To do what I do, you have to be obsessed with systems.
But_
Systems aren’t sexy.
You don’t post systems on Instagram.
You don’t bring them up at parties.
Most people don’t say_
Hey, come check out this cool system I’ve found!
But systems are essential.
Businesses are launched through passion, craft or connection.
Some spark that sets the fire ablaze.
That spark burns bright, hot and fast.
It never lasts.
To actually build something, you need the system to fan the flames when the fire starts to ebb.
A system beats motivation.
A system beats discipline.
Every.
Single.
Time.
You do not rise to the level of your aspirations. You fall to the level of your systems.
- James Clear
Why systems win / part 1_
Systems don't care.
They don't care that:
You're uninspired today
It's Monday _ again!
You'd rather be doing literally anything else
Inspiration is a tourist.
Systems are residents.
Build a system that works when you don't feel like it.
That's where the real work happens.
Winner = Systems.
Always.
Why systems win / part 2_
Systems give you three things that matter:
- Predictability
- Efficiency
- Handover
1. Systems create predictability
As an owner, you want to be certain.
Certain of your cash flow.
Your pipeline.
That X leads to Y.
Certain that you will still be in business this time next year.
Predictability gives you certainty.
Certainty gives you confidence.
Confidence lets you plan beyond next week.
Without systems?
You're guessing.
Every day.
Forever.
2. Systems create efficiency
You're doing something right now that could be done to a higher standard and in less time.
That's harsh.
But without a system, you do everything yourself.
From scratch.
Every time.
This is insane.
A system lets you refine your process to the point where it can be done by you to the maximum output in the minimum time.
Which brings us to_ ↓
3. Systems enable handover
The big switch from surviving to thriving?
Accepting help.
But for people to help, they need to know what you do and how to do it.
If you don't know how you do your work, there is no way someone else will.
They need a template.
A recipe.
A system.
Without this, you haven't built a business; you've built a job that doesn't give you weekends off.
The system is the solution.
The system becomes the tools your people use to increase their productivity, to get the job done.
It becomes a buffer between them and the job, between them and the customer.
Without it, everything hinges on luck and good feelings.
Systems run the business and people run the system.
Pretend that the business you own—or want to own—is the prototype for 5,000 more just like it.
Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.
The uncomfortable math_
Passion + No System = Death
No Passion + Good System = Boring
Passion + System = Success
Choose wisely.
The uncomfortable truth_
Your business is working perfectly.
It's giving you exactly what it is designed to.
Chaos?
You built a chaos machine.
Stress?
You built a stress factory.
Feast or famine?
You built a rollercoaster.
You might not have meant to.
But you did.
Every business is perfectly designed to get the results it's getting.
Don't like the results?
Stop blaming the market.
The clients.
The economy.
Redesign the system.
Simplify, simplify, simplify_
So, ready to redesign?
Start simple.
Human beings have a fantastic ability to overcomplicate systems.
You're probably doing it right now.
The 47-step onboarding sequence nobody follows. The color-coded tracking sheet everyone ignores. The "foolproof" process that needs a manual.
The best systems are simple.
A good system_
- Fits on a Post-it note
- Can be explained in 2 minutes
- Works when you're not there
- Gets used without reminders
Your business need only_
- One niche.
- 1,000 true fans.
- One painful problem.
AND
→ One systemised solution.
Simple enough that it works.
Every time.
Anything else is over-complication.
Hot passion vs Cold passion_
Hot passion burns everything it touches. Including you.
It's the 3am manic energy. The "I'll sleep when I'm dead" mentality. The sprint that becomes a crawl.
Cold passion is different.
It shows up daily. It builds compound trust. It creates depth, not width. It makes margin notes, not manifestos.
You need both.
Hot passion to start the engine.
Cold passion to keep it running.
Systems are cold passion made visible.
A warning_
Systems are hungry.
They'll eat everything if you let them.
Your judgment.
Your intuition.
Your weird process that works, but you can't explain why.
The conversation that changes everything.
The detour that becomes the breakthrough.
The mess that leads to magic.
McDonald's systemised the burger, not the smile.
Basecamp systemised the cycle, not the idea.
NASA systemised the launch, not the wonder.
Systemise the boring_
- The invoice
- The follow-up
- The onboarding
- The admin
Never systematise the human_
- The first conversation
- The creative process
- The thing that makes you different
- The work only you can do
Systems should free you to be more human.
Not turn you into a machine.
The best businesses know where systems stop.
Your move_
This week_
Step 1: Pick the thing that's killing you. The thing you recreate from scratch every time.
Step 2: Write down every step. Like you're explaining it to someone competent but new.
Step 3: Follow your own instructions tomorrow. When it breaks, fix the system, not the outcome.
Step 4: Hand it to someone else. When they struggle, it's your documentation that needs work.
That's how systems win.
One boring checklist at a time.
Or_
_keep running on passion alone.
I already know how that story ends.
And, so do you.
- iain.
Stuff that didn't make it ⬎
Previously_ from the garage ⬎
On Manifestos⇲ - Stop writing what you believe. Start building what works.
(Manifestos are just systems without the boring parts!)
