EP342 3 Key Hires You Need to Scale to 7-Figures
Before you started your independent jewelry business, chances are you never had to worry about hiring people.
But once your business reaches a certain level of growth, you need a team to keep that growth going.
So, how do you determine the right people to hire to help you scale your small business?
The short answer is this: hire leaders who are ready to support you, not “doers.”
Although there’s a place for both types of people in any organization, “doers” tend to need a lot of guidance from you for each task, cutting into your valuable time as a business owner. Iit’s ideal to look for people with leadership qualities to join your core team.
This will allow you to focus on your zone of genius while they get things done and turn your vision into a reality.
Hiring has been on my mind lately. It’s one of the key elements needed to effortlessly and consistently grow your jewelry business, and I talk a lot about it in my free. Masterclass: An Inside Look at a 7 Figure Jewelry Brand.
In this episode, let’s talk about the 3 key hires you need to scale your jewelry business, and what to look for in the hiring process.
As the visionary or primary leader of your business, your purpose is to create the vision for your brand, build excitement, give direction, and establish your company’s culture. After all, you are the face of your business to the outside world.
You need people on your team with leadership qualities who will be responsible forin turning your visions into reality. They’ll need to be equipped to handle giving orders, coaching, and providing feedback to the rest of the team members to achieve the company’s goals.
Hiring the right people will make it easier for you to motivate and inspire your team while keeping everyone in line.
Assessing Leadership Skills
For your business organization to succeed, you do want everyone to be the same as you. You want people who will complement your strengths and weaknesses.
You can use powerful assessment tools like Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, Wealth Dynamics, and Kolbe personality tests.
I use these tests to inform my own hiring decisions. I'm an ENFP (Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeler, and Perceptive) in Myers-Briggs and a 7 in Enneagram. That means I’m the type of person who needs to find passion in everything. And business has to be fun, because once it gets boring, I start to check out or burn out.
These assessments gave me clarity when I was trying to save my business back in 2008, and I have implemented them into my organization since.
Once you understand someone’s motivation (fun, passion, stability, security, etc.) it will be easier for you to know who to look for when hiring.
Personality assessment is beneficial when hiring your core team because you will be delegating accountability and responsibility to these people and trusting that they’ll get things done.
Now, let’s dive in to the three key hires for your jewelry brand’s core team.
Operations Manager
For a million dollar revenue company, you’ll need someone who can make sure your business operations are running smoothly. These may include HR, administrative work, customer service, bookkeeping, and other necessary office work.
An operations manager will be responsible for overseeing all these parts of your business.
Marketing Manager
You’ll also need someone who will handle all accounts regarding sales. This will include social media, email marketing, content strategy, publicity, and other digital or analog promotions or marketing strategies.
A marketing manager will be responsible for generating the necessary sales for your business.
Production Manager
If you love designing or creating pieces, this person will help ease your burden and take the administrative work off your plate so you can focus on what you enjoy doing the most.
They will oversee quality control, develop systems for production, create production bibles or contents for your production staff, do all of your ordering, manage inventory, supplies, shipping, and manage your production team.
A production manager will be responsible for ensuring your costs are reduced, and your production process is optimized
Other Important Things to Consider
These three key hires need to have strong time management skills, great attention to detail, and strong follow-through.
This is not to say that you can expect them to know what to do when you hire them. You will still need to train, coach, and give them feedback to learn your way of doing things.
That’s why it is essential that you start documenting your business processes and systems, including branding perspective and voice of the customer, as early as possible.
That way, it will be easier for you to lead and support your managers. You’ll also be able to set strong boundaries when everyone is clear about their roles and knowledgeable about your business processes and systems.
It takes time to find the right people who'll fit into your company's culture, mission, and vision.
But, you'll eventually learn and find the right people to fill in the gaps, complement your strengths, and do the things you don't love doing and are good at it. They will then ultimately help you grow your jewelry business to $100K and beyond, just like the students in our Momentum community.
Get the full story about these crucial roles in your jewelry business by listening to the full podcast episode.
Then join me in my Masterclass: An Inside Look at a 7 Figure Jewelry Brand to discover how to mobilize your managers to help you effortlessly grow your business.
xo, Tracy
Links:
Masterclass: An Inside Look at a 7 Figure Jewelry Brand
More Resources for Jewelry Designers
