Get the process out of your head and into a system.
SOP and systems consultant for small and midsize companies. We document your processes, simplify them, and hand them to your team in a form they'll use.
Two exits. One company taken public.
An SOP consultant documents how work gets done, removes the steps that shouldn't exist, and hands the process to your team in a form they'll actually use. Lockhold builds the system around the SOP, so the process holds up without you.
$0 to exit
bootstrapped, then sold in a seven-figure deal
In a heavily regulated market, every production run had to follow the written process. When the company sold, its value came down to whether it ran on systems and numbers that held up, not on one person’s memory.
What we build
- Process maps: how the work really moves today, and where it gets stuck.
- SOPs people use: short, plain, and kept where the work happens.
- Systems around them: checklists, automations, and owners, so steps don't get skipped.
- Handoff: your team trained, and you out of the loop.
Free SOP template
A one-page SOP template for Word and Google Docs, with a short how-to page and a filled example.
- One page per task: purpose, trigger, steps, who, tools, and what “done” looks like.
- Built-in upkeep: an owner, a review date, and a change log.
- A worked example: a customer refund request, filled in.
- Plus the one-page guide: How to document a business so someone else can run it, ready to print or share.
Here's your SOP template.
Plus the one-page guide: download the PDF.
Check your inbox and click Confirm. Then we’ll email you a copy, and you’ll get our monthly operator note.
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How engagements work
- Set scope. In writing, before work starts.
- Fixed price. No open-ended hourly billing.
- Run until done. Finished when your team runs it without you.
Who's behind it
Joe, founder. He started his first company at 24 with no investors, built it on cash flow, and sold it in a seven-figure deal. He has raised over $30M from investors, built a team of 50+, run contract manufacturing for other brands, and helped take a company from an idea to a public listing. Products he built reached 50,000+ U.S. stores and 26 countries.
Ro runs the client experience. No handoffs: the people you meet are the people who do the work. Meet the team.
Guides for this work
How to write an SOP your team actually uses
What an SOP is, how to write one step by step, real examples, and how to get your team to follow it.
Read the guide Guide
Process mapping for small business
What to map first, how to map one process on one page, a worked example, and what to fix before you automate.
Read the guide Guide
How to document a business so someone else can run it
What to write down, how to do it one process at a time, where it lives, and what good looks like.
Read the guideThe Blueprint
Three full days at your business, working with you and the people who run each area. On the last day we lay out what’s broken, what it costs, and the order to fix it. You get a written plan within a week. From $7,500, travel included. Monthly support is quoted after, once we both know the work.
- 3 full days on site (U.S.)
- Travel included
- Written plan within a week
- From $7,500
Questions about systems and SOPs
What is an SOP consultant?
Someone who documents a business's standard operating procedures, simplifies them, and hands them to the team.
How do you document business processes?
Watch how the work is actually done, write the steps plainly, cut what doesn't need to exist, and test it with the people who'll use it.
Will my team actually use the SOPs?
That's the point of building them with your team and keeping them short. If an SOP isn't used, it isn't done.
What is an SOP?
An SOP is a written, step-by-step description of how a recurring task is done, so anyone trained on it can do it the same way. Good SOPs are short and kept where the work happens.
How do I create an SOP?
Watch the task being done, write each step plainly and in order, and test it with someone who hasn't done it before. Then cut anything unclear or unnecessary, name an owner, and store it where the work happens. Our guide, how to write an SOP your team actually uses, walks through it step by step.
Why are SOPs important?
SOPs let work get done the same way no matter who does it, which cuts mistakes and stops the business depending on one person. They also make training faster and make a business easier to hand off.
What should be included in an SOP?
A clear title and purpose, who owns it, when it applies, the steps in order, and what “done” looks like. Add links to the tools or templates it uses, and the date it was last reviewed.
What's the difference between an SOP and an operations manual?
An SOP covers one task; an operations manual collects how the whole business runs, including roles, policies, and the SOPs themselves. Most small businesses get more from a handful of good SOPs first.
Which process lives only in your head?
A few lines is enough. If it's a fit, we'll come back with a scope.
Scope your project