If you want to launch or optimize your business, mapping out your processes is essential.
When you document the steps it takes to create and deliver your service, you can do it consistently and confidently. It also helps with brand positioning, pricing, marketing, and sales.
A clear process allows you to confidently say, “Here’s how I work,” which can be incredibly persuasive to potential clients. People tend to place more trust in those who know what they’re doing and have done it before.
So, today let’s talk about documenting your processes and I’ll share the one critical step that most people overlook that can be the difference between standing out and being ignored.
Why People Struggle to Document Their Processes
Many business owners have a general sense of how they work but struggle to codify their process. Two reasons for this are:
- They aren’t accustomed to documenting their methods.
- They overlook the finer details, which can make their process stand out.
As a result, many entrepreneurs build shallow, undifferentiated processes.
To avoid this, you need to dig deep and find what makes your process unique.
In short, go beyond what you do and think about what happened that explains why you do it that way.
Finding Value in Your Experiences
You can’t make it to adulthood without someone or something giving you a good reason to be sad, angry, anxious, or depressed. All of this “baggage” from your past shapes how you work.
Whether it’s a difficult boss, your childhood struggles, or professional failures, these experiences can lead you to uncover insights that make your process distinctive.
In the midst of all the money we spend on therapy to work through these experiences, we may come to find that there is actually some treasure buried in that landfill of negativity.
The Key Question: “When Did I Know?”
One way to dig deeper into your process is by asking yourself, “When did I know?”
For example:
- When did I know it was time to leave my job?
- When did I know there was a better way to solve a problem?
- When did I know I had to help others going through the same thing?
These pivotal moments are where your unique perspective comes from. They shape your process and are key to understanding how to help others through similar experiences.
The moment when you knew is one you’ll want to analyze.
- Everything that led up to it is why you’ll never see things the same way again.
- Everything after it was a journey of discovery.
All of it is what makes your process unique and relatable. It was where you asked questions, experimented, spent time thinking, had an epiphany, had a setback, and experienced much of what your clients will likely go through.
This is what gives you a deeper understanding of the real process rather than a generic paint-by-numbers approach.
Doing the Work
You might be tempted to ask ChatGPT to help map your process.
But no matter how well the plagiarism machine remixes the experts, it can’t replicate the depth of your lived experiences. It could never understand the frustrations you felt, or accurately capture the visceral memories you have that help you relate to what other people are feeling.
A better option is to think about your negative experiences and write down the steps you went through to get to the other side.
Turn Your Baggage into Gold
If you’re still struggling, here are two ways to turn your experiences into valuable insights:
1. Turn it upside down…and shake it
Look at everything bad from those past experiences and consider what the opposite would look like.
I had a lot of managers in the past whose behavior made me feel isolated, scared to contribute, and continually fearful about losing my income.
I promised myself that if I were ever in the position to lead, I would never make people feel that way.
So, analyzed what they did, wrote it all down, and then I inverted every behavior into the principles that would become my book, *The Lovable Leader.*
2. Find the patterns and add some alternatives
After a bad breakup with the company I was part owner of, I took time off to find myself and plan next steps. I’d spent a decade in an industry I no longer wanted to be part of. I felt lost.
Looking back on what I did to get some clarity, I found some patterns of activity that produced outsized gains.
- I’d spent a lot of time thinking about what skills I had.
- I’d spent a lot of time thinking about the problems I wanted to solve.
- I’d spent a lot of time thinking about the skills I’d need to solve those problems.
- I’d reached out to dozens of people I admired and respected and asked what they saw in me.
I’ve turned those four activities into dozens of different methods of self-discovery, growth planning, and gathering external feedback. Now, I have a process that is flexible enough to meet people where they are.
Use your baggage
Much like traveling, it can be uncomfortable when you’re carrying heavy baggage.
But you’ll also be much more prepared when you get to your destination if you know what’s in your bags.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
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