What Is A Business System, And How To Build It

Do you feel like your business is stuck because everything depends on you?

You’re not the only one.

In one of my recent YouTube videos, I sat down with Tin from Fuel Your Digital to talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention — systems.

If you’ve heard people say “You need systems in place” but never really understood what that means or where to start, this conversation is for you.

We broke it all down… what systems actually are, how they work, and how to use tools like Zapier to make your business run smoother — without burning out.

So, without any ado, let’s get into it.

Mention my Name, Vova Even, and Get a Great Discount from Tin

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Why Business Owners Need Systems

Vova: Hey Tin! Thanks for joining me today.

I’ve been looking forward to this chat because I know a lot of people out there are trying to figure out how to grow their business without burning out.

You’ve built a successful agency, and one thing you’ve mentioned often is the importance of systems.

I totally agree — reaching serious numbers in any business pretty much demands having systems in place.

It’s something I think more people need to understand.

Tin: Absolutely. 

Systems are key to success and I'm super excited to talk about it.

What Exactly a System Is

Vova: In your case, what would you suggest for someone trying to really understand what a system is?

Like, what does it mean to have systems?

Could you break that down a bit?

Tin: Yeah, definitely. That’s a great question.

I think a lot of beginners struggle with this exact thing.

They keep hearing people say, “You need systems,” or “Put systems in place,” but then they’re stuck asking, “Okay… but what even is a system?”

And that's totally fair.

Vova: Exactly! Is it a tool? A process? A way of life? What’s it actually for?

Tin: Right! So, let me simplify it.

At its core, a system is a set of instructions or processes that help get work done — without you having to do it every time.

And that system can be run by a person or by a machine.

Example of a Simple System: SOPs

Tin: So, for example, our entire team functions as a system. 

Or, for better understanding, let me explain it from your perspective. 

Say you want your team to follow a clear, repeatable process — then you create something called a Standard Operating Procedure or SOP.

It’s just a document that outlines exactly what someone needs to do, step-by-step.

Let’s say you have a thumbnail designer.

Your SOP for them would explain how to create the thumbnail, where to upload it, how to communicate with the client, and so on.

It's basically a complete playbook.

What makes an SOP powerful is that once it’s created, your team doesn’t need to come back to you asking, “What should I do next?” all the time.

It saves your time and energy.

They can just follow the steps.

So an SOP is one kind of system.

-: Learn How to Create a System :-

Your team itself — your group of people working together — form a system.

Because they’re working based on those instructions and responsibilities you’ve set up.

A system, to put it another way, is anything that helps get things done without you needing to be there all the time.

It could be a document, a tutorial video, even an automated tool.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention my Name, Vova Even, and Get a Great Discount from Tin

Using Digital Tools to Build Systems

Tin: Now, for those who are familiar with tools like Zapier — that’s a fantastic way to build systems, too. 

Zapier lets you connect different apps and automate tasks.

So, for instance, let’s say a client uploads a file to Google Drive.

With Zapier, you can set up an automation so that the moment that happens, your video editor gets a message or alert.

That way, no one has to send that notification manually.

Zapier just does it for you.

I’d call that a perfect example of a digital system — it saves time, reduces human error, and keeps everything running smoothly.

So in a nutshell, a system is anything you can automate, delegate, or document to make your agency — or any business — run more efficiently.

Whether it’s hiring someone to do the work or using a tool like ChatGPT or Zapier to take care of repetitive tasks, it’s all about creating repeatable processes that don’t need your constant input.

Vova: Man, that actually makes a lot of sense.

Thanks for breaking it down like that.

Also, since you mentioned ChatGPT, it reminded me of my recent conversation with Marcel Marculescu about AI. 

Marcel also has a good course about AI.

We talked about how tools like ChatGPT are transforming the way we work, learn, and create.

We also shared practical tips on how to use AI effectively in both business and daily life.

Click to read it now: Learn The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Of Artificial Intelligence

How to Start Building Your Own Systems

Vova: Now, do you have any books you'd recommend for building systems or understanding system thinking?

It sounds like you’ve done a ton of learning — maybe you've read something or watched certain videos.

But yeah, specifically when it comes to books — are there any you'd suggest?

Tin: Honestly, I haven’t read any books that are purely focused on creating systems.

That’s just not where I personally learned this stuff.

Where to Learn: YouTube and Agency Content

Tin: But what I have done is consume a lot of agency-related content online — videos, tutorials, interviews — things like that.

And I’m also working on uploading more of my own videos to help people understand how to actually implement systems, especially in agency settings.

Vova: Oh, that’s great.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention my Name, Vova Even, and Get a Great Discount from Tin

Tin: I’ve just started uploading more content, but there’s definitely more coming.

Now, back to the question about learning systems — what I’ve found is that systems really vary depending on the type of agency you’re running.

For example, in my agency, I already had a pretty clear idea of the systems I wanted to put in place.

But if you're just starting out, I’d say one of the best tools to learn is Zapier.

It's a tool that helps you automate tasks across different platforms.

To put it simply, Zapier lets you tell your software: “When this happens, do that.”

For example, if you ask me a question, Zapier could automatically turn that into a prompt I later feed into ChatGPT.

That’s what they call a hook in Zapier.

It’s like setting up a chain reaction — once one thing happens, the rest follows without you needing to do anything manually.

But let me be honest — it’s not the easiest tool to understand just from watching one video or hearing about it in an interview like this.

If you’re new to it, I’d definitely suggest heading over to YouTube and typing in “Zapier tutorial.”

Watch a few beginner-friendly videos, and you'll start to get the hang of it.

The second tip I’d give is to just use some common sense when thinking about what parts of your agency you can improve or automate.

For example, I run a video editing agency.

So I asked myself: “What am I doing over and over that someone else — or something else — could do instead?”

At first, I was editing all the videos myself.

So the logical step was to hire someone.

Boom — that’s a system right there: hiring a person to handle that repetitive task.

Then we started looking for ways to simplify things even more.

Like, if clients are sending us files, can we make that process smoother?

The answer was yes.

We set up a system using Zapier where, whenever a client uploads a video file into a shared Google Drive folder, our team gets an instant notification.

That means no one has to check manually or wait for an email — it just happens.

That’s another solid system.

Final Thoughts for New Agency Owners

Tin: It can be a little tricky to think this way when you're just starting out, and I totally get that.

But I’d suggest starting with YouTube — just immerse yourself in content about automations and agency workflows.

As for books, while I’ve read plenty on general business and entrepreneurship, I haven’t come across one that’s a “universal guide” to building systems.

Mostly because every agency is different — what works for mine might not fit someone else’s at all.

But if you want a content creator recommendation, I’d say check out Iman Gadzhi.

He talks a lot about agencies.

He’s more general these days, but his earlier material and his course have great insights, especially for agency owners who are just getting started.

Vova: Awesome, man. Really helpful stuff.

-: Gentle Reminder :-

Mention my Name, Vova Even, and Get a Great Discount from Tin

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Conclusion

And that’s the full picture.

If you’ve been hearing the word “systems” tossed around but never really knew what it meant, I hope this clears things up.

Tin did a great job breaking it down into real-life examples — from SOPs to tools like Zapier — and showing how small steps can make a big difference in how your business runs.

You don’t need to figure it all out at once.

Start with one thing that keeps taking up your time, and ask yourself, “Can someone else do this? Or can a tool help?”

That’s where the shift begins.

Thanks for reading — I hope this gave you a few ideas you can use right away.