Jason Jannati has seen something that should disturb every entrepreneur:
"I see a lot of people and their business is the worst part of their life."
Read that again. Not the most challenging part. Not the most demanding part. The worst part.
The thing they built to create freedom has become their prison. The venture that was supposed to provide financial security causes constant anxiety. The dream that began with passion has devolved into dread.
How does this happen? And more importantly, how do you prevent it?
The answer lies in something deceptively simple: a playbook approach to your core processes.
The 80/20 of Business Operations
When Jason talks about process documentation, he cuts through the noise with brutal clarity:
"That's the 20% of the steps that drive 80% of the results."
Not every step. Not every possible scenario. Not the comprehensive encyclopedia of everything that could possibly happen in your business.
The critical few steps that actually drive outcomes.
"That playbook, those 5 steps that when we're assessing a property, when we're selling a property, what are the things we gotta do every time the best way to do it to our standards?"
Five steps. Not fifty. Not five hundred.
The Pareto Principle applied ruthlessly to operations: identify the vital few actions that produce the majority of results, document them clearly, and execute them consistently.
Why Five Steps?
There's profound wisdom in the simplicity of five steps.
It's memorable. Try to remember a 47-step process. Now try to remember a 5-step process. Which one actually gets followed?
It's trainable. You can teach someone five steps in a single conversation. A 30-page manual requires hours of study that probably won't happen.
It's executable. In the heat of the moment—when you're busy, stressed, or dealing with the tenth issue of the day—you can still remember and follow five steps.
It forces prioritization. If you can only document five steps, you have to identify what truly matters. This clarity is valuable in itself.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Let's apply this to real business scenarios:
Assessing a Property (Real Estate)
- Run comparable sales analysis (determine market value)
- Calculate all-in costs (purchase + repairs + carrying costs)
- Project realistic income (conservative rent estimates)
- Model three exit scenarios (sell, refinance, hold)
- Apply investment criteria decision filter (does it meet our standards?)
Selling a Property
- Prepare property presentation package (photos, financials, story)
- Determine pricing strategy based on market conditions
- Qualify potential buyers (financial capacity, timeline, intent)
- Negotiate from position of strength (know your walk-away point)
- Execute closing checklist (ensure smooth transaction)
Onboarding a New Client (Service Business)
- Conduct discovery call (understand needs, set expectations)
- Send proposal with clear scope and terms
- Complete intake process (gather all necessary information)
- Schedule kickoff meeting (align on deliverables and timeline)
- Assign dedicated point of contact (clear accountability)
Notice what these playbooks have in common: they're specific enough to guide action but simple enough to remember and follow.
The Standard Question
Jason frames the playbook around a critical question:
"What are the things we gotta do every time the best way to do it to our standards?"
Three key elements in that question:
1. Every time Consistency. Not "when we remember" or "if we have time" or "unless we're busy." Every single time.
2. The best way Not just any way. Not the easiest way or the fastest way. The way that produces the best results.
3. To our standards Your standards. Not industry average. Not "good enough." The level of quality that defines your business and reputation.
This is where most businesses fail. They might have informal processes ("this is generally how we do it"), but they lack the rigor of documented standards that are followed without exception.
When Your Business Becomes the Worst Part of Your Life
So why does the absence of these simple playbooks lead to businesses becoming "the worst part of your life"?
Chaos creates constant anxiety
When every situation is handled differently, you can never relax. You don't know what quality your team will deliver. You don't know if basic things will get done right. Your business runs on hope instead of systems.
You become the bottleneck
Without documented processes, all knowledge lives in your head. Every decision needs to run through you. You can never take a vacation. You can never unplug. You're trapped.
Inconsistency damages relationships
Clients get different experiences depending on who serves them or when they interact with you. Some have great experiences; others are disappointed. Your reputation becomes unreliable.
Growth becomes impossible
You can't scale chaos. Every new person you add just creates more variability, more problems, more firefighting. Growth makes things worse, not better.
You lose the joy
Remember why you started? Probably wasn't so you could spend your days firefighting, fixing other people's mistakes, and wondering why nobody can do things right.
The Freedom in Structure
Here's the paradox that eludes most entrepreneurs:
Structure creates freedom.
It feels counterintuitive. Doesn't documentation and standardization restrict creativity and flexibility?
Only if you're confusing structure with bureaucracy.
A playbook that says "here are the 5 things we do every time to our standards" doesn't restrict good judgment—it provides a foundation for it.
Think about it:
Without the playbook:
- Every team member invents their own process
- You spend energy explaining the basics repeatedly
- Quality varies wildly
- You're constantly checking everyone's work
- You can't delegate with confidence
- The business consumes all your mental energy
With the playbook:
- Everyone starts from the same foundation
- Training is efficient and effective
- Quality becomes predictable
- You can trust the process
- Delegation becomes possible
- You have mental space for strategic thinking
Which scenario gives you more freedom?
The Best Way to Your Standards
Let's break down what "the best way to our standards" actually means:
Not the easiest way. The best way might require more effort upfront, but it produces better results consistently.
Not the fastest way. Sometimes speed compromises quality. The best way balances efficiency with excellence.
Not the most complex way. Complexity often signals poor thinking. The best way is usually elegantly simple.
Not someone else's way. Your standards, your market, your clients. What works for another company might not work for you.
The best way is the approach that:
- Produces the quality you're proud of
- Creates the client experience you want to be known for
- Can be taught and replicated
- Works consistently across different people and situations
- Aligns with your values and business strategy
Building Your Five-Step Playbooks
So how do you actually create these playbooks?
Step 1: Identify your core processes
What are the critical recurring activities in your business? Not every activity—the ones that really matter.
For most businesses, it's probably 5-10 core processes:
- How you acquire clients
- How you deliver your service/product
- How you handle problems
- How you manage money
- How you develop people
Step 2: Document what works
For each core process, ask: When this goes really well, what happens? What are the essential steps?
Don't document theory. Document what actually produces results.
Step 3: Distill to the vital few
You'll probably identify 15-20 steps. Now comes the hard part: cut it to 5-7.
Remember: 20% of steps drive 80% of results. Which steps are those?
Step 4: Write it in plain English
Not corporate jargon. Not legal language. How would you explain this to someone on their first day?
"That playbook, those 5 steps" should fit on half a page.
Step 5: Test and refine
Give it to someone who's never done the process. Can they follow it? Does it produce the right results?
Adjust based on reality, not theory.
Getting Followed By All
Creating the playbook is only half the battle. The critical part is "followed by all."
This requires:
Leadership commitment If you don't follow the playbook, nobody else will. You set the standard.
Clear expectations The playbook isn't a suggestion. It's how we do things here.
Training and support Make sure everyone knows the playbook and understands why it matters.
Accountability When someone deviates without good reason, address it. Every time.
Continuous improvement If someone discovers a better way, update the playbook. But update it officially—don't just let chaos reign.
The Life You Actually Want
Here's what happens when you build and follow simple playbooks for your core processes:
Monday morning feels different
You're not dreading what chaos might await. You're confident the fundamentals will get handled correctly.
Your team operates independently
They know the playbook. They can execute without constant supervision. You're not the bottleneck anymore.
Growth becomes possible
You can add people and capacity without adding chaos. The playbooks ensure quality regardless of who does the work.
Clients get consistency
Every interaction reinforces your reputation. Your brand becomes reliable.
You have mental space
You're not carrying everything in your head. You're not constantly firefighting. You can think strategically.
Your business serves your life
Instead of your business being "the worst part of your life," it becomes what you intended: a vehicle for creating the life you want.
The Choice
You can keep operating without playbooks. Keep carrying everything in your head. Keep firefighting. Keep being the bottleneck. Keep wondering why your business feels like a burden instead of an asset.
Or you can do the work:
Identify the 20% of steps that drive 80% of results.
Create simple 5-step playbooks for your core processes.
Define what "the best way to our standards" actually means.
Get them followed by all.
It's not complicated. But it requires discipline.
The discipline to prioritize what matters. The discipline to document what works. The discipline to hold the standard.
That discipline is what separates businesses that are "the worst part of your life" from businesses that actually create freedom.
The Bottom Line
Five steps. That's it.
For assessing a property. For selling a property. For onboarding a client. For handling a complaint. For any core process in your business.
Not fifty. Not five hundred. Five.
The vital few actions that drive the majority of results, documented clearly, executed consistently, to your standards.
This isn't revolutionary. It's not innovative. It won't make headlines.
But it might just save your business from being the worst part of your life.
And that's worth more than any growth hack or marketing strategy.
What are the 5 steps for your most important process?
If you can't answer that clearly, you've found where to start.
Jason Jannati is an EOS Implementer who helps leadership teams achieve the clarity and alignment needed for sustainable growth. For more great real estate content subscribe to Living Well with Rentwell on Apple, Spotify, and all other podcast apps.
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