At Expansion Group, we believe we have a responsibility to leave everything better than we found it. By enabling business growth, we help create economic prosperity - and perhaps leave the world a little better than we found it.
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Hiring your first head of business operations can be a daunting task. Your head of business operations is an important partner in the leadership of your organization, someone you trust to run the day-to-day operations. If you don’t hire the right fit, you’re going to be miserable.
Fractional executives fill an executive position in a part-time or short-term capacity. They are typically former executives or consultants and can be a great option for small businesses and startups.
I have been a fractional executive for the past five years. My fractional journey actually started with a full-time job when I oversaw a U.S. expansion project for a Scottish craft beer company called BrewDog. I set up all of their operations in North America. It was a lot of beer and a lot of fun — until I worked myself out of the job.
Whatever rapidly scaling might mean to you, if you are hiring more than three people at one time, you could be setting yourself up for serious sustainability issues in the future: big, hairy business issues like missing your growth targets, customer turnover and crippling Glassdoor reviews.
In my 14 years leading strategic initiatives of all kinds, I see leaders make the same mistake time and time again. There is little-to-no intention during kick off. This typically results in missed milestones, goals, and team dysfunction. Have you already kicked the can on any of the strategic initiatives you had teed up for this year? Chances are you have — and you’re not alone.
So many entrepreneurs find themselves reacting to the growth of their businesses — so much so that some even regret growing in the first place. I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow with intention through business-building frameworks to avoid that unwanted future.
What do I mean by business building? It’s a process of designing a sustainable operating model at each stage of growth, anticipating required upgrades to systems, processes and technology before the growth occurs.
Let’s first assume that you have a product or service that solves a problem, delights your customers and you know how to market it. I could write three different articles on those issues alone and there are others out there that would do a better job of it.
The issues I’m writing about today are just as important, but there is a lack of relevant information about them and how they are interrelated. For 14 years, I have been setting up and leveling up operations for startups to the Fortune 50. The top three reasons I see companies missing their growth targets are:
Business growth can happen suddenly and will put your infrastructure, people and sanity to the test. It’s common to refer to the undesired consequences of business growth as "growing pains." Sometimes they are temporary, but sometimes they are warning signs.
My company, Expansion Group, has specialized in addressing such growing pains over the past five years. Here is a quick questionnaire to help you determine if your growing pains are worth exploring further:
"Reorganization" can be a word that inspires dread — spreading fear and anxiety throughout your workforce — but it doesn't have to be that way. Reorganization is a natural part of a company's lifecycle and shows a commitment to improvement. Unfortunately, most mid-level to senior members on your team have likely been through a negative reorganization. It's time to reverse the stigma and help our teams approach reorganization with excitement.
Have questions? Not sure where to start? Schedule a discovery call with us and we can help point you in the right direction!