Write It Down
Very small companies have the advantage of creative iteration and flexibility. They aren’t burdened by knowledge sharing with others. You just work in ways that feel right and adjust over time. This is a superpower, where the work comes as second nature, and getting into a flow state is easier and easier.
And that’s great—if you’re not planning to grow. It might even be OK if you’re growing slowly enough to onboard people through exposure and intellectual diffusion, like an apprentice program. Things will get rocky, however, if you’re bringing on people faster or if any of your key performers leave 😬, taking their institutional knowledge with them.
What do you do to avoid this pitfall? Write. It. Down. Yes, you need to start creating documentation. Eat your vegetables 🥦. Brush your teeth 🪥. Document your processes 🗒️.
It might not be exciting (to you 😏), but it also doesn’t have to be a headache. Just open a Google Doc and start typing. You don’t need a fancy wiki, Notion site, or Confluence instance to start. You’ll know it’s time for those when your simple text document stops being good enough.
Just write it down. Ask your colleagues to write down how they do that thing they do so well. Share it with everyone. Set a reminder to review the doc every month and update it.
Creating documentation is like planting a tree. The best time to start was 10 years ago, but the second best time is now. They also don’t need a lot of work to start but do need regular care and maintenance. Feed and water your documentation. Prune it every year or so. One day, you’ll find yourself basking in the shade of your vibrant and extensive corporate knowledge base. That’s the time to look back fondly to those first seeds you planted so many years ago and be happy you started when you did.
I help growing organizations remove blockers to collaboration and scale. I’ve built flexible structures for my own teams and helped many others do the same, from small startups to Fortune 50 goliaths. What are you and your team experiencing? Let's talk.
