Imagine stepping into a digital workspace so well-organized and intuitive that you could take over a company's operations on day one. At our fractional HR company Same Page HR, we've turned this idea into reality with Notion.

Our Notion workspace isn't just a collection of documents—it's the operational hub of our business. From our core values to our client management processes, everything you need is right there, neatly organized and readily accessible.

But what exactly is Notion, and how have we harnessed its power to create such a comprehensive business operating system?

Let's dive in and explore how we've transformed this versatile platform into the backbone of our operations at Same Page, while still valuing the irreplaceable human touch that drives our work.

What is Notion?

At its core, Notion is like a supercharged, visually appealing version of Google Drive. It's a platform where you can create, organize, and share information in a way that's both intuitive and powerful. While it has countless applications, we've found its true potential as a business operating system.

When we say we "run our business on Notion," we mean it quite literally. Our entire operational framework—from daily tasks to long-term strategies—lives within our Notion workspace.

The Same Page Notion Experience

To truly grasp the power of our Notion setup, consider this: If we were to invite you into our Notion teamspaces, you'd find…

Detailed workflows for common processes
Crucial information about our team and clients
Our current scorecard, issues list, and rocks (terms we've borrowed from the Entrepreneurial Operating System, or EOS)
Progress trackers for client onboarding and kickoff to-do lists
And so much more...

While we still use Google Docs for initial drafts and working documents, anything that becomes "official" finds its permanent home in Notion.

Building Your Business Operating System in Notion

Rather than relying on pre-made templates, we recommend starting from scratch and building only what you need. Here's a glimpse into how we've structured our Notion workspace:

People Partners Teamspace (for our HR generalists serving clients)
Corporate Teamspace (for sales, client management, etc.)

→ The People Partner teamspace includes:

Welcome / Stuff to Know

Short articles or bullet-point lists about high level concepts

Our Core Values
FAQs about the job (we actually share a public link to these in our job description/post)
Our Great HR Manifesto
Mini articles we’ve written about common situations: time management, tracking hours, traveling for a client, etc.
Best Slacktices (thanks to Theresa Ward for creating this for us!)

Doin’ Work

Tactical databases and wikis related to the job

A database of client hubs where we track hours, standard operating procedures, and recaps of the work done each week. Thanks to the ability to grant different levels of access, People Partners only have access to their clients’ hubs.
A (searchable) resource library we’ve created with our favorite templates, policies, and resources.
A database where People Partners track their time.
A list of recommended partner businesses.

Workflows

Short articles we’ve written outlining processes we often repeat

Kicking off with a client
Leading a client 1:1
Creating a client SOP
Surprise-and-delighting a client

People / The Team

Pages for each team member where they can add and update their information

When a new People Partner joins Same Page, they are invited to their own team tile where they can go through an onboarding flow.
We create a template so each time we create a new page for a team member, the template auto populates.
Team members can view other team member pages but can only edit their own.

*A look at our People Partners Teamspace

→ The Corporate teamspace includes:

Our Operating System

Our V/TO (EOS language!)
Accountability Chart
Scorecard
Goals

References

Workflows
Scripts
Brand Assets - Google font link, brand colors, most used logos
Glossary - a list of terms and acronyms that are specific to Same Page, written for a new employee’s benefit
A simple employee handbook

Sections based on function: Steering (think C-Suite), Client Success, Sales

We have issues lists for each, links to often-used spreadsheets or forms, our client database, and job-specific overviews like this one:

Notion as a Business Operating System - Client Success — *Part of a job-specific overview

→ Here are a few tricks and tips that make Notion so intuitive, easy, and effective:

We can be very specific about who sees what and who can edit what. The access levels are easy to change and view.
We can tie certain databases to one another and create specific views for specific use cases.
- For example, to help with capacity planning, we wanted a view of (1) which People Partners report to which Team Leads and (2) how many clients each People Partner managed. We created and saved a new database view that pulled from the team tiles and the client database, showing us a Kanban-style presentation with Team Leads at the top and their People Partners (with clients listed) underneath each.
You can set an owner and verification period for each page.
- When the verification ends, the owner will receive an alert to review and re-verify. This keeps the pages up-to-date and “real”.
You can publish certain pages, making them live for anyone outside of Notion to view.
- For instance, we created this HR Framework we use in lead generation and created a clean redirect link from our main website: https://samepagehr.com/framework
You can change the way you view databases, viewing them as lists, tables, or Kanban-style boards.
While we are constantly adding to Notion, we constantly try to simplify as well. Our goal is that every word is real and helpful.
You can integrate with certain apps.
- For instance, when we mark certain tasks in our Notion onboarding tracker, it sends a notification to our Client Success Slack channel.

→ We currently do NOT use Notion as:

Our CRM. We did use Notion for a while, but when we reached a certain volume, we needed something with more automations. We currently use Close.
Our Application Tracking System. Again, we eventually needed something with more automations. We currently use Dover, a free ATS we just adore.
100% of our task management system. We do track certain tasks in Notion, such as onboarding People Partners or clients. However, we use a simple Slack Canvas to track and hold accountable all other to-dos.

→ Get Started with Notion

Sign up for an account just for yourself.
There are plenty of articles and templates for business operating systems on Notion, but we suggest starting from scratch and creating only what you need.
Start playing around with it by creating and titling pages based on what you think you might need. These will be blank pages at first!
- Examples: core values, common workflows, an overview of the job or certain positions, a glossary of terms…
Little by little, start filling out each page. Time block an hour a day to work on these, or make it a goal to write one a day.
Ask your team members what would be helpful. If they have processes they do often that are stored either in Google Docs or just in their own brains, have them write them down as a Notion page.
Add team members when you’re ready!

Notion is around $12 per member, but there are deals for annual memberships. There is also a new AI function for an additional cost. Sign up here!

Using Notion as a Business Operating System