Time management has become THE challenge of our generation. We are busier than ever; so much so that “being busy” is a modern-day status symbol. The business world is no exception: being busy has become a badge of honor, often associated with productivity and, ultimately, professional success.

But are we busy doing things right or doing the right things? Has “keeping busy” become more important than creating time for ourselves?

I have days when I feel busy, but don’t accomplish anything meaningful. During these unproductive days, most of my time is spent tackling matters that seem urgent: answering emails, assigning tasks, troubleshooting system and human errors, and attending meetings with ambiguous outcomes. Many of these tasks do very little to move a business forward. Despite my desire to focus on what’s important and create more personal time, the next day I am back to the same routine.

Small business owners fall into the same habit; many spend their days working IN their business, rather than ON their business. They feel their business will collapse if they’re not around to micro-manage it. This uneasiness is understandable, to a point: in the start-up phase, the owner IS the business; her passion, competence and dedication is what’s fueling its growth. And once you become your business, it’s difficult to remove yourself from it.

The focus of this review is a book dedicated to business owners and managers who spend most of their time running an “adult daycare”. “SYSTEMology” came on my radar shortly after I made the mental decision to write about how to overcome distraction, get things done and find personal time for family and friends. Needless to say, I was eager to learn more.

The book is written by David Jenyns, an Australian entrepreneur, writer, speaker, podcast producer, and creator of the SYSTEMology movement. His mission, and motivation for writing this book, is “..to free business owner worldwide from the day-to-day operations of running their business.”

The SYSTEMology framework emerged from David’s own professional experience: after 17 years of managing his digital marketing agency Melbourne SEO & Video, David removed himself from the business and hired a CEO to run it. His decision was sparked by a very important personal event that makes most of us rethink our work-life balance: the birth of his son.

The book is easy to read, which is surprising, given the amount and quality of information it packs. David’s writing style is similar to his fellow Australian friend and author Allan Dib, whose book “1 Page Marketing Plan “I reviewed in a previous blog post: practical, simple, and filled with step-by-step guides that will help the reader implement the concepts presented in the book.

Who Should Read This Book

The implementation of the SYSTEMology framework starts with the assessment of where a business finds itself currently. Typically a business falls into one of four categories: survival, stationary, scalable and saleable, as follows:

Survival stage: the business owner is in an endless loop of chasing the work, getting the work and doing the work. This creates up and down performance with lumpy results.

Stationary stage: you have a loose way of doing things, but this is still typically trapped in the head of your best team members.

Scalable: you have now proven your core business model works. You still need to extract and organise systems from all business departments, but you’re well on your way.

Saleable: you recognise your business as a collection of interdependent systems that can be engineered to deliver extraordinary outcomes.

If your business is already in the “saleable” stage, the book will not bring anything new to the table. However, businesses in the other three stages will benefit from a framework that will take them from their current stage to saleable, meaning a business that has the systems in place to successfully grow with the owner completely removed from the picture. David Jenyns branded this process cleverly: SYSTEMology.

The book is not for new businesses just being launched. It will not provide advice on branding, slogan, value proposition, finding products or customers. The target reader is the owner who found a viable recipe for a sustainable business, but feels trapped by its success. Implementation requires team work, with at least one member in each department excelling at his job, and being able to inspire others.

According to David, “SYSTEMology is a seven-stage process that is designed to identify and create the critical systems within your business.” Each of the 7 steps is explained in detail, through easy-to-follow, and supported by real life case studies and additional resources available to help with implementation. In the end, the book provide a practical path to implementation, while busting some myths along the way.

My Review

SYSTEMology addresses a real challenge of almost every business I worked with: lack of systems that allow the execution of routine, repetitive tasks to become independent of a particular employee. Business owners are aware of the need to foul-proof their operations, and free-up employees’ time for meaningful projects. What lacks is a clear path to implementation, a system for implementing business systems. This is what this book provides.

This book challenges business owners with fundamental questions:

  • Have I built a business that is 100% reliant on my personal involvement in its daily operations?
  • Do I have leaders in each department, able to design and implement business systems?
  • How much time do I allocate to working on projects that drive the business forward, versus dealing with day-to-day operations?
  • Will my employees follow the systems designed for a specific department/task?
  • Will having systems in place be an obstacle to creativity and innovation?

Personally, I have a few systems in place I use to ensure others can perform parts of my job when I am not around. Some tasks I managed to delegate permanently, thus freeing some time for more creative and analytical work. The book challenged me to further review my daily routine, and identify additional tasks I can develop systems for. The opportunities were plenty; all it took is the time to break down each task into its smallest components, document and replicate it.

While this is still a work in progress (it will ever be), I want to give you an example of a system I implemented for managing the Amazon Seller Central platform. This platform requires daily, weekly and monthly tasks to be performed, many of them repetitive. Here is the business system as documented for daily tasks:

  1. Login to Amazon Seller Central
  2. Check customer messages and respond appropriately (Amazon requires a response within 24 hours)
  3. Process Fulfil  by Merchant (FBM) orders
  4. Update inventory for FMB products
  5. Check Low inventory notifications for FBA items
  6. Initiate stock replenishments for out-of-stock products

Since implementing the system above, I can delate the task of managing Amazon Seller Central with confidence whenever I am on vacation, or simply need a break.

SYSTEMology presents a viable solution to business owners trapped in their business’ day-to-day operations. Managers who spend all day putting out fires will also benefit from implementing the SYSTEMology framework. I am confident the book will provide enough inspiration to tweak your business processes in a way that will give you time to breathe.

The book can be ordered at the following link:  www.SYSTEMology.com/book

Happy Reading!

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