Writing Down How Your Business Runs

Understanding Brain-Dumping and SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, are the written instructions for how your event planning business handles repeatable work. They help your team deliver a consistent client experience whether you are planning a wedding, a corporate conference, a nonprofit gala, or a private party. An SOP should let a trained new coordinator complete a task correctly without needing you beside them.

A useful target is for a new team member to complete about 80% of a routine task on their first attempt by following the instructions. For example, your assistant should be able to send a final venue information request, update the event timeline, or prepare a vendor confirmation email without guessing what you normally do.

The Importance of Brain-Dumping

Brain-dumping means moving the knowledge in your head into a format another person can use. Event planners often carry hundreds of small decisions in memory: when to confirm dietary needs, how to compare venue load-in rules, which vendors need certificates of insurance, and what to check before sending a floor plan.

If that knowledge stays in your head, every event depends on your availability. You become the only person who knows how to solve a seating change, chase a late rental delivery, or prepare the final client packet. That limits the number of events you can accept and makes time away from the business stressful.

Real-World Example: Suppose you always review a wedding timeline by checking ceremony access, photo timing, meal service, speeches, transportation, and vendor strike time. Record that review once. Your lead coordinator can then use the same checklist for every wedding instead of asking you to review every draft.

Creating Effective SOPs

Use three parts when documenting each process:

1. Why: Explain why the task matters. This gives the team context. For example, collecting final guest counts on time protects the catering order and prevents avoidable rush charges.
2. What: List the exact steps in the order they should happen. Include the tool used, the person responsible, the deadline, and any message or template required.
3. Outcome: Define what finished work looks like. A successful vendor confirmation might include the event date, arrival time, location, contact person, balance status, access instructions, and written confirmation saved in the event folder.

Keep the instructions practical. Instead of writing “coordinate with the caterer,” write “seven days before the event, email the caterer the approved guest count, meal selections, service schedule, kitchen access notes, and final invoice status. Save the reply in the vendor folder.”

Organizing Your SOPs

Store all procedures in one searchable SOP library. A folder structure in Google Drive, Notion, or another shared workspace can work well. Organize it by business stage, such as Inquiry and Sales, Client Onboarding, Event Design, Vendor Management, Event Day, and Closeout.

Use clear names such as “Wedding Final Timeline Review,” “Corporate Event Vendor Confirmation,” or “Event-Day Emergency Contact Process.” Add the owner, last review date, and related templates. A coordinator should not have to search through old event folders to find the current process.

The Loom-First Approach

For hands-on event work, showing the process is often faster than writing every detail first. Use Loom or a similar recorder to capture yourself building a timeline, creating a client proposal, setting up a venue floor plan, or updating a production schedule. Talk through what you are checking and why.

A short recording can show details that written instructions miss, such as where to click in your CRM, how to label a rental order, or how to compare the venue diagram with the guest seating plan. Have a team member turn the recording into a short written checklist, then link the video inside the SOP.

Building a Culture of Self-Reliance

Teach your team to check the SOP library before asking a process question. This is not about refusing help. It is about making the answer consistent and improving the system when a question comes up repeatedly.

When a coordinator asks how to prepare a vendor packet, respond with, “Please check the Vendor Packet SOP first, then tell me which step is unclear.” If the instructions are missing or outdated, update them immediately. Ask the team to suggest improvements after each event while details are fresh.

When your event business has clear procedures, you can train coordinators faster, reduce missed details, and take on more events without personally controlling every task.