S4:E1 Automating Your SOPs: What Actually Works (Real Case Study) with Shannon & Ryan Smit

Today’s Guest, Shannon & Ryan Smit

Shannon Smit is the owner of Smart Business Solutions, an award-winning accounting firm with over 20 team members. With her son, Ryan Smit, as the firm’s Systems and AI Champion, they have successfully adopted a process-first approach to leverage modern technology and scale smarter. Ryan’s methodical, question-driven mindset makes him the ideal champion, proving that results come from the right approach, not just decades of experience.

Interview Takeaways:

1. The Systems Champion is a Strategic Hired Role

Rather than relying on busy department heads or the business owner, a dedicated Systems Champion is crucial for sustained system development. Their primary job is not writing systems from scratch, but rather being the facilitator, extracting the knowledge from key team members, asking the right questions, and translating that tribal knowledge into clear, documented systems.

2. Key Systems Champion Skill: The ‘What If’ Mindset

A great Systems Champion challenges the status quo by constantly asking, “What if?” and “Why?” They don’t just document the standard operating procedure; they pressure-test it for exceptions, errors, and roadblocks, ensuring the system is robust and accounts for potential issues that veterans might overlook. This methodical, direct questioning leads to stronger, more reliable processes.

3. Systems Champion as the Ultimate Business Education

For a future leader or family member joining the business, such as Ryan, the Systems Champion role offers unparalleled education. It provides a deep, operational understanding of how the business works, beyond just the financial statements. This holistic view is vital for transitioning from being a technician (e.g., an accountant) to running an entire business.

4. Process-First is Non-Negotiable for AI Success

The core message is that you cannot effectively automate what you have not clearly documented. Systemization is the prerequisite for automation. Smart Business Solutions could successfully implement AI/RPA (like the file noting bot) only because they had a clear process mapped out, proving that a process-first foundation (via tools like systemHUB) positions a business to capitalize on new technologies like AI immediately.

5. Quantifying the Automation ROI

The interview provides a tangible example of value: automating the routine, repetitive task of file noting across multiple platforms. By turning an 8-10 hour per week task into a bot-driven process, the firm is saving well over 1,000 hours annually, freeing up both administration and high-value financial planning time.

6. Leadership & Team Buy-In

To overcome the fear of job loss due to automation, the leadership focused on framing AI as a tool to remove the most boring, tedious, and compulsory parts of the job. The goal is to create capacity for team members to move into higher-value, more engaging work (e.g., business consulting) rather than simply performing manual tasks.

7. Upskilling is a Mandatory Investment, Not a Cost

Shannon views investment in team training, like the Systems Champion Academy, as critical, not optional. The opportunity cost of not training is far greater: losing staff to competitors who do embrace new technologies or having key staff perform mundane tasks when they could be generating more revenue. Upskilling keeps the team engaged, at the forefront of the industry, and future-proofs the firm.

8. Systemize for Freedom

The true return on investment of systemizing is not just monetary, but also operational resilience and future value. Documenting processes ensures the business is not dependent on a key person (mitigating the “hit by a bus” scenario), enables capacity for the owner to take leave, and ultimately makes the business significantly more valuable if they ever choose to sell, like the McDonald’s model.