“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.

Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”

— Jim Rohn

At OWIT Nairobi, we have a vision to empower women to transform communities through global trade. We are committed to creating opportunities for women to connect to global markets. As a Business Support Organisation, we work closely with our members to ensure access to the necessary tools to build businesses that can go global.

The theme for our July Business Meeting was ‘Thriving Processes For Thriving Businesses’ & the session was facilitated by Rosslyn Mutahi of Top Tier Ltd and Ruth Tabbu, Director at Maersk.

Systems and processes play a significant role in building and growing a business – particularly for women going global. In a bid to build a global brand, Women Owned Businesses’ must put in place systems and structures that support growth, building a framework for a constant pursuit of improvement and innovation.

According to Rosslyn,

Systems and structures are building blocks for any organisation. Systems are the methods used to do work. Marketing, accounting and sales are common business systems. Structures are how systems are organised. You will recognise divisional and functional structures in organisations. Where systems and structures are lacking, things quickly start to fall apart, especially when workload increases. Systems make it easier to scale your operations, whether you’re opening a new branch or hiring a new employee. They make it that much easier to sell or franchise your business.

While they may often not be urgent to develop, they are very important and make it possible to offer consistent service, and to become more productive and more profitable.

I asked Rosslyn to share 3 things a woman in business can do to get started on this journey to build thriving processes & this is what she shared;

1. Have a clear goal about each system you have in place. For example, your marketing system should generate you 40 leads each month. Your goal should be something you can return to often to evaluate success.
2. Have a plan that enable you reach your goal. Your plan includes the people, expert help, experience, tools, including software, that you’ll need to reach your goal.
3. Execute. A good plan executed today is better than an excellent plan tomorrow.

When you’ve done these 3 things, always come back to check that you got the results you expected or better. Systems and structures are as good as the results they get you. If you’re not getting what you envisioned, look at and rework your systems.

A tree with strong roots laughs at storms

~ Malay Proverb

The true strength of a treelies in its roots, constantly flourishing and expanding, affirming a future of fruitful existence – and like a tree, a successful business needs to build strong roots. Mapping internal processes can increase efficiency, quality and accountability – driving overall performance.

Mucha Mlingo

President, OWIT Nairobi

Founder, PTS Africa For more information about OWIT Nairobi – visit our website, www.owitnairobi.org