The First Five (Copy)

The First Five

The 5 systems I set up first in every company, and how to set them up in yours in under 20 minutes each

Good systems give you your time back, and they make your team better at their jobs.

The 5 systems
  1. 1The One-Page Standard
  2. 2The Weekly Scoreboard
  3. 3The 1-3-1
  4. 4The Operating Rhythm
  5. 5The Ownership Line

BEFORE YOU PAID FOR THIS, every problem in your company had the same address.

YOURS.

This guide gives you five systems that move work off your desk for good. Each one takes less than twenty minutes to set up, and together they make your company run without you being the answer to every question. You won’t need an MBA to use any of them.

Summer
Why this works

Who I am & why you should listen

I’m Summer. I spent 15 years running an explainer video production company where every decision and every fire came back to me.

Now my husband and I own home improvement companies in San Diego. It’s a different industry, and it had the same chaos until I stepped in and stopped winging it.

I took what I learned from the best operating system coaching programs, cut out the consultant-speak, and kept the parts a small team can actually set up in an afternoon.

This guide is those systems. I wish I’d had them when I started my first business, and I set them up first in every company we start or buy.

Start here

Your starting point

If you took the quiz, tap the first move it gave you. Your five weeks will start with that system and follow the guide’s order after it. If you didn’t take the quiz, you’ll start with System 1.

Your order

    Haven’t taken it yet? Take the 3-minute quiz and come back here.

    How this guide works

    Every system follows the same five parts, so you always know where you are:

    1. 1The SystemWhat it is and why it works
    2. 2Where It Came FromThe story behind it
    3. 3Your WorksheetFill it in right here. It saves as you type.
    4. 4The MessageThe exact words to send your team, with a copy button
    5. 5You’re Done WhenHow you’ll know it’s working
    Overview

    The five at a glance

    01

    The One-Page Standard

    Your team can’t hit a standard that lives in your head.

    The system

    Pick one recurring piece of work that keeps disappointing you, and write one page on what good looks like.

    Keep it to one task and one page. A manual or a training deck can come later, if ever. The goal is to get the standard out of your head and onto something your team can read.

    If I’ve corrected the same thing three times, the problem stopped being the person two corrections ago.

    Where it came from

    In my production company, I kept re-editing the same videos with the same notes, week after week. My team was talented, but what I wanted lived only in my head.

    The day I wrote it down, my corrections dropped by half, and by the second week they’d almost stopped.

    Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

    The One-Page Standard

    Copy, edit, send

    Team message

    How to share your standard
    1. Tap Copy my worksheet above.
    2. Paste it into a Google Doc, a Notion page, or your shared drive.
    3. Copy that doc’s link and paste it into the message below, where it says to.
    Subject:New standard for [what it’s for]

    Hey team,

    I wrote up what good looks like for [what it’s for]. It’s one page and should take about five minutes to read.

    If something doesn’t make sense or doesn’t match how the work really goes, tell me. I’d rather fix it now than have it sit in a folder.

    Starting next week, this is what we’re measuring against.

    Link: [paste the link to your One-Page Standard]

    Thanks,
    [Your name]

    You’re done when...

    Someone who actually does the work reads it and tells you it’s clear.

    Writing it and sending it are the first steps. It counts once the person doing the work says, “Yeah, that’s clear.”

    02

    The Weekly Scoreboard

    If you’re not keeping score, you’re guessing, and so is your team.

    The system

    A weekly scoreboard is 5 to 7 numbers your team goes over together every week.

    Keep it to one page with the few numbers that tell you if you’re on track. A dashboard with 47 tabs won’t get opened, and this one needs to get opened every single week.

    We’d been flying blind, and seven numbers on one sheet fixed it.

    Where it came from

    For a long time, I was the only person in one of my companies who knew if we’d had a good week. I could feel it in my stomach before I could see it anywhere, and my team found out we were behind right about when I started acting stressed.

    That’s a terrible way to run a company, and it made every problem mine by default.

    Then we put seven numbers on a shared sheet and started going over them together every Monday. A few weeks in, our booking number dipped and my office manager flagged it in the meeting before I’d even opened the sheet.

    That was the first time the company noticed a problem before I felt it.

    Examples

    Numbers to steal

    Pick the ones that fit your business and swap in your own. The best ones warn you early, before a bad month is already locked in.

    Agency
    1. New leads
    2. Discovery calls booked
    3. Proposals sent
    4. Projects delivered on time
    5. Hours over budget
    6. Cash collected
    Coach
    1. New leads
    2. Sales calls booked
    3. Sales calls closed
    4. Active clients
    5. Client check-ins done
    6. Cash collected
    Home services
    1. New leads
    2. Jobs booked
    3. Close rate
    4. Average job size
    5. Jobs finished on schedule
    6. Money still owed to you
    Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

    Weekly Scoreboard

    Use 5 to 7 numbers and leave the extra rows blank if you don’t need them.

    #NumberWhat it tells usOwnerGoal
    Copy, edit, send

    Team message

    Subject:Weekly scoreboard, starting this week

    Hey team,

    Starting this week, we’re tracking [5–7] numbers in one place. The scoreboard is attached.

    Each number has one owner. If your name is next to a number, you’re responsible for updating it before our weekly meeting.

    We’ll go over it together every [day/time]. It takes about five minutes, and it means we’re all looking at the same picture.

    Our first review is [date], so please have your numbers in by then.

    Thanks,
    [Your name]

    You’re done when...

    The scoreboard exists, every number has one owner, and your team has gone over it together in at least one weekly meeting.

    Building it and sharing it get you close. It counts once you’ve reviewed it as a team.

    A team meeting reviewing the weekly scoreboard on a screen
    03

    The 1-3-1

    Your team can solve more than you think, once you stop solving it for them.

    The system

    Nobody brings you a problem by itself. They bring:

    1
    problem
    3
    options
    1
    recommendation

    If someone brings you a problem without options, send them back to finish it. You’re teaching them to think past the problem, and that’s how they build the confidence to solve it themselves.

    The first few times, it’s fine if someone has two options and needs help finding the third. What they can’t do anymore is bring you the problem on its own.

    A good decision they own beats a great decision you own.

    Credit where it’s due: this comes from Blair Singer, and versions of it show up everywhere from Dan Martell to EOS to the military. I didn’t invent it, and I won’t run a company without it.

    Where it came from

    For years, the text I dreaded most was “Got a few minutes?” It always meant someone had a problem and wanted me to solve it, and I always did.

    When I learned the 1-3-1, I brought it to our next team meeting and told everyone this is how they’d bring problems to me from now on. I also told them I was confident they already knew how to solve most of them. It took a few tries for each person.

    About a month or two later, I noticed they’d stopped using it with me at all. They’d mention in our meeting that something had come up, and that it was already handled.

    I didn’t miss those “Got a few minutes?” texts one bit.

    Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

    Practice one yourself

    Use a problem that’s on your plate right now. Doing one first makes it easier to teach.

    1 3
    1
    Copy, edit, send

    Team message

    Subject:New rule for bringing me problems

    Hey team,

    Starting today, when you bring me a problem, bring three options and the one you’d pick.

    1 – the problem
    3 – possible solutions
    1 – your recommendation

    I trust you to think these through, and most of the time I’m going to say yes to your recommendation. This should make decisions faster and keep them closer to the people doing the work.

    If you’re stuck and only have two options, bring those and we’ll find the third together. Just don’t bring me the problem on its own.

    Thanks,
    [Your name]

    You’re done when...

    Someone brings you a full 1-3-1 without a reminder, and you say yes to their pick instead of swapping in your own.

    Explaining it is the start. It’s installed the day they use it without you asking.

    04

    The Operating Rhythm

    Companies without a rhythm run on adrenaline, and it’s usually yours.

    Short on time? Do this.

    This is the longest chapter, but the install is small.

    1. Put a weekly meeting on the calendar, same day and time every week. Plan for 45 to 90 minutes.
    2. Send the team message below.
    3. Run the weekly agenda two weeks in a row, exactly as written.

    That’s the whole install. Read the rest when you have time.

    Jump to the weekly agenda ↓
    The system

    Most small companies run on texts, quick calls, and emergencies. The Operating Rhythm replaces that with one weekly meeting, run the same way every time.

    The weekly is what you install this week. Once it’s been running for a month or so, you’ll add a quarterly meeting and an annual one. They’re near the end of this guide under When you’re ready, so this chapter stays a 20-minute install.

    Setting it up takes about 20 minutes. The meeting itself runs 45 to 90 minutes, depending on your business. Expect the first few to run long, because there’s a backlog of issues to get through. They get shorter as your team gets faster at solving things.

    The annual sets one goal for the year. The quarterly picks your rocks, which are the three most important results for the next 90 days. The weekly is where those rocks get moved forward.

    If it doesn’t have an owner and a done-when, it’s still a topic, and you haven’t made a decision yet.

    Credit where it’s due: the meeting rhythm, rocks, and the scoreboard all come from EOS, the system Gino Wickman laid out in his book Traction. We had the privilege of working with Gino and his team, and it opened my eyes to what systems like these can do for a company. I simplified them for small teams.

    Where it came from

    We used to set goals in January and forget them by March. There was no regular moment where the team looked at the numbers together and talked about whether we were on track, what was in the way, and what we’d do about it. So the goals turned into wishes, and the company ran on whatever felt urgent that week.

    The first time I set up a real rhythm, nothing changed right away. About six weeks in, one of our team leads brought up our quarterly goal in a Monday meeting without anyone prompting her. She said, “That doesn’t move the rock, so I’m not doing it this week.”

    That’s when I knew direction had moved out of my head and into the company.

    Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

    Your Weekly Meeting

    The agenda
    1
    ScoreboardGo over the numbers and flag anything that’s off track.
    2
    Rock checkGive each quarterly rock a green, yellow, or red. Save the stories for stuck items.
    3
    Stuck itemsIssues, challenges, and opportunities. Work through each one until it has a clear next step and one owner.
    4
    Decisions and ownersEvery decision leaves the meeting with one owner and a done-when.
    5
    End on time45 to 90 minutes. If something runs long, give it its own conversation.
    45–90 minEvery weekWhole team, in person or on video
    Copy, edit, send

    Team message

    Subject:Our new weekly meeting

    Hey team,

    Starting [date], we’re meeting every [day] at [time] for 45 to 90 minutes, at [room or video link]. The first few may run long while we work through the backlog.

    We’ll run the same agenda every week: scoreboard, rocks, stuck items, and decisions. I’ll send the agenda 24 hours ahead, so please come with your scoreboard numbers updated.

    This replaces the random check-ins and scattered texts. If something can’t wait for the meeting, bring it to me as a 1-3-1.

    Thanks,
    [Your name]

    You’re done when...

    The weekly is on the calendar on repeat, and you’ve run it twice exactly as written.

    Two real meetings, run as written, is the finish line.

    05

    The Ownership Line

    Each person gets one result that has to be true because they work here.

    The system

    Every person gets one sentence that names the result they own.

    Their tasks and their title can change. The ownership line names the thing that must always be true because they’re on the team.

    Format

    [Name] owns that [the result that must always be true].

    Examples
    Sarah owns that every job is scheduled and confirmed, and the customer always knows who’s showing up.
    Priya owns that every client gets a weekly update by Friday at noon without having to ask for it.
    Dana owns that every invoice goes out within 24 hours of the work being done, and gets followed up until it’s paid.
    Where it came from

    A customer issue came up in a team meeting, and it ended with two managers saying, “We’ll handle it.” Something got lost with the customer anyway.

    When I asked what happened, the fingers came out. “I thought she was...” “He was supposed to...” Two people had said yes, and nobody owned it.

    Now any number of people can work on a problem, but one person owns that it gets solved. If it goes wrong, there’s one person to answer for it, and they know that going in.

    Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

    Your team’s ownership lines

    Write one for each person. Make it something you could check. If you can’t tell whether it was true this week, rewrite it.

    Copy, edit, send

    Message to each person

    Subject:Your ownership line

    Hey [name],

    I’ve been thinking about what you really own here. I mean the result that has to be true because you’re on this team, separate from your task list or your title.

    This is what I came up with:

    [Name] owns that [result].

    Does that feel right? If something’s off or missing, tell me. I want it to be something you’d say about yourself.

    Once we lock it in, it’s the thing we both point to. If it’s true, you’re winning, and if it isn’t, we’ll figure out why together.

    Thanks,
    [Your name]

    You’re done when...

    Everyone can say their ownership line from memory, and you send problems to the right person instead of taking them on yourself.

    It’s installed the day someone says theirs without looking it up, and you stop being the default.

    Installation plan

    Your next five weeks

    Set up one system a week in the order below, and come back here whenever something slips.

    0 of 5 installed
      All five are in.
      Nice work.
      When you’re ready

      The quarterly and the annual

      Add these once your weekly has been running for a month or so.

      The annual feeds the quarterly, and the quarterly feeds the weekly. Each one runs the same way every time, so you stop managing by interruption.

      MeetingHow oftenHow long
      AnnualOnce a yearHalf to full day
      Quarterly4 times a yearHalf day
      WeeklyEvery week45–90 min
      The template

      Quarterly Meeting

      Prep, sent 48 hours before
      Each person brings
      • 3 wins from the quarter and what created each one
      • 3 misses and the real reason behind each
      • A snapshot of their scoreboard numbers
      • 1 or 2 proposed rocks for next quarter, each with an owner
      First half
      1
      Go-around · 30 minEach person shares one win, who made it happen, and what’s repeatable. Then report on last quarter’s rocks.
      2
      Scoreboard review · 40 minCompare the numbers to the annual goal and mark each one green, yellow, or red. Gaps go on the issues list.
      3
      Constraint questions · 20 minEveryone writes their answers before anyone talks.
      • What was the #1 thing holding us back last quarter?
      • What moved it, and what felt productive but didn’t?
      • If we could only win one thing in the next 90 days, what would matter most?
      Second half
      4
      Set the three rocks · 60 minA rock is a result with a clear finish line. Each one has to go after the constraint you named, be measurable, have one owner with real authority, and be worth saying no to other things for.
      5
      Personal rocks · 15 minEach person picks 1 to 3 personal rocks that push a company rock forward. If it doesn’t move a company rock, it isn’t a rock.
      6
      Issues list · 60–90 minEvery gap, problem, and disagreement goes here. Pick the top five by impact, name the real issue, and solve it with a 1-3-1. Each issue leaves with an action and an owner, and anything unsolved moves to the weekly.
      7
      Commitments and close · 20 minRecap the three rocks and their owners. Go through every action item with a name and a deadline, and confirm what you’re going to stop doing. Have everyone rate the meeting from 1 to 10, then put the next quarterly on the calendar before anyone leaves.
      Half day4 times a yearLeadership and key people
      Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type

      This quarter’s three rocks

      owner
      owner
      owner
      The template

      Annual Meeting

      1
      Score the yearWhat worked, what didn’t, and what surprised you.
      2
      One annual goalThe single number or result that defines next year.
      3
      First-quarter rocksThree results for the first 90 days.
      4
      Issues and opportunitiesList every one you can think of and go through them one at a time. Don’t move on until each one has a next step and one owner.
      5
      Action itemsMake sure every action has one owner and is due by the next meeting.
      6
      Recap and next meetingEveryone shares a takeaway and how they’ll help. Set the date for the next meeting and confirm the weekly is on the calendar.
      Half to full dayOnce a year
      Your worksheetSaves on this device as you type