If you’re like many small-business owners, you love what you do, but you may feel trapped in your work. You want the business to continue after you retire, but because you have such a hands-on role in nearly every aspect of the company, you wonder how you’ll ever be able to walk away.

You dream of being able to take a month-long vacation, but you fear the business would suffer without you there every day. While you love the financial rewards being a business owner affords, you wish you could reap those rewards without having to do all the work yourself.

The real problem for many business owners is not the inability to walk away from the office and leave work at work, but rather a lack of formal business systems that would essentially automate the company’s processes.

Since many owners have always handled business issues themselves, they feel there’s no need for systems. They believe customers need personal interaction from them, and they have a hard time delegating tasks and duties effectively.

However, by simply systematizing your business and creating policies and procedures, you can break free from the chains that keep you tethered to the desk. You can then focus on business- building activities and personal interests.

Setting up systems

While the exact systems, policies and procedures you create depend on the nature of your business, here are some guidelines to keep in mind.

1. Set your priorities. Often, business owners are so wrapped up in day-to-day activities that they lose sight of what they really should be doing as leaders. Take a timeout and ask yourself: How can I grow my business? What activities are the most rewarding to me, professionally and personally?

You’ll likely realize that in order to grow your company and feel more personal satisfaction, you need to spend your time on such things as networking for new business, building client relationships, planning the company’s future growth, or simply enjoying some time away from the business. Once you realize what you should be doing on a regular basis, you can let go of the day-to-day tasks your employees can easily take over.

2. Make a list of your current activities. Next, keep a journal of how you spend your time at work. What specific tasks are you doing? How much time are you spending on the technical aspects of what your company offers? How much of a hands-on role are you taking? What percentage of your time do you spend on strategic activities?

You’ll likely find that you spend the majority of your time doing the same or similar tasks that you pay employees to do. Why? Because most small-business owners started as technicians in particular fields and then decided to open their own businesses. So they feel comfortable in a technician role, but lack business management and leadership training. For most owners, it’s eye-opening to evaluate on paper how much time they spend doing technical tasks.

3. Delegate effectively. Delegate all tasks not related to the list of what you should be doing, created in step one. But don’t hand someone a task and say, “do it.” You need to delegate correctly. That means giving the person clear directions and being sure he or she understands what you want done, how much time and money it should take, and when the task is due.

While you should make yourself available for questions, you should not have hands-on involvement with the task. Follow up with the person in writing, reiterating the agreed-to task and all the details. When you complete this step, you will have systematized your first process!

4. Get everyone involved. Putting processes in writing applies to everyone in the company. It needs to happen laterally as well as vertically. Think of it as creating an owner’s manual for each position. Have each person list all the tasks his or her position is responsible for.

Consider that someone in the payroll department would detail how to run payroll, how to pay the withholding taxes, and how to process 401(k) deductions. This way, if that person were to go out sick or suddenly quit, another person could pick up the process description and do the job. Every person needs to go through this process for every aspect of his or her job.

Be sure the written processes are based upon a job description and not based upon a person. You can’t have systems based on what Mary or John does. It needs to be based upon the actual job description of the position. That way, if John leaves the company, you don’t have to find someone just like him. You need to be able to replace people easily.

5. Share the systems companywide. Once something is written down and systematized, put it into a policy and procedure manual. Have people cross-train for different positions so they can step in when needed, even if only to help during a crunch.

Since all the tasks are tied to specific job descriptions, also make sure they’re tied to that person’s performance evaluation. That will ensure that the task is done according to the prescribed system every time.

Make success a system

While the process of creating systems companywide may seem overwhelming, remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. Systematizing your business is a long-range project, not something you can do in a week. Start by systematizing just one position and then move onto another.

Once you do have one thing systemized, be sure to re-evaluate your system on an annual basis to see if you need to make changes based on new events, information or regulations. By taking the time to systematize your company, you’ll have a more efficient business, and you’ll be more effective in your leadership role. You’ll actually have time to do things you enjoy and that are important to the business.

You’ll be able to focus on things that will make your company more successful, and you’ll be able to reap the profits from your business even when you’re not physically there. Begin the systemization process today and you’ll enjoy rewards for years to come.