I can’t find help!
and you want me to build a leadership team?
When I realized I needed to step back from my business's day-to-day operations, I knew the key to my success would be building a solid leadership team. But where do you begin when you’re trying to delegate responsibilities that have always fallen on your shoulders? How do you even start when finding good help seems impossible?
YOU CAN FIND GOOD HELP IF YOU ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE WITH YOUR CULTURE AND YOUR VISION.
IF YOU ARE HIRING WARM BODIES, IT NEVER WORKS!
For me, it started with pen and paper. I drew out the leadership structure that would allow the business to thrive without me. I identified the core areas where I needed leadership: operations, marketing, sales, and customer traffic. In a retail business, having someone who could drive foot traffic was essential—distinct from marketing and sales but just as important. I needed someone in charge of bringing customers to the shop who understood what would keep them returning.
The first thing I did was look within my existing team. I silently evaluated each person, analyzing their strengths and figuring out their “zone of genius.” From there, I wrote out their roles and responsibilities in detail. If my clients do not have employees who can fit within a leadership team, we focus on who that FIRST hire should be!
For example, I knew that my sales leader had to be fearless when speaking with customers and following up with them. This person had to be comfortable picking up the phone—something many people struggle with in today’s digital age—and even getting in the car to meet with local hotels, concierges, and convention centers. Networking, trade shows, and face-to-face meetings would be key to their role.
For the operations lead, I needed someone who could handle the pressure of a fast-paced retail environment. This person had to be capable of multitasking, delegating, and, most importantly, empowering others to get their jobs done. It wasn’t just about handing out tasks but creating an environment where the team felt supported and valued.
Once these key positions were in place, I tied their responsibilities to KPIs (key performance indicators). That way, we had measurable goals to ensure we were on the right track, and there was a clear way to evaluate success.
But building a team that can run a business without you requires more than delegating tasks—it requires making that one good hire that can elevate your entire company. From there, you empower that hire to bring on the next team member, then those two hire the third, and so on. This process creates a ripple effect of leadership and growth within your company. It removes you from the hiring process, allowing your team to grow the business organically and in a way that fits the company culture.
One critical philosophy I implemented was ensuring my employees paid for themselves in revenue. This meant tying their pay to what they were bringing to the table and paying them well. If the company was making money, I also wanted my team to benefit from that success. When everyone has a stake in the success, the entire business wins.
BOSS UP SIGNATURE PROCESS
“Taking the time to go back to the basics creates a solid foundation of which we can re-build on!”
- Kristi Brocato
“By focusing on building a leadership team that could operate without me,
I found the freedom to step back and let my business grow in ways I hadn’t imagined.
It gave me personal freedom and created a more sustainable and scalable business model for the future.” - Kristi Brocato
