Without well-de- signed and successful operating systems, your business will be labor intensive. Once you have well-designed and successful operating systems, you will have a saleable busi- ness asset. typical Systems In the next section is a list of typical systems that success- ful businesses must have. In some instances, the system re- quired might be defined differendy from the way it is listed, but it is still necessary to the business operations. (For instance, "Product Development Systems" might be "Procedures for Providing Services" in a service organiza- tion. While the specifics may differ, the basic elements are the same. Both of these require the business to develop the product [or service] that it will ultimately offer to its customers.) In the case of franchises and network marketing organiza- tions, many of these systems are automatically provided. For the cost of the franchise or membership fee of the network marketing organization, you will be given an 356 Rich Dad's Guide to Investing operations manual that describes the systems provided for your business. This is what makes these "ready-made" businesses so attractive to many people. If you want to build your own business, review the list of systems. Although you are already performing many of these functions, you may not have defined them as sepa- rate systems. The more you can formalize your operations, the more efficient your business will become. Systems Required by Every Business for Optimal Efficiency Daily Office Operations Systems: • Answering the telephone and 800 line system • Receiving and opening the mail • Purchasing and maintaining office supplies and equip- ment • Faxing and e-mailing • Dealing with incoming/outgoing delivery needs • Backing up and archiving data Product Development Systems: • Developing product and protecting it legally • Developing packaging and collateral material (e.g., catalogs, etc.