Vita's Tip In 10: Get Clarity by Mapping Out Your Next Business Level

Hello, hello friend, and welcome to a new episode of Vita’s Tip in 10!

Today’s tip is about the benefits and clarity of mapping out where you want your business to be, for the next three years. And in that business plan, addressing the growing and changing needs of the team you will need to achieve those goals.

If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm all about masterminds, and their power of asking the tough questions. Big masterminds, small masterminds, industry specific masterminds, or topic focused masterminds. Anything that makes you ask difficult questions of your colleagues and of yourself, anything that really pushes you and challenges you beyond what you can do on your own.

One of the biggest mastermind groups in our industry is Exciting Windows, of which LuAnn is co-owner – if you haven’t checked it out, it is an absolute must! I personally am part of several mastermind groups, and always have been since I started my business. Currently, I am lucky enough to be part of an informal industry specific window treatments pros group where we get together every month for mastermind meetings. I also host an emerging CEO mastermind meeting for interior designers in my area. I’ve also mentioned before that I formally belong to a paid mastermind group called the Leadership Lab which focuses on building a team by creating proper structures and processes, and strategies for motivating and leading your team.

Running a team is no walk in the park, and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. It's a juggling act of personalities, motivational styles, and setting up effective systems. If you have a team, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you're thinking about scaling up, well, that's something you’ll want to carefully consider.

I have always known that it's a fairly big deal to manage a team, which is the main reason that back when I was making the decision to scale up or scale down, it took me the better part of three years to consciously and intentionally make this choice. And even with all that awareness, and knowledge and research and preparedness, there's no doubt in my mind that managing a team is one of the most difficult things that one can do as an entrepreneur.

And even though there's so much that goes into having an outstanding team, at the end of the day, I personally wouldn't have it any other way. And one of the reasons for that is because I feel so supported by this mastermind, which I was drawn to because it focuses specifically on leading a high achieving team.

I recently attended a two-day retreat with my Leadership Lab mastermind in picturesque Ottawa, Canada. I have to tell you; it was nothing short of amazing. One of the key takeaways was this notion that "the team that got you here is not the team that will get you there." The focus of this retreat was to think about what kind of team shifts and additions need to be made in order for the business to grow to the next level.

I probably don't have to tell you how excited I was to go and to do some serious work on my business rather than constantly be in the business. And so, it was during those two days that I was able to literally map out Vitalia Inc’s team structure for the next three years.

So, I created a flowchart of my current team and where I want to take it over the next three years. It is through this visual representation that I can very clearly see that we are going to be adding one more person next year, for sure, and potentially a second person.

The two new people I plan to add in 2024 are on the sales and the installation side, and then in 2025 I will need to add another fabricator, and potentially a team member for the marketing side of the business. And finally in 2026, the next potential addition will be on the operations side, a pretty high-level director of operations, or a chief operating officer kind of position.

It was empowering to see the structure, identify roles, and envision the growth. We're currently a team of nine, and by 2026, I'm aiming for a team of 14. That's the kind of growth that makes a business thrive.

Now, during those two retreat days with my mastermind, I didn't just create a pretty picture of our future team structure. No, I took it a step further and plugged all those human resource additions into our forecasted P&L for the next three years. Let me tell you, there's something magical about seeing your vision on paper and in an Excel spreadsheet.

I now know, with certainty, the revenue and gross margin targets we need to hit to support our growing team. It's a clear roadmap, and it's both exciting and, I'll admit, slightly terrifying. That's the thrill of entrepreneurship, isn't it?

Feeling empowered, clear, and slightly terrified is not a bad place to be. It means you're dreaming big and taking the steps to turn those dreams into reality.

So, my friend, I want to encourage you to take that time for a retreat, whether it's with a formal mastermind or a solo getaway with your thoughts and business plans. Map out what your team could look like in the coming years. It's a game-changer, I promise.

And because I know the importance of this, I offer VIP Experience strategy sessions for window treatment businesses looking to level up. It's where we dive deep into questions like, "What roles should I add to my team?" “When is the best time to do it” "Can I afford it, how much will it cost?" "How do I train them, what systems do I need to put in place before even thinking of my first hire" These are the exact questions I've wrestled with and answered for myself, and now I'm here to guide others through the process, of course in addition to everything else you need to run your business operations like a well-oiled machine.

My VIP Experience is a two-day in-person intensive where I hand over all my systems for you to use and put to work immediately in your business. There are no openings left this year. And the price in 2024 is going up, unless you book this year. So, if you’ve been on the fence, if you know deep inside that you need help forecasting your team structure and get clear on your systems - and haven’t acted, this is the time to do it.

Reach out and we’ll schedule a conversation.

And in the meantime, I will be working on my next episode of Vita’s Tip in 10. See you next Thursday!