Leader, I know you have faith in your own abilities. But have you built a solid team that you believe just as strongly?
Hiring is the only way to reach your business goals. A winning team is the key to a satisfying, lucrative, freedom based business that stands the test of time. That’s why hiring and onboarding is such a crucial part of my aesthetic business consulting work.
But building a winning team can be scary. You’re finding people you can trust to help scale a brand you’ve worked hard to build. And hiring has never been more difficult than in today’s hyper-competitive, post-COVID landscape.
That’s why I’m going to help you shift the narrative around team building. We’ll break past mental barriers and explore why hiring isn’t an obstacle or chore — it’s something to get excited about! In fact, it’s a core part of spa consultant training.
Today, we’ll uncover:
- What may be holding you back emotionally from building your dream team
- The 3 major pitfalls around building a winning team
- 5 critical mindset shifts to help you find and retain dream employees
You can do this! If you commit fully, you’ll be rewarded with the sustainable, profitable business that gives you the freedom you’ve always dreamed of.
What’s holding you back — an aesthetic business consulting perspective
Why, exactly, is hiring such a major pain point and obstacle for aesthetic entrepreneurs?
It’s because hiring isn’t easy. All the talented entrepreneurs I meet in my aesthetic business consulting have experienced letdowns and challenges as they’ve built their teams. Across medical aesthetic associations and entrepreneurship circles, I’ve seen it over and over again.
On your hiring journey, have you had thoughts like:
- “I’ve been burned too many times”
- “I spent a ton of time training them and they just left!”
- “That hire couldn’t do what they said they could do”
- “I’m slammed — how can I find time to hire, onboard, and train new people?”
Each and every one of us will experience situations like this during the leadership journey — sometimes more than one. These challenges are inevitable.
But experiences like this can make even the thought of building a team feel daunting, let alone exciting.
I’m here to show you that you can overcome these barriers. The benefits of not just accepting, but embracing this journey far outweigh the struggles and challenges.
You must embrace team building to experience what you can truly achieve by putting your trust in others. If you do, I believe you will be astounded by — and addicted to — your incredible business results.
Three Common Team-Building Pitfalls
A strong team is not optional. Your own skill can only get you so far in running a business. It may sound dramatic, but how far you can grow really is determined by the capabilities of your team. Trust me — I know from all my years in aesthetic business consulting.
As you get a handle on your mental and emotional blocks towards team building, look out for three major pitfalls. I’ve seen them time and time again on my own journey with spa consultant training.
1. You see leading and managing people as an obstacle, not an asset.
Most people see hiring as a box to check, as just something they “have to do.” In reality, this is a huge opportunity to make an even bigger impact.
If you feel like management is a chore, I get it! When you’ve hired the wrong people, or you’re mired in daily micromanagement, team-building is no fun at all. But it doesn’t need to be this way.
2. You wait too long to start hiring.
Most great hires take three to six months to land. If you’re in a rush to hire, you are already too late. Instead, develop a people plan. Begin looking for your dream candidate three months before you’re even ready. That’s the only way to find a rockstar who will get you great results.
3. You don’t understand that leadership is a learnable, teachable set of skills.
Great leaders are born, but they’re also made. If you focus on your mindset, you’ll become a great leader. If not, you will stay focused on execution, and never take your business to its higher level.
Leadership is a lot of responsibility. But the best leaders are actually the least stressed in their roles!
That’s because they are surrounded by a group of people who take their roles seriously. Because they invested time into training and hiring, their team makes decisions similar to those they would make themselves.
Five Mindset Shifts for Success
So, you’re committed to building a team that will set you up for success. But to get there, how do you need to mentally reframe the hiring journey?
Here are the five critical mindset shifts that will help you reach your business goals.
1. Cultivating ownership, not hiring help
Most entrepreneurs hire people because they need help. They want people to take things off their to-do list, and typically need to oversee and manage their every move. It’s a recipe for burnout and exhaustion because your team is still taking up effort and energy.
Instead, start cultivating ownership, so people take pride in their work and make their own decisions.
2. Intrapreneur, not employee
Employees come to work, complete tasks, get the job done, and clock out.
Intrapreneurs are more like partners. They believe in your mission and vision just as strongly as you do. They are self starters and independent thinkers.
Start looking for Intrapreneurs in your interview process. Do you see how this fundamental mindset shift will change the way your company operates immediately?
3. Hire consistently, not reactively
Hiring should be an ongoing process. It is completely normal to take several tries before you find the right person.
Do not work reactively. When you say “I need” or “we need,” you are just looking for a cookie-cutter worker to fill a hole.
Instead, invest in better, smarter, faster, more talented people every time you hire. At every single interview, ask yourself if this hire will propel your organization forward. Every interview is an opportunity to raise the bar for the rest of your team and business.
4. Mentorship, not management
Management is a constant frenzy of checking your to-do list and addressing things that went wrong.
Instead, become obsessed with mentorship — and watch your team become self-managed. Mentorship means investing in the growth of your employees as being. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, and a deeply collaborative partnership.
This takes time. But this is what cultivates freedom!
5. Team is an investment, not a cost
“Employees are expensive! They are going to drain my profits!”
Does this sound like you? Well, allow me to correct you.
Mis-managed employees are expensive and drain profits. Well managed, well-coached employees grow your business, and grow your profits! In fact, the only reason to hire an employee is to bring in more profits for your company.
That’s why you must stop hiring reactively for jobs. Instead, shift towards hiring partners, who will trigger greater profits.
Release pressure, or produce profits?
Too many of us hire reactively, to fill a need. Ninety-five percent of the people in the world are comfortable checking boxes, and hiring their team in this basic way.
But that won’t cut it if you’re looking to build a business that will give you financial freedom.
Instead, we must hire boldly, to find partners who will help us produce profits. We must get crystal-clear on our mission, values, and what we bring to an employee relationship. If you do, you’ll be the toast of all the medical aesthetics associations!
Think of it a little like online dating. Would you just say “looking for a man” on your dating profile? Of course not! When it comes to finding your perfect match, it all starts with your own power, confidence, and clarity.
As you build a strong, winning team, I’m here to support you. I have years of aesthetic business consulting experience, and I know how important this stage is in your journey as a leader.
Sign up for my email list, or join me for my weekly podcast, The Fierce Factor. Think of it as a free, regular business coaching package! Every week, I share real, from-the-heart advice, gleaned from my decades in the corporate and aesthetic worlds.