From Head to Handbook
How SOPs Can Help You Build a Business That Can Grow
Interview & article developed by Essie, Operations Lead at Little Light Solutions
Systems didn’t enter Maggie’s world because she loved structure for structure’s sake. They showed up because business demanded them.
Long before founding her own company, Maggie worked as an Operations Manager at a busy waxing salon. She was hired at a moment of success — the books were full, clients were being turned away, and leadership wanted to expand. But there was a problem.
Nothing was built to scale.
Processes lived in people’s heads or on scraps of paper behind the front desk. Training depended on who was available. Scheduling, time-off, and onboarding were reactive and manual. The owner was carrying the business mentally — and she and Maggie both knew it wasn’t sustainable.
“If a business relies on one person holding everything together in their head, it can’t grow — and it definitely can’t survive change.”
That realization became Maggie’s introduction to SOPs.
When Holding It All Became Unsustainable
At the salon, leadership wasn’t just managing operations — they were the system. Time-off requests were handwritten and left at the desk. Schedules lived in Google Calendar. Training happened informally, with no shared standard.
It worked — until demand outpaced capacity.
“We weren’t failing. We were actually too successful — and the systems just couldn’t keep up.”
Maggie could see where things were heading: without documented processes, expansion would either stall or collapse under its own weight. Delegation wasn’t possible if knowledge stayed locked in one person’s head.
SOPs weren’t about control. They were about survival.
The First SOP That Changed Everything
The first real SOP Maggie created wasn’t flashy — it was a centralized scheduling and workforce management system. Clock-ins, clock-outs, time-off requests, and visibility all lived in one place.
What felt hard:
Letting go of informal habits
Accepting imperfect systems
Slowing down to document instinctive decisions
What felt relieving:
Fewer interruptions
Fewer repeat questions
Less mental load
“The relief wasn’t just operational — it was mental. We didn’t have to remember everything anymore.”
From there, Maggie focused on the biggest bottleneck: training.
She built a full apprenticeship program that included classroom learning, hands-on practice, grading systems, and both student and teacher handbooks.
When the business opened a second location, those systems made it possible to hire eight technicians at once — something that would have been impossible before.
“That was the moment I knew the systems were working — the business could grow without leadership breaking.”
If a process limits growth, delays service, or blocks delegation, it’s worth documenting.
Her rule of thumb is simple:
If you’re doing it more than once, write it down
Document while you’re doing the task
Let the SOP evolve over time
“If you wait until things feel calm, you’ve waited too long.”
What Doesn’t Become an SOP
Not everything belongs in a system.
Maggie intentionally avoids documenting deeply personal workflows — like how she organizes her inbox or time-blocks her day.
“An SOP answers one question: what needs to happen if I’m not here?”
If the process is personal rather than operational, it stays out.
Building SOPs Without Burning Out
For founders who feel overwhelmed by systems, Maggie’s advice is grounding:
Start small. One process. One drain on your energy.
“Momentum matters more than completeness.”
She recommends documenting in real time — writing SOPs while doing the work rather than trying to recreate it later. SOPs should be clear, usable, and easy to find.
“Clear beats comprehensive every time.”
The moment SOPs stop being a personal project and become a shared reference is when they start working.
The Real Impact of SOPs
SOPs solved more than Maggie expected:
Hiring became less stressful
Training became consistent
Internal growth paths emerged (trainers, leaders, managers)
Client experience stabilized across locations
Most importantly, SOPs made expansion possible.
“You can’t grow a business that only works when you’re present.”
Today, Maggie feels confident stepping away. Her team feels supported. Her clients feel secure.
If You Only Have Two Hours to Start
For founders who feel overwhelmed by SOPs, Maggie brings it back to basics.
“Don’t start by writing perfect systems. Start by noticing what you already do.”
If someone only had two hours, Maggie would have them focus on this:
Write down everything you do in a typical day — owner duties, decisions, repeat tasks
Take it one piece at a time
Ask: Can any of this be grouped together?
Notice what feels hardest to hand off — that’s often where support is needed most
“Hiring support can feel overwhelming, but that overwhelm is usually a sign the work needs a home outside your head.”
Maggie emphasizes that SOPs are living, breathing documents. You’re not creating something you’ll never touch again.
Her preferred approach:
Follow the SOP while completing the task
Edit it in real time
Ask: Can I actually follow these instructions?
“Creating SOPs while you’re doing the work is so much easier than blocking time later to remember how you did it.”
SOPs That Help Founders Early On
Some SOPs create outsized relief early in the business. Maggie recommends starting with:
Daily or weekly owner responsibilities
Hiring and onboarding workflows
Training guides and expectations
Client experience standards
Scheduling, time-off, and coverage procedures
The real test isn’t perfection — it’s confidence.
“Can the business run without me? Do my clients feel steady? Do I feel calm stepping away?”
When the answer is yes, the systems are doing their job.
Protecting the Work You Build
As SOPs mature, Maggie also encourages founders to think about protection — without slipping into fear.
Key considerations:
Employment agreements that clarify work created belongs to the business
NDAs to protect proprietary processes (with guidance from a lawyer)
Copyrighting training manuals and programs where appropriate
“Assume bad things could happen and hope they won’t. Systems are protection — not suspicion.”
Maggie operates from trust. The people she works with have good intentions. And she also believes in building businesses that are resilient.
“You can own the documents and the processes — but not the idea. What you bring is unique enough that someone else doing it their way only expands the space.”
She thinks of it like tree logic: the roots are shared, but every branch grows differently.
Where Little Light Solutions Comes In
At Little Light Solutions, this philosophy is the foundation of our work. We help founders take what’s living in their heads and turn it into clear, sustainable systems.
Whether you’re preparing to hire, planning for parental leave, or simply tired of being the bottleneck, SOPs aren’t about becoming corporate. They’re about building something that can hold you — and grow with you.
“Systems didn’t take my freedom. They gave it back.”
If you’re ready to build a business that doesn’t depend on you carrying everything alone, Little Light Solutions is here to help.
