067: Trace Blackmore’s Documenting SOPs Process

When Trace Blackmore started getting information out of his head and onto paper, great things happened in his business. His 16-year-old industrial water treatment company has defied the small business failure odds and he attributes some of that longevity to having procedures that remove guesswork and promote high standards. In this episode, Trace shares his process for identifying and documenting key standard operating procedures (SOPs) and more importantly, hacks for getting people to actually follow them.

Special Guest: R. Trace Blackmore, Founder & CEO – Blackmore Enterprises

Location: Lawrenceville, GA USA

Air Date: October 20, 2019

Resources

Scaling Up! H2O: Trace’s podcast dedicated to the water treatment industry.
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business: book by Gino Wickman (chapter on processes).
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t, Rockefeller Habits 2.0: book by Verne Harnish.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: book by Atul Gawande.
OneNote: Microsoft’s digital tool for note-taking.
Kanban Cards: tools for visually managing various types of processes.
4 Methods for Optimizing Inventory: an article by UPS
Draw Toast: A Primer on Systems Thinking: a FREE guide on implementing the techniques discussed in the famous How to Make Toast TED Talk.