The quick and easy way to get help with your business documentation

In partnership with Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and with funding from Etsy and Progressive, Hello Alice is giving out grants from their Small Business Growth Fund. Eligible businesses could receive grants worth $5K to $25K — run, don’t walk, as applications are due October 27, 2023.

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• Interested in getting set up in Trainual fast? Try implementation.
• A template that guides your team through annual forecasting and goal-setting.
• The new Trainual feature that makes sharing content across groups easier than ever.
• Why transcendent leadership might be your ticket to business success.

HELPING HAND

How to set up your playbook fast with Trainual implementation

As your business grows, documentation seems like a no-brainer.
Your business operations are becoming more complex, you’re hiring more people, and you need to train and align everyone on the processes that run your day to day. That means you have to start documenting everything about your business — and as the leading documentation and employee training software, Trainual helps small business leaders organize their operations and streamline their process documentation.

But when starting anything for the first time, it’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed — especially when you’ve got a lot of stuff to document. Where do you start? And how?

Having an expert by your side can give you a big confidence boost.
And that’s where Trainual’s implementation support comes into play. Available with certain plans, this complimentary setup service gets you up and running as quickly as possible.

As soon as you become a customer, we pair you with one of our implementation specialists. The goal is to accelerate your content creation and get your team up to speed fast. They’ll work with you directly for the first four weeks of your Trainual journey to get you to value as quickly as possible.

But what does implementation actually look like?
The short answer: It depends! The long answer: Every business is unique, and their needs and expectations will differ based on their goals and starting points. Some businesses have nothing documented — others have a ton of content documented somewhere on their hard drive. One SMB might need to start training new hires ASAP while another is looking to prepare documentation to open a franchise.

But no matter where your business is at, an implementation specialist will:

• Set up the framework of your account. 
• Teach you the best ways to create content in Trainual with weekly 1:1s.
• Help migrate your content from other software, manuals, and docs. 
• Be your go-to for any questions about your account.

👉 Learn more about Trainual implementation.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Annual Planning with OKRs Process

When it comes to business, you probably wish you could see into the future. Because even if you believe the business will be a success, it might be nice to know some of the details surrounding that success. Like the exact revenue you’ll make or the obstacles you’ll have to overcome along the way.

But until Doc shows up in your driveway with his DeLorean, you’re gonna be stuck twiddling your thumbs and wondering what will happen…

Or, you can take the proactive approach and try annual forecasting. By projecting future revenue, expenses, and other financial metrics, you can better understand your business’ financial position and make informed decisions about how to allocate resources and plan for the future.

Plus, if you combine your forecasting with goal-setting frameworks like objectives and key results (OKRs), you can develop roadmaps to reach the financial metrics you forecasted.

👉 Ready to implement forecasting in your business? Then you’ll want our Annual Planning with OKRs Process template. Outline how your team can forecast for the upcoming year, share the plan with stakeholders, and combine your plan with OKRs to ensure that your efforts and resources are focused on reaching your forecasted metrics. Make tweaks to reflect your business’ unique needs and it’s ready to share with your team.

‍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.

TRAINUAL TIPS: JUST ROLE WITH IT

Introducing: Groups & group share in Trainual! Here’s how to use them.

What are groups and group share?
Remember how we have roles as a way to assign content and organize people based on job title? Well, that has just been leveled up.

Groups are the new, more flexible way for you to share content with your team. Because now, you can assign content and organize people by more than roles — you can group them into departments, locations, and other categories, too!

And using group share, you have even more control over content distribution  — like view-only access vs. completion requirement, edit capabilities vs. full subject management, and more — for individuals and groups!

These are some big changes! Can I get help setting up?
Psh, duh. That’s what we’re here for! In fact, we’ve got 30-minute interactive workshops through next month that’ll help you get set up! You’ll get a demo, a ton of tips and tricks, and answers to all of your questions live.

👉 Sign up for the workshop now.

‍Want to get started with groups? Head to the “Groups” tab on the left-hand menu of your account.

TRANSCEND TREND

Are you a transcendent leader? (Hint: If not, we’ll help you become one!)

What’s a transcendent leader?
Maybe you identify as a service leader — prioritizing the needs of and supporting your team. Or maybe you’re a coaching leader who focuses on feedback, guidance, and employee development. Or even a situational leader who tailors their style to each individual team member.

But there’s a new kind of leadership in town that essentially takes the best pieces from the other styles and combines them into one ultra-effective style: transcendent leadership. Someone who embodies this type of leadership has a visionary mindset. Meaning, they focus on the bigger picture, like employees finding purpose, passion, and belonging in their roles. And even how their business impacts the community, or how they can promote positive and ethical values.

Here’s how to adopt the champion qualities of a transcendent leader and the positive outcomes you’ll see in your org as a result: 

1. Empower employees.
This type of leader values every contributor — regardless of their position — and gives them the autonomy they need to make ideas happen. In turn, empowerment helps employees get creative and implement better best practices. When they have the trust and freedom to do so, they’ll help your company achieve operational, financial, and scalable success.

Empowering your team starts with providing clear expectations and resources (ahem — Trainual), encouraging open communication, and recognizing their achievements.

2. Help employees bring their full selves to work.

When employees feel that they can be their authentic selves at work, it drives innovation, boosts engagement and retention, and ultimately enhances business performance and customer relations.

To help employees bring their full selves to work, you can look into different initiatives like establishing affinity groups, hosting regular diversity, equity, and inclusion training sessions, and implementing flexible work arrangements to accommodate different life situations.

👉 More ways to become a transcendent leader.