Being a leader sitting on top of the pyramid, it’s no wonder that one could get caught up in their own ways of running the show. However, it doesn’t mean that every matter has to revolve around your worldview and only yours! Take a breather, go two steps back and reflect on the two most important stakeholders as an entrepreneur which are customers, and also employees.

Customer happiness comes from employee happiness

To have a customer centric approach, you should always place an emphasis on employee happiness as they would pass it down to the customers. This is because the employees are the main direct and/or indirect variable in determining the customer’s experience with the company’s products and/or services. With that being said, this does not mean it only refers to the front liners’ happiness who face the employees up front. Instead, it involves every single one in the team, be it the cleaner to the packaging designer up to the management team. Every team player’s happiness is equally important to be put as a priority.

Ensure that the employees resonate and believe in the company’s mission and vision

Align the team by having a clear, well-defined vision - one single sentence which is the “what” and the “why”. Then, complement this with a mission, which is the "how" that is not numbers driven, it’s intangible, and it evokes an emotional response. This can be done by delegating key pillars to the management team with weekly team meetings for alignment. A team composed of members who aligns well with the company’s vision and mission can bring the entire ship to the next level. Hence, it is important to ensure that the employees are also resonating and firmly believing in the company’s mission and vision statements.

Building a culture is essential when scaling the company

Company culture is who you are and the beliefs of the company. It defines you and the team, as well as it differentiates your company from the rest in the scene. Not to mention that, having a great culture will lead to employee retention - an organisation’s ability to prevent employee turnover. At the end of the day, it is important to always keep in mind that as you scale, each stage will require different processes. Change is evidently and inevitably necessary as growth could result in overburdening existing operations. Give your employees room to breathe as you figure things out more from their perspectives!