An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Know when to ask for help. You are ready to scale your business when you are unable to manage the workload yourself. My own business required me to be physically present at the job, which prevented my business from taking on more work if I couldn’t be there in person. Training others to take over this role opened up so many opportunities, through them I am able to be in multiple places at once.
Startups usually start with a small cohort of close colleagues. But what happens when you add a bunch of new people into this close cohort? How do you maintain the company culture? In addition, what is needed to successfully scale a business to increase market share or to increase offerings? How can a small startup grow successfully to a midsize and then large company? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experiences about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Scale Your Business”. As a part of this series, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kiernan Michelle.
Always a creative from a young age, Kiernan Michelle knew that her purpose in life was to capture love and happiness on camera. After working with several world-class photographers, she is now the owner of a successful wedding photography company based in Southern California. She has worked at hundreds of gorgeous venues, and delights in creating art in new places every day.
Thank you for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
At the age of 19 after the dream college I was attending shut its doors, I was distraught. I decided right there that I wasn’t going to let this be a roadblock on my journey to having a successful wedding photography company. I realized that I was given the opportunity to get started years before I would have originally. I studied with photographers from all facets of the industry such as celebrity, fashion, corporate and luxury maternity photography. The people I met along the way have been my mentors and become my friends. Just 5 short years later I have an LLC that photographs upwards of 60 weddings a year with several associates.
You’ve had a remarkable career journey. Can you highlight a key decision in your career that helped you get to where you are today?
Realizing that I can’t do it all on my own and needing to know when it is time to allow someone else to step in to help. As my business grew, I quickly realized the workload I was taking on was unsustainable long term. I felt like everything was going to fall apart if I took a day off. Learning to trust others has been life changing.
What’s the most impactful initiative you’ve led that you’re particularly proud of?
I have always been very passionate about animal rescue and spend my free time volunteering at my local animal shelters. I take photos of the different animals so they can put their best foot forward with potential adopters. I am proud to know that my efforts have resulted in hundreds of animals finding their forever homes.
Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a mistake you’ve made and the lesson you took away from it?
Networking has never been my strong suit. I thought that if I could be the best at what I do then the clients would just come flooding in and I could continue to stay in my bubble. I have since managed to get out of my shell a bit and learned that having a network is a huge asset. You can rely on your connections for advice and create a community that helps everyone get to the next level instead of focusing on competition. As the old saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
How has mentorship played a role in your career, whether receiving mentorship or offering it to others?
Mentorship has played a huge role in my career. When I was just starting out, I quickly realized that I didn’t know a thing about how to run a business, and that there wasn’t anyone in my life that could help point me in the right direction. I decided to reach out to the people I aspired to be. Working with people that were living my dream was inspiring and a huge reminder that anything is possible — If they could do it, so could I. Now that I have my own business, I still talk to my mentors several times a week, and I feel that I learn something new every day.
Developing your leadership style takes time and practice. Who do you model your leadership style after? What are some key character traits you try to emulate?
My mentors have been my biggest influences. Early in my career I heard a proverb that I took to heart: “Do Everything in Love.” Fostering an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinions and to feel like they are an important and valued part of the business. To always build people up instead of bringing them down. Trusting employees to do what they’ve been hired to do increases their confidence and produces better results while also taking a larger weight off of your shoulders.
Thank you for sharing that with us. Let’s talk about scaling a business from a small startup to a midsize and then large company. Based on your experience, can you share with our readers the “5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Scale Your Business”?
- Have a plan. I like to break it down into 10, 5, and 1 year goals. Before anything, think of where you want your business to be in 10 years, and make a bullet point list of your biggest 10-year goals. Then think of the steps you need to take to get there by working backwards. To be on track, where do you need to be in 5 years? 1 year? You need to break down your big crazy dreams into actionable steps you can work on now. Without a clear vision, it is impossible to measure success. Keep track of your progress with a list or journal. Reassess your goals frequently, they will always be evolving.
- Get out of your comfort zone! Always have your eyes open for opportunities and take risks. When I put myself in situations that have me questioning if I am really ready, I experience the most growth. Growth requires change, and change isn’t easy. Beware of your habits, keep your eyes open for the next opportunity, and take a leap of faith when the time is right. You miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take.
- Know when to ask for help. You are ready to scale your business when you are unable to manage the workload yourself. My own business required me to be physically present at the job, which prevented my business from taking on more work if I couldn’t be there in person. Training others to take over this role opened up so many opportunities, through them I am able to be in multiple places at once.
- Know who your ideal client is. A fantastic thing that I have realized is the more I try to find my ideal client, the more I attract them. Really try and focus in on who you want to work with. Who is your ideal client and what do they want in a service or a product? Don’t be afraid to ask your good clients questions about your work. Don’t be afraid to turn away clients that are a bad fit. Think about what areas you can improve in order to better serve the ideal customer you’ve created.
- Have an attitude of abundance and foster community over competition. There is room for everyone to succeed because you all bring something unique to the table. Don’t be weighed down by fear and jealousy of others, instead encourage and build each other up. Be the same way with both your peers and employees. You want your employees to feel the same passion you do, a positive attitude will inspire creativity and encourage new ideas, which will make your business thrive.
Can you share a few of the mistakes that companies make when they try to scale a business? What would you suggest to address those errors?
Firstly, trying to scale too fast. You need to have enough work available so that you aren’t paying people to do nothing, as well as make sure there is appropriate time and opportunity to train them. A bunch of people with no training or values doesn’t get you very far. Having a core team that shares your passion and who really know the ins and outs of your business is key.
Two additional mistakes are micromanaging and being completely aloof. You need to find a healthy balance between the two. Be present, but make sure your employees feel confident doing their jobs without you looking over their shoulder. Micromanaging can cause serious gridlock but being completely hands-off can cause confusion. Trust that your employees can do their jobs but verify and instruct as needed.
Scaling includes bringing new people into the organization. How can a company preserve its company culture and ethos when new people are brought in?
Only hire people that specifically reflect your brand and company values. Further, a pre-existing team that is happy and passionate about what they do, will inspire and excite new recruits. Encourage your employees to do their best by celebrating their wins and other forms of positive reinforcement. You want your employees feel important and to see how they matter. A good way to do this is to create a safe environment where they are encouraged to share their thoughts. A happy team is a productive team.
Many times, a key aspect of scaling your business is scaling your team’s knowledge and internal procedures. What tools or techniques have helped your teams be successful at scaling internally?
Crosstrain. Have everyone do a bit of everything until your company is so big that you actually have to specialize. This has its limits, but as much practically possible have someone be able to step in for anyone else. That way if one person leaves the next person can immediately take over. I find that creating lists for processes that teams can reference is a simple way to ensure things are being done correctly. It is easy to get lost in the day-to-day work, but frequent reminders of the big picture can also help keep a team on track.
Because of your role, you are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most people, what would that be? You never know what your ideas can trigger.
I would love to help encourage more people to realize their full potential through self-empowerment so they can take charge of their destiny. I imagine a world where everyone realizes their own power and capabilities, filled with confidence and pursuing their passions. I wish more people realized how strong they were and that they can create real change with their ideas.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
At my website https://kiernanmichellephotography.com or on my Instagram @kiernanmichellephotography ☺
This was truly meaningful! Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your expertise!
Kiernan Michelle On 5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Scale Your Business was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
