When BIOptimizers decided to prioritize systems in their growing supplement business, they faced challenges familiar to many health industry companies: transitioning from entrepreneurial chaos to structured growth. With a fully remote team and ambitious expansion goals, the stakes were high for getting their systems approach right.
The Initial Challenge: Documentation Takes a Back Seat
In the early days, BIOptimizers operated like many scaling businesses in the supplement industry. With approximately 40 team members, they lacked documented processes for critical operations and relied heavily on single-person dependencies. Their fully remote structure made communication inconsistent, while team members often resisted documentation.
“In a growing company, everyone’s got very high priorities, there’s always something urgent to work on. So documenting systems definitely falls to the side,” explains Hayley Santos, who joined BIOptimizers as their Systems Champion.
Creative departments particularly worried that implementing systems would restrict their innovative capabilities, creating additional resistance to the systems approach.
The Strategic Decision: Hiring a Dedicated Systems Champion
The turning point came when BIOptimizers’ leadership recognized the need for systems. “It started with our business owner identifying a need of, ‘Ok, I keep hearing about systems, we need them.’ And then our CEO actually read SYSTEMology and said we need a Systems Champion,” Hayley explains.
Rather than assigning systems responsibilities to an already busy team member, they created a specialized role. They sought someone with natural systems orientation rather than extensive systems experience. This approach allowed them to bring in someone with fresh eyes who could objectively evaluate their processes.
Methodical Implementation: Creating a Systems-Driven Culture
Hayley’s transformation of BIOptimizers began with SYSTEMology as her foundation:
- Starting with the Critical Client Flow to identify potential breaking points
- Documenting processes for single-person dependencies first
- Developing a communication system for the remote team
- Creating a centralized digital library for all documented processes
- Working with creative teams to implement templates that enhanced rather than restricted innovation
Measurable Impact: Systems Driving Growth
Rapid Team Expansion
The company grew from approximately 40 team members to about 150 in just two and a half years, nearly 4x growth supported by scalable systems. This dramatic scaling would not have been possible without proper systems in place to support the onboarding and integration of new team members.
Remote Operations Excellence
“Having everything documented very well, really helps our team be able to lean on one another when something is going on,” notes Hayley about their remote operations. Their communication system ensured “everything is already documented. It’s very simple. It’s all online, it’s all in one library.”
Technology Integration Success
With solid systems serving as their foundation, BIOptimizers successfully implemented two new software platforms across the organization. “We’ve helped our company scale two softwares, adopt those softwares, train the team on softwares, all because of SYSTEMology,” Hayley explains. This technological advancement further enhanced their operational capabilities.
Insights for Supplement Industry Leaders
BIOptimizers’ journey offers valuable lessons for supplement businesses looking to scale efficiently:
- Invest in Systems Early: “I think once you hit 20 people, start looking for a dedicated Systems person who can really be there from the ground up with the team”
- Choose the Right Champion: Look for someone with natural systems orientation and quick learning ability rather than industry experience
- Address Fear Directly: “There were a lot of people who felt maybe a little bit uncomfortable with someone starting to shine some light on exactly what they were doing”
- Create a Centralized Repository: Store all systems documentation in one accessible location for your remote team
- Balance Structure and Innovation: Help creative teams understand that “systems and creativity can go hand-in-hand”
Today, BIOptimizers has expanded their systems team to four dedicated Champions, with department-specific specialists throughout the organization.
“We’ve helped our company scale two softwares, adopt those softwares, train the team on softwares, all because of SYSTEMology,” Hayley shares. What started as a 40-person operation has evolved into a well-structured team of approximately 150, capable of delivering consistent, high-quality health products.
Unlock the Systems Champion Secret
What if one specialized role could fuel your business growth? BIOptimizers’ journey reveals how a Systems Champion was the catalyst for their remarkable expansion. Ready to discover this game-changing role?
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