One thing I teach all my clients is that you have to have systems in place. There are hundreds of tasks you repeat on a daily basis but knowing what you do every day, and basically how it should be done does not a system make.

In Michael Gerber’s book, The E-Myth, we learn two basic concepts: 1) that you should build your business as though you’re going to franchise it, even if you never do. (A concept I refer to as “begin with the end in mind.”) And 2) that you should be able to staff your franchise with mediocre talent. If it requires you to run it, or someone else with exceptional abilities to run it, you don’t really have a business, you have a job.

The foundation of power is in your systems

Let me give you a few examples of exceptional business models that make the most of systems.

Henry Ford—he had two systems. The assembly line which enabled him to crank out vehicles efficiently and quickly. However, this system would have been useless without the system for selling the cars. That system was the dealership network.

McDonald’s—has two systems. The visible system is being able to crank out food in a predictable, efficient manner. The invisible system is using franchisee fees to buy real estate.

Walmart—has two systems. An invisible system of distribution that nobody sees. It involves a ring of secondary markets that can support a centralized distribution center. This enables their second system of producing low prices. (And generate the illusion that they are always the lowest priced.)