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Key Takeaways Most businesses hit a ceiling because everything lives in the founder’s head — and without clear processes, the business feels fragile, inconsistent and impossible to step away from.
SOPs aren’t about creating perfect documentation — they’re simple, living checklists that reduce decision fatigue, make delegation easier and let your business run without you being in the weeds.
Every business hits a ceiling without clear processes. It usually shows up as the founder being stuck in the weeds, mistakes happening inconsistently or the business feeling fragile — like everything breaks the moment you step away.
If you’re at that point, someone may have suggested an SOP to you.
SOPs are easy to get stuck on. Either they get wildly overcomplicated and turn into a 40-page Google Doc no one reads, or they get put off indefinitely because things are changing fast, or you’re intimidated to start.
Both approaches miss the point.
SOPs are not about perfection. Done right, they are living documents that reduce decision fatigue and make your business easier to run, scale and step away from.
Let’s break down what SOPs actually are and how to write ones people will actually use.
What an SOP actually is
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