Ever feel like your business is dragging you through quicksand? Every decision, every process—on you. It’s exhausting.
Now imagine stepping back, watching your team run like a well-oiled machine. Problems get solved without you. Growth happens without you micromanaging.
That’s the power of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)—the cheat code to scaling on autopilot.
Most founders resist SOPs because they sound… well, boring. But if you want to escape the grind and build a business that runs without you, you need them. Here’s how to create SOPs that actually work—without wasting hours writing stuff no one will read.
NOTE: I will make one caveat. Don’t go for SOPs too early. In the beginning, you don’t know what works best, what will really scale, and what should become a long term process. Implementing SOPs too early can add rigidity to a phase in the journey where more flexibility is needed.
Yet if you are further along in the journey, dive in!
Why SOPs Are the Key to Scaling (And Your Sanity)
If you don’t document how your business runs, you’re stuck in a loop of repeating instructions, fixing the same mistakes, and being the bottleneck.
SOPs free you from that chaos. They:
- Make delegation effortless (no more training people from scratch).
- Reduce errors (because everyone follows the same process).
- Create consistency (so customers get the same quality every time).
- Free up your brain for real CEO work—strategy, growth, and big moves.
Think VAs. Great assets only made greater by the SOPs you offer them.
Want to build a 7- or 8-figure business that doesn’t need you 24/7? Then let’s get your SOPs dialed in.
Step 1: Identify Your High-Impact Processes
Not everything needs an SOP—just the stuff that:
- Happens repeatedly (onboarding, customer support, order fulfillment).
- Can be delegated (if it’s always on your plate, that’s a red flag).
- Costs you time and money when done wrong.
Action Step: Make a list of 5-7 key tasks you repeat every week. Start there.
Step 2: Record, Don’t Write
Forget about crafting a 20-page manual no one reads. The easiest way to document a process? Record yourself doing it.
- Use Loom to screen-record tasks.
- Voice-record walkthroughs on your phone.
- Dump key steps into a simple checklist.
Action Step: Next time you do a repeatable task, hit “record” instead of writing instructions from scratch.
Step 3: Keep It Stupidly Simple
An SOP isn’t a college essay—it’s a playbook your team can actually use.
- Use bullet points over paragraphs.
- Add screenshots and videos over text walls.
- Make steps clear, short, and dummy-proof (If a new hire can’t follow it, it’s too complex).
Example: Instead of…
“Log into the backend, locate the customer order, verify payment, and confirm shipping details.”
Write:
✅ Log into Shopify.
✅ Open the “Orders” tab.
✅ Check payment status.
✅ Confirm shipping details.
See the difference?
Action Step: Rewrite an existing SOP using bullets, images, or videos to cut the fluff.
Step 4: Test It—Without You
Your SOP is useless if it only makes sense to you. The real test? Can someone else follow it without your help?
- Hand it to a team member and have them do the task exactly as written.
- If they struggle, tweak and simplify.
Action Step: Pick one SOP and have a team member run it solo. Adjust based on their feedback.
Step 5: Store & Share Like a Pro
SOPs buried in emails = useless. Make them easy to find.
- Store in Notion, Google Drive, or ClickUp.
- Organize by department or function.
- Set a review schedule (things change—SOPs should too).
Action Step: Choose a tool and create an SOP hub for your business today.
The Bottom Line: SOPs = Freedom
Scaling isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing less of the repeatable stuff and focusing on growth.
SOPs aren’t handcuffs. They’re your freedom pass—so you can work on your business, not in it.
