Once you’ve decided what you’re going to build, the very next step should be figuring out HOW you’ll build it.
In today’s world- with automation, integration, and AI at our fingertips- operational design isn’t an afterthought. It’s a strategic asset. A lean but highly effective operational structure drives not just profitability but growth. Yet too many founders push ops to the side, prioritising visibility and speed. But if they succeed (and that’s a big “if”), they’ll be left remapping a fast-moving business that’s hard- and expensive- to fix.
Sort the how early, and you can focus on growth with confidence.
At base property, we learned this the harder way. Back in 2004, there weren’t many affordable or effective tech solutions on offer. But operational efficiency has always been core to what we do- and I’d argue it’s why we consistently deliver 2–3x industry average profit margins.
At The Depositary, we baked operational thinking in from day one. Automated billing, native integrations with GoCardless and Xero, embedded digital contracts, self-serve account configuration- everything was designed to keep headcount lean without sacrificing performance. It’s why our ops are highly effective, despite being delivered by a small team.
The process? Start simple. Pick a workflow- any workflow. Map EVERYTHING: every click, call, email, task, tool, and human involved. Then go through it step by step, stripping out anything non-essential. Can this be automated? Can this be eliminated? Can we remove two clicks? Do it. Every interaction matters.
I mean it literally- count the mouse clicks.
Why? Because these micro-efficiencies compound at scale. Saving 30 seconds on a task repeated 500 times a month is hours saved. Cleaner workflows mean faster onboarding, fewer mistakes, less friction and, ultimately, happier customers.
It’s not glamorous. But it works.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that operational excellence can “wait until we scale.” But once growth kicks in, and the wheels are already turning, it’s incredibly difficult to go back and unpick messy workflows, inconsistent delivery, or fractured systems. Staff get confused, things break, service drops- and culture suffers.
Great ops also give you something else: clean, reliable data. With that, you can make smarter, faster decisions based on what’s actually happening- not what you assume.
Good operations mean less stress, better delivery, more margin, lower headcount, cleaner data, and stronger outcomes. Operational excellence IS your business. If you forget that- or ignore it- it will cost you. Not just financially. In every way that matters.
