Need to know the best way to document processes? There’s a template for that.

Round-trip tickets to Italy: $1K.
Pasta dinner with wine: $60.
Knowing your work responsibilities are taken care of because you documented all your processes: priceless.

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• A template for the best way to document your business processes.
• A look back on Insider Summit 2023.
• How to set your business up for success during growth.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: How To Document a Process Template

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you know the truth: Process documentation is absolutely necessary for streamlined business operations and any chance at growth. 

If you’re new (or need a little refresher), here are just some of the ways process documentation sets your business up for success:

• Helps you onboard and train your team more efficiently.
• Creates a structure for day-to-day operations that will deliver consistent results.
• Exposes gaps and inefficiencies, giving you more opportunities to improve procedures.
• Eases the way for organizational change in your company.

Better training, more efficient systems, consistent outcomes — sounds like a recipe for growth and scalability to us! There’s just one teeny, tiny roadblock: figuring out how to actually go about documenting a process.

It may sound easy, but when you’re staring at a blank page, trying to write up the tens (hundreds? thousands?) of processes that make up your operations, it can seem like an uphill battle.

👉 That’s why we’ve created the How To Document a Process template — to help you design, write, and manage processes for streamlined business operations and growth. Follow this guide to build your own processes, and use it to teach your team how to document what they do. Before you know it, you’ll have a full library of processes ready to train your employees (especially with a little help from Trainual AI features that can practically write your documentation for you).

‍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.

SUMMIT SUMMARY

Here’s what went down at the Insider Summit 

“I come to [Insider Summit] to have my life changed once per year. Never disappoints.” ~Actual attendee.

Insider Summit happened last week and we’re still on a high. In case you missed it, here’s the TLDR version. (And don’t worry — register for the replays and we’ll send them straight to your inbox!)

Here are two new feature announcements — available now:

1. Import documents.
Have an existing policy, process, or other company information in a Google or Word doc? You can now transform it into a Trainual subject in a couple of clicks!

👉 Import a document now. Need a Trainual account? Try for free.

2. AI-powered search.
Trainual’s new AI-powered search can understand the meaning and intent behind what you search for (beyond your exact search terms) — that way, you get more accurate and relevant search results. 

Even cooler? You can ask a question in the search bar and Trainual will respond with the exact answer you’re looking for — based on the information stored in your Company, Policies, and Processes pages. #SearchSmarterNotHarder.

👉 Ask Trainual a question now. Need a Trainual account? Try for free.

And the top customers of 2023 are… (drumroll please)...
These champions have leveraged Trainual to achieve measurable success — AKA, they’ve transformed the way they communicate changes, streamline operations, hold everyone accountable, and plan for the future. 

👉 See the winners here.

PREPARE FOR LAUNCH

Want to grow your business? You need these 3 foundations.

It’s me, hi, I’m that business, it’s me.
You’re not alone — nearly 50% of small businesses are focused on growing their location, services, or website this year. But at the same time, everyone agrees: Growing your business is tough.

But so was starting a business — a rocky road didn’t stop you then, and it’s unlikely to stop you now. And there are ways to ensure your path to business growth is as smooth as possible. Here are three ways to set the stage for growth at your business:

1. Define your team’s roles — and learn to delegate.
Role clarity is essential to business growth. Without it, your employees aren’t sure who’s in charge of what — meaning certain responsibilities can get lost in the day-to-day or too many people mistakenly take on the same tasks. Either way, it causes chaos and confusion. 

Solution: Create a role chart that outlines which roles are responsible for certain tasks and who has what role. That way, you have absolute clarity on who’s supposed to do what. (And what do you know? There’s a handy-dandy role chart tool in your Trainual account.)

Plus, having that role chart in place will give you the freedom to start delegating the work you do in the business so you have the time and energy to focus on scaling. And you need to get comfortable with delegating — there’s probably a lot of stuff on your plate that your trusted employees can take care of.

👉 Check out the other two ways.

TL; DR

This week's highlight reel

• “Baby, I’m a mastermind.” And the wildest dreams of Swifties everywhere are coming true, as experts share how to replicate the singer’s transformational leadership style at work. You can even sign up for Psych 101 (Taylor’s Version) at ASU to learn advanced behavioral concepts from her relationships, work, and social influence. Is there a blank space on that registration?
• Dear  Google. Scale AI, the $7.3B startup that trains and validates AI, is reportedly partnering with Google DeepMind to provide users with 21 tools that offer life advice and help with planning. Disclaimer: It’s not a substitute for your therapist. Although we suppose it is one way to take emotions out of a decision…
• No ragrets. A new report found that 80% of executives would have taken a different return-to-office approach if they had access to more data to inform their decision-making. Maybe things would have been different if they had Remote Work (Hybrid) Policies that could be easily updated as new data surfaced… *sips tea.
• Double-tap that. IG for business shared the four key metrics you need to learn which ads work best for promoting your products and services — helping you create benchmarks and determine what types your audience likes, whether they’re inspiring action, if you’re targeting the right people, and how many people are seeing them.