Setting Up Your Studio's First SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

'SOP' sounds like something only large companies need, but the moment a second person touches a booking, you already have an informal one — it's just living in your head instead of written down.

What to actually write down

• How an enquiry gets a first reply, and within what time
• What information is collected before a quote is sent
• How a booking is confirmed and what the client receives
• What happens on shoot day, step by step
• How editing is assigned and reviewed before delivery

Keep it a page, not a manual

The goal isn't bureaucracy — it's that a new hire, or you on a chaotic day, can follow the same steps without reinventing the process each time. A single page that everyone actually reads beats a detailed document nobody opens.