How a business playbook solves your knowledge transfer problems

The transition from Twitter to X has been... interesting. Just our opinion, but it could have gone much more smoothly with some help from Trainual.

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• A process template that outlines how to ask for new vendors or tools.
• Guess what’s back, back again: It’s Insider Summit!
• Master the business playbook blueprint and starting scaling your business.
• Knowledge transfer plans: How to set them up at your business.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: New Vendor/Technology Business Case Process

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane: You’re a kid at the supermarket and you’re hanging out in the shopping cart without a care in the world — until you see your favorite candy bar sitting innocently on the shelf. 

You start begging and pleading (maybe a tantrum gets thrown in there — no judgment) and sometimes, your parent gives in and buys it. But usually, the answer is no, and you roll away without that coveted candy bar.

Now, jump back to today: You’re a little older, a lot wiser, and you have the money to purchase your own candy bars. And as a business leader, you’re the one being asked to buy stuff — from new vendors to the latest management systems and technological tools. But begging from your employees probably won’t work much better than when you did it as a kid — so what’s the best way for your team to ask for the tools they need to succeed?

👉 You’ll want to snag our New Vendor/Technology Business Case Process template — it outlines a streamlined procedure for your employees when it comes to proposing new tools for your business. Edit the template to match your specific needs, and it’s ready to share with your team. Better get your wallet ready.

‍Want more templates to help you build your business playbook? Check out our entire template archive of free, multimedia-enhanced, and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Try for free.

SAVE YOUR SPOT

Is Trainual the tool for you? Find out at Insider Summit!

Tell us if this is you: You’ve got a business on the path to growth. You’re documenting your processes and policies for the first time. You’re looking for a streamlined way to train and onboard your employees. And you’ve found Trainual, a tool that can help you do all these things quickly and efficiently so you have more time to spend working on your business. 

But you’re still on the fence: Is Trainual really the right tool for you?

We want to prove that we are — and that’s why we’re inviting you to Insider Summit, our Trainual-focused conference! (Not to toot our own horn, but yes, we do need a full day to talk about all the ways we’re helping small business leaders like you.)

We’ll be talking about everything Trainual — from AI capabilities to the top product features that could boost your ROI five times. Plus, we’re demonstrating the best ways to set up your Trainual account (with a live customer!) and debuting the new features coming down the pipeline (maybe even some that your business needs right now).

Interested? Here are the deets:

🗓 Thursday, August 17, 2023.
🕘 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT (12 – 5:30 p.m EDT).
📍 Completely virtual!
🆓 Absolutely free.

Register now!

P.S. Can’t make the live event? No worries — register anyway and we’ll send you recordings of everything you missed (they’ll be too good not to share).

HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS PLAYBOOK

The last chapter: Your business playbook blueprint

Consider this: If you got hit by a bus, could someone else step in and run your business? Okay, you’re right, that’s a bit morbid. But if the little voice in your head is still saying “well, no,” listen up.

If you want to work all day, every day and do all the work yourself, a business playbook isn’t for you. But if you want to RSVP “yes” to your cousin’s destination wedding (without taking your laptop to the dancefloor), or cheer on your kid at their softball game (without stepping aside to answer phone calls), it’s time to create a business playbook.

If you’ve been following along, you've reviewed every element of the business playbook through our eight-part “How To Build a Business Playbook” masterclass. (We know, can you believe it?) 

You’ve learned all about the essential parts of your playbook, like…

• Your profile. Telling the story of your business.
• Your people. Employee roles and responsibilities.
• Your policies. Employee expectations and guidelines.
• Your processes. The step-by-step sequences for how to do the work in your business.

So, now it’s time to learn how it all comes together to help scale your company. And it’s all in the 8th and final chapter. (New to our masterclass? Access the class for free today and check out the two bonus offers inside… 👀)

👉 Access the full masterclass now.

I GOT A LIFETIME OF KNOWLEDGE 

What’s a knowledge transfer plan? And why you need one.

Knowledge transfer is…
…the way your business distributes important information to everyone. It’s more than training — it’s how you improve the systems across your company. Because the knowledge of one can benefit the whole organization, and there’s a lot of value in gathering knowledge before it slips through the cracks.

So let’s talk plans.
A knowledge transfer plan is your formal system for collecting and distributing knowledge to employees. Simply put, it’s all about documentation. 

Because when someone in your org has vital knowledge, that information should be stored in a place that’s accessible to everyone. That way, your team can essentially pick that person’s brain whether they’re in the office or not.

Here’s how to put together your plan:
Start with your singular knowledge base. It should be easy to continuously update and share with your team. (Hint: Trainual is perfect for this!)

Then, follow these four steps to create your company knowledge plan:

1. Figure out what business knowledge your employees need the most.
You’ll want to be sure to document the essential (and escaping) knowledge first. As you start to craft your list, ask yourself:

• What areas of knowledge are most important for my company? 
• What tends to be the most challenging for new employees to learn? 
• If there’s a disaster, where should employees go and which department should they contact?
• Are any seasoned employees leaving (AKA, taking helpful company knowledge with them)? 

As you answer these questions, you’ll begin to mold the repositories of company knowledge your team needs the most (and first). And there’s your game plan.

👉 See the other three steps.

TL; DR

This week's highlight reel

• The it girl. In partnership with ambassadors including sports icons A’ja Wilson and Mallory Swanson, AT&T is looking to inspire the broader community of women small business owners with the She’s Connected by AT&T platform. What’s even better: Apply to become part of the community for a chance to win $20K for your SMB!
• Meetings = money. And Trainual CEO Chris Ronzio isn’t the only one thinking this way — turns out e-commerce company Shopify has a meeting cost calculator that determines the average price of every meeting with three or more people. An email is looking like a much better option when thousands of dollars are on the line.
• Dead zone. The nine-to-five is getting another makeover as the “triple-peak” workday has emerged at some companies. The standard peaks of work activity at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. have been joined with another at 10 p.m. — from employees who log off early in the afternoon to take care of errands or do other activities. Meaning a possibility for no meetings after 4? Sign us up.
• A match made in the freezer aisle. Food subscription company Daily Harvest is pulling off a marketing campaign for the ages — or should we say Eras? To promote their introduction to supermarkets, Daily Harvest is running a special competition: Post a video of you dancing in the freezer aisle, and be entered for the chance to win VIP tickets to Taylor Swift’s final show in LA. BRB, looking for our nearest Kroger.