My company is moving fast, which has given me the energy to keep up. I've seen what we're capable of and how quickly we can make things happen, and it makes me want to do more.

Over the years, I have realized that most of this PROGRESS it comes down to implementing effective systems that have gotten us to where we are today.

Creating and streamlining these processes allows us to continue to progress and improve as an organization. This can have a huge impact on any business and without systems in place, progress can be fleeting and temporary.

Systems implementation is essential for any company, especially for startups. The reward is great, but you have to work to find it rationalize them in the first place. This begins and ends with the creation of self-improving systems, the containment of failure and the effective use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Related: How to keep pace with a fast-growing business

Building self-improving systems

Creating self-improving systems is a big part of business growth. What does self-improvement mean? It means that part of the system includes feedback on how it works. Systems are not meant to be static and should be improved over time as your company grows.

For example, every time we do a three-year business review at my company, Wistia, we reflect on how the last meeting went and improve the next meeting based on those suggestions. Small changes can change things for the better, making tasks faster, easier and more impactful. Think: Try > Fail > Reflect > Improve. With everything you do.

As you implement self-improving systems in your organization, keep these tips in mind:

1. Reflect CONTINUALLY. Discussions should always revolve around how processes can be improved. Organizing breakout sessions to discuss reflections/agreements or even conducting surveys are great ways to gather insights.
2. Establish clear ownership of who owns which parts of the system and hold them accountable for improving it.
3. Use your data. without datait is difficult to make informed decisions. Data from your systems will help you understand if something is improving and if you are achieving the desired results.

This constant focus on self-improvement will inevitably help your company grow and keep your systems stable as you scale.

Related: 4 tips to help your business manage rapid growth before it's too late

The art of handling failure

I have one get hot about failure: it is often a sign that something is going well. Failure also means that we are free to create, we are moving fast and we will find the right path faster. Because of this, we strive to inspire a failure-positive culture at Wistia that doesn't unfairly penalize failure and where teams feel empowered to take chances and push the boundaries.

To reach a point where you completely can embrace failure as an engine for progress, you need to have systems in place that can support failure. In my opinion, if you can't handle a few failures, you might actually be at risk.

i understand I've been in a place before where you think you need everything to work. But this can greatly reduce your risk-taking and you will miss out on opportunities that could provide the greatest and most positive benefit.

When deploying systems that can withstand failure, it is important that:

1. Set achievable goals in the short term and achieve goals for the long term.
2. Stay focused.
3. Continually share learnings and takeaways across the organization.
4. Accept that small failures are a sign that you are moving fast enough.

Related: I grew my company from $20K to millions by focusing on instincts, not investors

Using AI effectively

Whether you're an AI “doomsday” or an AI “optimist,” there's no denying that we've entered a reality where tasks are faster and easier. As AI continues to take on more repetitive processes and streamline productivity in our daily life, everything will become faster and easier.

The same applies to systems in business. When it comes to organization-wide systems in particular, AI can help:

1. Summarize recorded meetings and provide useful notes/transcripts.
2. Quickly distill data. Today's businesses often have more data than they know what to do with.
3. Accelerate the process of self-learning and self-improvement.
4. Ultimately, we need to dramatically change how quickly we make decisions. This will help the processes become more efficient over time, achieving better results and ultimately a higher success rate.

At the end of the day, entrepreneurs often focus on finding shortcuts in a fast-moving environment. It's easy to fall into this mindset and turn to quick “fixes” like team adjustments, reorganizations, and new goals. I've been there. But this approach does nothing for the longevity of the business.

Working to create sustainable systems that are smart, self-improving, and sustainable is critical to scaling any company. My parting tips? Don't let the short-term frenzy distract you from how far effective and sustainable systems can take you over time.