SOP template for a small business: how to write one in an hour

An SOP, or standard operating procedure, is a checklist for a job you repeat. It lets anyone, including you on a bad day, do the job the same way every time.

Why a small business needs SOPs

In a small business, how things are done often lives in one person's head. That works until they are ill, on holiday or too busy. Then the invoice goes out late, or a new client gets a different welcome than the last.

SOPs also make it possible to hand work to someone else, or to an AI tool. You cannot delegate what you have never written down.

Which processes to document first

Do not try to document everything. Start with three.

• The job you repeat most often.
• The job that costs the most when it goes wrong.
• The job only you know how to do.

For many service businesses those are client onboarding, sending invoices and answering common customer questions.

The SOP template

Copy these parts into a document. Keep it to one page.

1. Task. A short name, such as "Onboard a new client".
2. When. What starts it. "After the deposit is paid."
3. Who. The person or role responsible.
4. What you need. Logins, templates, files.
5. Steps. Numbered, one action per step.
6. Done looks like. How you know it is finished.
7. Last updated. A date, so you know if it is stale.

An example

When: After the deposit is paid.

Who: Account owner.

You need: The welcome email template, the project folder template, the kickoff call link.

Steps:

1. Copy the project folder template and name it after the client.
2. Send the welcome email, with the kickoff call link.
3. Add the client and their payment terms to the client list.
4. Book the kickoff call within five working days.
5. After the call, write the agreed scope into the project folder.

Done looks like: Folder created, welcome sent, call held, scope written.

Last updated: 14 October 2026.

How to write one in an hour

1. Do the task once and write each step as you go. Writing from memory skips steps.
2. Use plain, short steps. One action per line. Start each line with a verb.
3. Link to the tools and templates. Do not describe a template. Link to it.
4. Test it. Ask someone else to follow it, or follow it yourself next time without memory. Fix every place you got stuck.

Keep SOPs alive

An outdated SOP is worse than none, because people trust it. Put a date on each one and review them every few months. When something goes wrong, fix the SOP, not just the problem.

Keep them all in one place everyone can find. Your SOPs, your prices, your voice and your decisions together are what we call a second brain for your business. If AI tools help with the work, the same pages are the context they need to get it right.

Nive is being built around that idea: you write down how you work once, and every job follows it. Join the waitlist to get the demo first.