• Whenever one of the girls gets something new, the first thing they do is squeal with delight.

    The second thing they do is thrust it into my lap saying, "PLEEEEEASE put it together Daddy?"

    Oh, the joys of being a Father...;)

    Now, when it comes to assembling a toy or a bike or a Barbie Playhouse, I'm not one to fiddle around with instructions. I simply don't have the patience. I mean, let's face it: whoever writes these things has a sadistic sense of humor.

    First you gotta unfold the origami-esque instructions, which you will never return to its original form no matter how hard you try.

    Then you have to find your preferred language, which depending on where the toy was manufactured can take quite a while.

    Then you check the inventory of screws, parts, stickers, and assorted plastic pieces, almost assuredly ending up with too many of one thing and not enough of another.

    Then--and ONLY then--are you ready to put it together.

    Like I said, I don't have the patience for this. So most of the time I just dive in and start putting pieces where I think they should go according to the picture on the box.

    And usually it moves along pretty well...to a point. Then suddenly, I realize the thingamajig should have went into Slot D instead of Slot P. Uh oh. Which means Fold B is not actually a "Fold" at all, but an Insert. Yikes. And the Phillips head screw wasn't supposed to go in the Main Unit, but in the Side Unit. Ouch.

    Meanwhile, my daughter is looking over my shoulder with breathless anticipation, asking the same question every 14.2 seconds.

    "Is it done yet, Daddy?"

    Oy.

    Eventually, I get the thing together. But not without a few hours of intense frustration, some R-rated words uttered under my breath, and backtracking several times to fix what I messed up.

    And of course, all of this would have been avoided if I had only followed the instructions.

    Which brings me to my point: What I just did with my kids' toy is EXACTLY what many of us do these days with our businesses. I mean, who cares about processes anyway? Right?

    We jump in and start firing away in all directions, blindly pushing forward and ignoring the road signs that say "don't go here!"

    And the result? Not good. You get pulled in a million directions at once, lots of things get started but never finished, and eventually you give up entirely because it's simply too much effort to go on.

    Sound familiar?

    Now, I'm not saying you should sit back and plan plan plan 'til you're blue in the face. If you've been reading my Taking Action series, then you know that's not the case.

    But what I AM saying is this: It's a lot easier to build something--whether it be a successful business or a Strawberry Shortcake scooter--when you follow the step-by-step directions or processes. A vital key to transforming your business is the understanding of the processes involved.

    Now, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this and I know it’s nothing new to you BUT HEAR THIS;

    Most people still do not do it or take it seriously. That’s why I want to show you some examples and talk a little about it.

    I know… “What’s the big surprise Rich? This is not rocket science…”

    Then why don’t people do it?

    While working with our clients, talking with successful friends, and researching for our major new releases, we find that many of the people struggling know this but are STILL not creating systemized processes in their business.

    You see, most people spend time creating their strategic objectives and big goals. Then objectives are created to hit the overall strategy of the company. Then they create objectives to support the bigger objective. Then they will develop all kinds of goals so that they can measure the company’s progress toward the objectives. And none of the goals will conflict with each other, right? The company’s plans are executed perfectly and everything is great. Just collect the checks because everything is all rosey and perfect. Huh?

    Welcome to the real world. Most people create these in a vacuum.

    The list of activities that need to take place in each process is what will determine if a business can meet its goals and objectives. It is an approach that will help assure reliable accomplishments and profitability. It’s an approach that will help assure controls are in place to alleviate risks.

    You need to understand the processes that will efficiently drive your company forward. These processes play an important part in understanding the way the work is done, even if you THINK you know how it is done. It’s a great way to identify gaps or improvements, hidden steps you may not know about. It will guide your teams or outsourcers on how work is to be done which will improve efficiencies and reducing headaches. It is your “User Guide” or “Instructions” if you will.

    Don’t confuse this with a business plan because that’s not want I am talking about.

    Would you build a toy scooter without instructions? Would you build a house or building without a blueprint? Would you try to drive across the country without a road map? I mean, you could, but does it make sense to?

    Well then why try to build a company without systemized processes no matter how big or small they are? Just think about that. How many people do you know that could NOT show you what they use as a guide?

    So where exactly do you get those "how to build a business" blueprints? Well, we are about to release a whole series of them but for now, here is an example from our friends over at Cashmaps of an important tool like I am talking about. These process maps are not the “end-all-be-all” but they are to show you examples of processes that can help you get more done faster and in a reliable manner.

    http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples

    Imagine if you had something like this for all the major aspects in your business… How would that positively enhance your progress?

    It would take guess work out, and unite teams. It would have clear paths so that you could measure progress effectively and monitor performance. Helps focus people on what matters the most. Identifies bottlenecks and constraints. Helps to streamline delegation. Helps to understand boundaries, and align business activities to objectives. Improves communications. Clearly identifies if your processes are working or not, and much more.

    EVEN BETTER… what if someone did them for you, or handed the proven processes to you on a silver platter?

    It's true—processes and process maps helped me build my business and achieve massive success so quickly. I am going to share more with you in the future on this but for now... This "CashMap" (as I like to call it) is just an example of the kind of process maps I use to help systematize my business and accomplish my goals faster, easier, and with less effort.

    When I need to know what to do next, I simply refer to my process maps and it tells me the exact step to take. No long winded rhetoric. No boring theory. Nothing but good, clean, to-the-point content that shoves me in the right direction.

    So here’s a free sample process map for you. No opt-in necessary.

    http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples

    (One note--there is an opportunity on the download page to get another 3 of these maps for free as well, but you have to check out the link to find out more.)

    I'm telling you--this is exactly one of the things you need to assemble a profitable income in the shortest time possible.

    Talk about your easy-to-follow instructions...I wish someone told me this when I was just getting started.

    To Higher Profits,
    Rich

    OH, and one last thing...after you download this Process map and look it over, come back here and tell me what you think in the comments below.

    Sound cool?

    http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples


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