Stop Writing SOPs Before You Hire

I've been seeing a lot of advice lately about how you need to have all your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) documented before you make your first hire.

It sounds logical on the surface - get everything organized before bringing someone new in.

But here's the thing: it's backwards.

The "Get Your SOPs Ready" Trap

The typical advice goes like this: Before you hire someone, spend countless hours documenting every process, every procedure, every little detail of how things should be done.

Make videos, write manuals, create flowcharts.

It's the kind of advice that sounds responsible. Professional. Thorough.

It's also wrong.

Why? Three Simple Reasons:

1. You don't have time If you're hiring, it's because you're overwhelmed. You need help NOW. Adding "write complete documentation" to your already full plate is like telling a drowning person they need to write a swimming manual before someone can throw them a life preserver. Most businesses I talk to are hiring because they're turning away work or working weekends. Why delay getting help to write documents that might not even be relevant?

2. You're probably procrastinating Let's be honest - sometimes the appeal of "getting everything documented first" is that it lets us put off the scary part: actually hiring someone. It feels productive while being counterproductive. I've seen too many business owners spend weeks "getting ready" to hire when they should have just started interviewing. Documentation becomes a security blanket - comfortable but ultimately holding you back.

3. Your new hire should write the SOPs This is the kicker: The best person to document a process is often the person who's going to do it. They'll write it at the right level of detail, use the right terminology, and catch the gaps that you, as an expert, might miss. Plus, they'll have skin in the game - they're writing instructions they'll actually have to follow.

The Hidden Cost of Pre-Writing Everything

Here's something nobody talks about: when you write all your SOPs before hiring, you're making a lot of assumptions. You're assuming you know:

• The best way to explain each task

• What questions your new hire will have

• Which parts will be confusing

• What level of detail is needed

And you know what?

You're probably wrong about most of it.

Because you're an expert.

And experts make terrible instructors when they work in isolation.

Here's What to Do Instead

Start with the basics:

• List out the key outputs

• Define how often each output needs to happen, and what triggers it

• Create simple templates

• Schedule training (record it, so this can be used for documentation!)

Then, have your new hire document the processes as they learn them. ‘

Part of your job is to document your job. Part of your job is to document your job. Part of your job is to document your job. Part of your job is to document your job.

They'll create better documentation than you ever could, because they're writing it from the perspective of someone who's learning it fresh.

The Power of Collaborative Documentation

When your new hire helps create the documentation:

• They understand it better because they helped build it

• They can identify unclear areas immediately

• They take ownership of improving processes

• They're more likely to keep it updated

• You get documentation that actually reflects reality, not theory

Think about it: would you rather have a manual written by someone who's never done the job (or hasn’t done it in months), or by someone who's actively learning and doing it?

A Better Way to Think About Systems

Systems aren't something you create in isolation.

They're something you discover and refine through actual work.

Having your new hire involved in documenting processes isn't just more efficient - it's better.

They'll have ownership of the processes.

They'll understand them more deeply.

And they'll be more likely to improve them over time.

Sure, you need some structure. But you don't need a complete operating manual before you can bring someone on board.

That's like saying you need to write a complete parenting manual before having kids. (Spoiler alert: the kids end up teaching you as much as you teach them.)

The Role of Technology

A quick note about tools: I've seen people get hung up on finding the perfect documentation tool before they'll start hiring.

Stop that.

A simple Google Doc is fine to start.

What matters is the content and the collaboration, not the container.

The Bottom Line

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the progress. If you need help, hire help.

Create enough structure to get started, then let your new hire help you build better systems together.

That's how you build a business that works - through iteration, collaboration, and trust.

And bonus: you'll end up with documentation that's actually useful, not just professionally formatted shelf-ware.

Yallah Habibi,

Jon

P.S. Yes, you'll still end up with SOPs. But they'll be better, more useful, and actually reflect how the work gets done - not just how you think it should get done.

Passage

“One of the most satisfying feelings I know — and also one of the most growth-promoting experiences for the other person — comes from my appreciating this individual in the same way that I appreciate a sunset.  People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I can let them be.  In fact, perhaps the reason we can truly appreciate a sunset is that we cannot control it.  When I look at a sunset as I did the other evening, I don’t find myself saying, ‘Soften the orange a little on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple along the base, and use a little more pink in the cloud color.’  I don’t do that.  I don’t try to control a sunset.  I watch it with awe as it unfolds.  I like myself best when I can appreciate my staff member, my son, my daughter, my grandchildren, in this same way.”

— Carl Rogers