourself. Treating others with higher regard will make them subconsciously want to live up to that high standard. It will also make the world a better place where everyone tries to be better and do good. Let’s strive for betterment every day. Always aspire to be the best version of yourself you can be, regardless of how great or terrible the situation might be.
5. Follow your Intuition
Learning to follow your intuition will help you feel confident in the choices you make. You know what’s right for you because it just feels right. It can take a few weeks or months to learn to tune in, but the payoff is worth the wait. You often feel like you’re swimming against the current. You know what’s right for you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re comfortable or familiar with it. Being your own boss and doing what feels right can be scary, especially since most of your friends follow someone else’s lead. But you have to trust yourself first, and then others may follow your lead. Learning to follow your intuition will help get you on track.
You’ve been doing this work for a while, but have you ever felt incomplete? The missing pieces, the income instability, the difficulty of building your business? You’re not alone. I know you want to make waves in this industry. Being out of alignment and in chaos will not take you to the next level. Whatever your situation, it is time to take the next step.
Being an entrepreneur can be challenging, and scaling your business is even tougher. You can scale your business by bringing unity to your systems and flow. The team at The Business Design Alchemist can give you the guidance, experience, and tools you need to be in alignment and grow with integrity and authenticity. Want to know how? Reach out to us and let’s talk!