Why Early Systems Matter More Than Early Hires
Most founders wait too long to build structure. They’re focused on product, growth, or just surviving the week. But skipping process in the early stages leads to confusion, delays, and burnout later on.
According to a 2023 McKinsey report, companies with strong operational systems are 3x more likely to scale successfully than those that rely on ad hoc workflows. It’s not about being corporate—it’s about being clear.
Documenting your first few processes doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to exist. Start small, stay consistent, and update as you grow. The goal isn’t to create red tape. It’s to free up your brain—and your team’s.
Bradley Hisle, founder of Pinnacle Health Group, learned this through experience. “I used to think the answer was hiring more people,” he said. “But I realised I didn’t need more hands. I needed more structure.”
Here are the first five processes every founder should write down and share.
1. Client or Customer Onboarding
Why it matters
Onboarding is the first real interaction someone has with your company. If it’s clunky, disorganised, or inconsistent, trust erodes fast. Every client or customer should get the same high-quality experience.
What to document
- What happens the moment a deal is signed or purchase is made
- What emails are sent and when
- What tools are used to collect info or schedule calls
- Who is responsible at each stage
- What the timeline looks like (1 day, 3 days, 1 week, etc.)
Pro tip
Use checklists. They save time and keep nothing from falling through the cracks. Hisle’s team has a simple 6-step list for every new healthcare client—and it hasn’t changed much since day one.
2. Hiring and Onboarding New Employees
Why it matters
If every new hire has a different experience, they start off confused. You waste time teaching the same things over and over. Even worse, early hires may pass on bad habits to others.
What to document
- Where the job is posted and how applicants are reviewed
- What happens between offer acceptance and day one
- What tools/logins need to be created
- What gets covered in week one
- When the first check-in happens and what it includes
Pro tip
Don’t just wing it with onboarding calls. Write a script or outline. Keep it casual, but consistent. New hires need structure, especially in startups where the pace is high.
3. Weekly Reporting and Team Syncs
Why it matters
Meetings are where process breakdowns show up the fastest. If you’re spending half the meeting on updates and the other half unclear on what happens next, you need structure.
What to document
- When weekly syncs happen and who leads them
- What gets reported (KPIs, blockers, tasks completed)
- What tools are used to collect updates
- Who tracks follow-ups
- What format each team member should use when sharing
Pro tip
Use a shared doc or form for weekly updates before the meeting. That way the meeting becomes about solving problems, not reading bullet points.
4. Handling Customer Support or Escalations
Why it matters
Nothing tanks reputation faster than slow or inconsistent support. If customers or clients don’t know when they’ll hear back—or worse, get different answers from different people—it creates churn.
What to document
- Where support tickets, emails, or calls are tracked
- Who answers what types of issues
- What’s the expected response time
- What counts as an escalation, and who handles it
- What follow-up looks like after the issue is resolved
Pro tip
Set internal “rules of thumb” for tone and approach. Even if you can’t script every reply, giving your team a north star keeps support aligned.
5. Approvals and Decision-Making
Why it matters
Founders often become bottlenecks without realising it. If your team keeps asking for permission, it's a sign they don’t know what they can decide on their own. That’s a leadership problem, not a team issue.
What to document
- What decisions can be made without you
- What needs a second set of eyes
- What requires full approval
- Who has authority over budget, timelines, or hiring
- Where to document and communicate decisions
Pro tip
Use a traffic light system. Green = go, Yellow = check first, Red = escalate. This simple rule can save hours of back-and-forth each week.
How to Start Documenting (Without Getting Overwhelmed)
You don’t need fancy tools or flowcharts. A shared Google Doc is fine. Start with bullet points. Keep it casual. Update it after each use.
Pick one process per week to focus on. Ask the person doing it now to write their current steps. Review it. Clean it up. Then share it with the team.
Don’t aim for perfect. Aim for usable.
Bradley Hisle shared, “I started by writing the onboarding process in an email to myself. That email turned into a doc. That doc became our internal playbook. It was messy, but it worked—and we still use it.”
Every founder wants to move fast. But speed without systems leads to burnout and backtracking. The earlier you build your core processes, the easier everything becomes—hiring, scaling, and even stepping away.
Start small. One process at a time. And make documentation part of your company’s habit, not a side project.
These five processes aren’t just about saving time. They’re about building a company that runs smoother, grows faster, and doesn’t need you in the middle of everything. That’s the goal. That’s how you scale without losing your mind.
