Get the firm out of your head and into a system.
The SOP Edit is how my firm documents the way it runs: the Workflow Checklist, the Training Manual and the SOP, how to decide what goes where, how to write each one fast, and what to build first so it doesn't all land on you.
- Four modules
- 11 downloads
- Up to 3.0 verifiable CPD hours
One time payment plus applicable tax. One year of access, starting right away.
The work keeps coming back to you.
You've tried delegating. You explained the task, the work came back not quite right, you fixed it, and you thought it would've been faster to just do it yourself. So next time, you did.
Here's what you might have said this year.
- “Nobody can do this the way I do it.”
- “Training takes more time than the task itself.”
- “By the time I explain it, I could've finished it three times over.”
- “There's too much to document, so I haven't started.”
- “I'll get to it when things slow down.”
It's not a people problem. It's a documentation problem. And documentation isn't one thing, which is why the binder never gets opened.
Hi, I'm Michelle.
When I first decided to systemize my firm, everything lived in my head. I was planning to hire, so I paid someone to write my procedures for me. It took close to six months and real money.
Then I started hiring and found the gap. I'd documented what we do, but I was still the one doing all the training. Every new task and every question still came back to me. My firm is fully remote, so if the documentation doesn't carry the answer, the work stops.
It took years to see that what I thought was one document was a few separate things, each doing a different job. Where I landed is easy to run and easy to hand to a new team member. This course is the day one version, the one I'd hand my past self.
Michelle
Four modules, from diagnosis to a system that stays current.
Go in order the first time, because the decision rule in Module 2 is what makes the writing in Module 3 make sense. After that, every lesson is a reference for when you sit down to build.
WelcomeWelcome to The SOP Edit
How I got here, a short video (The Messy Middle, about four minutes), how AI fits into the course, and one small assignment: pick the real process you'll build for as you go.
Module 1The Bottleneck
The shortest module. Why the work keeps coming back to you, the four layers a firm runs on, and how to know you're ready to start, whether you bought a practice, you're solo, or you tried once and nobody used it.
Module 2The Three Operational Layers
The Workflow Checklist, the Training Manual and the SOP in detail: what lives in each, where it lives and who owns it. Then the decision rule, three questions asked in order, and the naming convention that keeps the whole system findable.
Module 3Writing Each Layer
The heaviest module. A brain dump turned into an SOP with an AI prompt, a Training Manual entry from a three to five minute screen recording and its transcript, and the post it method for designing a Workflow Checklist. It closes with the review and approval rules for each layer, and a short video.
Downloads: SOP Manual Format, SOP AI Prompt, SOP Worked Example, Training Manual Entry Format, Training Manual AI Prompt, Training Manual Worked Example, the Workflow Checklist 10 Steps reference and the Workflow Checklist Worked Example
Module 4Build Order and Sustainability
The three tools that turn the method into an inventory and a build order, who writes what so it doesn't all land on you, the build push in batches of about five processes, and the once a year review that keeps it current.
Downloads: SOP Master Workbook, Training Manual Master Workbook, Workflow Checklist Inventory
ClosingThe SOP Edit Wrap Up
A short send off, and the Download Library with all eleven files in one place.
Things you'll actually build and keep.
- A finished, usable set of layers for one real process in your firm.
- At least one SOP, written from a brain dump and cleaned up with the AI prompt.
- At least one Training Manual entry, with a short video and the written scaffold.
- At least one Workflow Checklist template, mapped to the SOP it runs against.
- A naming convention your whole team uses across all three layers.
- Your first batch picked, with a review slot on the staff meeting you already run.
The eleven downloads
- SOP Manual Format, SOP AI Prompt and SOP Worked Example (Word)
- Training Manual Entry Format, Training Manual AI Prompt and Training Manual Worked Example (Word)
- Workflow Checklist 10 Steps reference and Workflow Checklist Worked Example (Word)
- SOP Master Workbook, with 95 SOPs to start from (Excel)
- Training Manual Master Workbook, with 115 entries by service line (Excel)
- Workflow Checklist Inventory, 48 checklists from a real firm (PDF)
Every one is internal. Nothing here is client facing.
Up to 3.0 verifiable CPD hours
Based on the lessons, downloads and video in the course. You get a certificate when you complete it.
This doesn't include the time you spend applying it in your own firm, which you can log as unverifiable CPD.
How to work through it. An admin SOP takes 30 to 60 minutes. A Training Manual entry is about 30 minutes from recording to live. A Workflow Checklist is the big one, a full day or more for something like personal tax, so block it like a client deadline. After that you build in batches of about five processes, and a first batch of simpler ones lands in about two to three weeks.
“I had documented what we do, but I was still the one doing all the training. Every new task, every new hire, every question still came back to me.”
Before you enrol
Do I need special software?
No. The course is software agnostic. My firm keeps the SOP and the Training Manual in Google Sites and runs Workflow Checklists in Financial Cents, but Word, a spreadsheet or whatever you already use works too. The one tool I'd suggest spending money on is a screen recorder like Loom, because the Training Manual runs on short videos.
Do I have to use AI?
No. Every prompt is written out for you and any general purpose assistant works, but you can format everything by hand if you'd rather. Either way, you review what comes back before it becomes part of your documentation.
I haven't hired yet. Is this for me?
Maybe especially for you. The best time to build this is before you hire, while it reflects what you actually do. The day you hire, your new person steps into a system instead of sitting beside you while you train them from memory.
How is it delivered, and how long do I have access?
The SOP Edit is self paced and online, with immediate access to every module. You have one year of access from your purchase date, including any updates made in that time.
Does this count toward my CPD?
Yes. The SOP Edit qualifies for up to 3.0 verifiable CPD hours, based on the lessons, downloads and video in the course, and you get a certificate when you complete it. Time you spend applying the material in your own firm is real learning too, and you can log it as unverifiable CPD. Check your own professional body's requirements for how to record it.
Do you offer payment plans?
Not right now. The SOP Edit is a one time payment of $1,497 CAD plus applicable sales tax.
What's your refund policy?
All sales are final. Because it's a digital course and you get access right away, we can't offer refunds. Please read our Terms and Conditions and send us any questions before you enrol.
I have a question that isn't answered here.
Email us at support@buildthefirmco.com and we'll help before you decide.
From November 2, every Edit is also part of The Full Firm Edit: all six Edits together for $6,497 CAD plus applicable tax, with one year of access.
Build the day one version, not the perfect one.
All sales are final. By enrolling you agree to our Terms and Conditions, including the no refund policy. Access starts as soon as you buy.
Built by Michelle Arnason, CPA, owner of Arnason Accounting & Co., a team of seven in Airdrie, Alberta.