Happy Wednesday!
It’s been a while since I shared a business update and some pretty exciting things are happening so I thought it would be nice to take a minute and update you on the latest. Well … we’ve been growing, growing, and GROWING. It’s really exciting and kind of crazy. Lots of adjusting, readjusting, and tweaking our business strategy as we go.
Things have changed so much since we launched in January. The biggest change being my vision for Belle Communications. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to grow the business and add to my team or keep things going on my own, only taking on new business that I could manage myself.
Pivot in Pursuit of the Unknown
At first, this decision seemed daunting and I was unsure if I should remain a consultant or move things into a full-blown business model. I didn’t know what I wanted and it was frustrating.
However, it turns out that decision is much easier to make when the timing is right. Meaning, when I had too much business to manage on my own, it was time to decide. So, I decided I didn’t want to turn away new business because I could only manage so much on my own, and instead decided to expand my team to meet the increased demand.
That was back in May. Pivotal in the decision to grow was bringing on Jess Ostroff part-time to help stretch my delegation muscles while she took on admin and project management tasks. This was HUGE because it freed me up to think about strategy, focus on business development, and gain media coverage for our growing list of clients. Jess is AMAZING.
The Choice to Pursue Growth
That pivot was the right choice. Things kept growing. However, after only a few months, I realized I wasn’t enjoying my day-to-day tasks … again. I was caught up bringing in new business, making promises, and delivering on those promises. That model is OK if you want to consult, but because I made the decision for growth that cycle was not a sustainable or long-term option.
So, rather than keep doing tasks that I didn’t enjoy and potentially stunt the growth of the business, I started to think through the concept of adding to my team again. Did I want to continue to contract excess work or bring someone on more long-term and full-time?
The thought of payroll and the commitment of adding a full-time team member had previously been an absolute, ‘Heck no’ in my mind. It seemed too complicated and I wasn’t sure I wanted the responsibility of onboarding, training, payroll, and providing in that way.
However, necessity begged the question …
And in September, I decided hiring was a necessity to our continued growth and success. So, I began to look for the right fit …
Meet Heather Allen …
In October, Heather Allen joined Belle Communications as our Content and Community Manager. Writing that seems funny because it feels like she’s been here for months because of how well she fits in. Oddly enough, Heather and I met back in 2010 when we were both at Chick-fil-A. We didn’t really keep in touch but this fall, just before I realized my need to hire, I started noticing her Facebook posts and quickly fell for her clever, engaging, social media updates.
Heather’s raw talent and creativity caught my eye and her personality and proven experience kept my attention. Heather is not only extremely smart and thoughtful, she’s also fun, a joy to work with every day and gets things DONE.
Heather manages all things content, analytics, and social for our clients. She helps keep our team on top of the latest social media trends, media influencers, and content analytics. Her attention to detail, eye for engagement, and strategic thinking help empower our client social media communities to thrive. She’s also an experiential event and marketing rockstar with over five years in the field.
Oh and in her words: she’s a fan of Zumba, reading DIY blogs, and trying not to kill the flowers in her garden (Me too, Heather. Me too.)
Basically, Heather rocks. (I’m SO glad I made the decision to learn how to do payroll!!)
Joking aside, we’re so happy to have Heather onboard and we’re ready to take on whatever 2014 has in store …
So, that’s the latest! Thank you so much for faithfully following what we’re up to and for your support. It means the world to me.
