What Is an SOP (and why you need one for your small business)?
You know that thing you do in your business…the thing that you’ve done so many times, your fingers just *know* where to click and tbh, you could probably do it in your sleep?
That’s probably a process. And if it’s a process, it should be documented.
Enter: the SOP. SOP is an acronym for “standard operating procedure.” It codifies your in-your-brain workflow into a useful document that can serve multiple purposes within your small business.
Now, listen. Before you roll your eyes and begrudge me getting all corporate here, stay with me. Because if you’ve ever said any of this with a sigh…
“It’s faster if I just do it myself.”
“I don’t know where that login lives anymore.”
“I could delegate this if I had time to explain it…”
…then SOPs are your new best friend. In fact, they are the secret weapon of sustainable small businesses. Yes, yours included.
So, what even *is* an SOP?
At its core, an SOP is a written (or recorded) walkthrough of how processes get done. It’s the step-by-step breakdown of the tasks that drive your business. Things like
How you onboard a new client
How you send invoices
How you upload and format a blog post
How you handle that super specific request your most loyal customer always emails in two days before the deadline even though it comes up at the same time every quarter
Think of SOPs like recipes. If someone else had to make your signature lasagna (i.e., execute your email marketing), could they do it without texting you 14 times? If not…you need an SOP.
Why SOPs matter
You might be thinking, “It’s just me. I already know how I do things.” Okay, I see you, queen of the one-woman-show!
But here’s the rub. Future you needs to take a vacation. Let’s be honest, current you needs a vacation, but we’re being realistic here. Eventually you’re going to want to outsource something to someone for a little help and sanity.
The inconvenient truth is that when you want help, your brain cannot be the only place your business lives.
Without SOPs, you stay stuck doing it all yourself because no one else knows how you do what you do. You’ve essentially made yourself irreplaceable at your job, which is great for job security when working for someone else and terrible for your mental health when you’re your own boss.
And when you finally decide to delegate? Now you’re spending hours teaching someone what could’ve been documented once and reused forever.
SOPs help you, too
Even if you’re not hiring yet, SOPs still save you time, mental energy, and stress. I don’t know about you but I have off days occasionally, and I want systems in place to help me avoid “wait, where’s that link again?” moments or rescue me in case of the inevitable brain fart.
Plus, they make your systems actually usable. Because—let’s be honest—if your “systems” are just a bunch of sticky notes and emails to yourself, that’s not a system, that’s chaos in cute packaging.
What does an SOP look like?
I get the urge to spend hours on perfectly-branded slide decks. But we’re busy, girl. It really doesn’t have to be fancy.
An SOP can be:
A Google Doc with bullet points
A Loom video walkthrough
A checklist in Trello
A Notion template you duplicate each time you do a task
My new fav: Tango.ai, which has a digital adoption resource available that creates SOPs based on “watching” you do it. Talk about a time saver!!
The format doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s easy to follow, clear and specific (no vague “do the thing” steps), and accessible to whoever needs it.
Pro tip: Pretend you’re teaching your smart best friend how to do it. It doesn’t have to be written in a way your five year old niece or your great grandpa would know how to execute the task, but someone who isn’t breathing your business in every day the way you are. Whether the SOP is for future you or for a VA or other hire, think about it as for your bestie. Give them the tools to succeed, then get out of their way.
The real ROI of SOPs
Here’s what happens when you start building SOPs into your business:
You stop relying on memory. Sure, you know how to do it in your sleep right now. But after a night of no sleep, with TV blaring in the other room, multi-tasking by making dinner or doing laundry…? We’d all miss a step here or there.
You don’t have to explain things 6 times. Even the brightest employees or contractors have mental blocks with processes sometimes. By writing it out, you’re creating a resource they can consult over and over, approaching you for clarification and details if they need to, but overall saving you so. much. time.
You get back hours you didn’t even realize you were losing. Finding stuff takes longer than you’d think at times. Passwords, logins, checkboxes you need to click in a certain order, the way you need to format a sales report to be able to upload to your email marketing platform…write it down and it’s ready whenever you need it with no extra work.
Your client experience gets more consistent (and way more impressive). Ideally, no matter who is interacting with your customers, you want your brand experience to be the same. The best way to make sure that happens is effective training and SOPs are a huge part of that process.
Your business becomes scalable. I have a friend who says “do it once so you can do it a hundred times.” The learnings from everything you do in your business have potential to improve it. An SOP takes those action items out of the feedback loop of your brain and gives them positive direction so your offer(s) can scale, not stale.
And most importantly: You finally start running your business like the boss you are—not the assistant, the admin, and the operations team rolled into one.
TL;DR: SOPs = sanity
SOPs don’t just help you delegate, they help you think more clearly. They take pressure off your brain. They make your business feel less like a tangled pile of “how do I do this again?” and more like a machine.
Even if you’re not ready to outsource yet, your business deserves a little breathing room. SOPs are how you get it.
FAQs:
Q: What is the first thing I should make an SOP for?
A: Start with the things you repeat often — especially the ones that are time-consuming, easy to mess up, something you know you want to delegate in the future, and honestly just low-key annoying.
Q: What are the best tools for making SOPs?
A: It doesn’t have to be complicated. Google Docs is sufficient! But other options include Tango.ai, ClickUp, Trello, Asana, Notion, Microsoft Excel…truly, you can use whatever software you love already. A list of some of my favorite business tools (including tools for SOPs and beyond!) is here in case you wanna look around!
Hi! I’m Bre
I specialize in helping female entrepreneurs and small business owners streamline their operations, save time, and grow their businesses with tailored virtual assistant services. From admin support to business systems audits, website maintenance, and launch strategies, I provide expert, personalized solutions. Explore my blog for tips on business efficiency, and connect with me to discuss how I can take tasks off your plate, so you can focus on what matters most.
