Stacking Your Team | Leadership Advisor for Women Entrepreneurs

Does size really matter when stacking your team? How do you know what the perfect size team is for you? Naturally, as your revenue increases and your business grows you will need more team members. But does a massive team always equal a massively successful business? It's important to make informed decisions when you're building a team that's appropriate for your business. There are some key quest...

Are your fears holding you back from hiring a new team member? Are you nervous about having to lead because you're not good with confrontation? You know you need to hire but you're resisting because you're afraid it won't work out. You might be feeling this way because you've been burned before, or because you don't believe you'll ever find your 'unicorn.'  It's also a lot of responsibility to tak...

Have your sales team mastered the art of relationship selling? Or, are you the only person on your team trying to move people up the selling staircase? If you have a business, you need to sell. Knowing how to communicate with potential clients is crucial and as the CEO of your business with a lot on your plate, you can't be doing all the sales alone. You need to hire and train an incredible sales...

Are you struggling to hire high-performing candidates? Or, perhaps you live in a rural area that has a low employment rate and no qualified candidates? All CEO's struggle at one point or another when it comes to hiring the perfect team. Knowing what to look out for in an ideal team member and how to post job descriptions that attract the right people can be tricky. Thankfully, Krystal Hicks, the F...

What's the word on the street about you ? Noticing our own leadership blind spots can be seriously hard, everyone else seems to know about them, except us! Most of the time, we turn a 'blind eye' to our blind spots because we lack the self-awareness needed to fully address them and change our behavior.   Everyone has blind spots and admitting you've got them doesn't make you a terrible leader. How...

Creating a positive and productive team culture where everyone works well together to achieve business goals is every CEO's dream. But, what about all of the virtual teams out there? How can you even begin to build the culture that you want within a virtual team?  This is the task set out before Deb Howard Greenleaf, who lives in northwestern Pennsylvania and is the mother of two active swimmers,...

Are you thinking about inviting a friend or family member to join your team? Many people dream of having someone they can trust like family on their team while others are dead set against it. Like most things in life, working with family and friends comes with a string of potential pros and cons. Legacy businesses have been around for centuries and starting a business with close friends is nothing...

Stacking a diverse team across generations is something to be admired. But, grappling with generational differences can be a minefield when everyone has their own preference for getting information. If you're not sure how to get everyone on the same page, problems can arise, and miscommunication amplifies. So, how can you get a generational team to work together in harmony? Erin McDonald is the Ow...

Have you ever wondered why your team isn't as outstanding as you hoped for? Creating a high performing team is something that every CEO wants. But, not every leader knows how to create a workplace environment where collaboration comes naturally and everyone brings each other up, smashes goals and works together to drive the business forward.  When your team isn't performing to your standards, it c...

As you scale your business and your daily workload becomes too much for one person to handle, it's time to stack your team. Most business owners start by dipping their toes in and hiring independent contractors. But, as your business continues to grow, should you continue hiring contractors or shift to hiring a team?   This is the dilemma that Jenny Melrose faces as she prepares to step out of ove...

There's nothing better than feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin as you step away from your business for some much-needed rest and relaxation. But before you hit the beach this summer, you should think about bringing a few books along with you.   Those hazy and lazy days of summer can be the perfect time for you to step away from your business and step into a fresh perspective on  how  and ...

When let loose in the workplace, gossip can spread like wildfire. Whether you have a virtual team or a busy office, gossip can suck the life out of a team and bring down morale at work. But, did you know that it can also distract the momentum in your business and lead to depression, harassment, drug and alcohol abuse, and even workplace violence?   If you want a gossip and drama free workplace, yo...

When you need help to scale your business, hiring a new team member that mimics your skill set can be both necessary and a little scary. Where should you start looking? And, how can you have the confidence to find someone that you know will be a good fit? Join Shelli Warren for an on air coaching call with Academic Women's Writing Coach, Cathy Mazak. Cathy is a Full Professor at the University of...

Time management is an essential skill for a CEO to have. Your time is valuable and when you've got what feels like a million things demanding your attention at once, it's tricky knowing where your time is best spent. However, one part of your business that is  always  worth your time is your team.    As your business continues to scale, stacking a team that you can trust and depend on to help move...

Often, when it comes to the legal aspects of our business, it can seem a little bit scary. But when we're stacking our team, legal aspects simply cannot be ignored or put aside for another day! For any small business the legal foundation needs to be there so that you can scale with ease.   On this episode of the podcast, Shelli Warren talks to Danielle Liss (second time returner on the podcast!) a...

Do you find yourself resisting the idea of delegation because you're worried that the work won't get done right? Delegation is hard for many people. Most of the time, your reluctance to delegate is rooted in fear. Fear that the work won't get done properly. Fear that nobody will want to do the tasks you need to delegate. Fear that nobody can do it as well as  you  can.  All of these fears are norm...

There's a fine line between being a good leader to your team and being their friend. Striking the right balance between the two is tough, especially if you manage a small team and spend a lot of time together. You want your team members to like you. But, you also don't want them to lose sight of you as their leader. Developing a close relationship with your team that goes above and beyond the boun...

Have you ever wanted to introduce a change to your business that your team wasn't fully onboard with? Rolling out a full-blown change that isn't welcomed by everyone in your team puts you in a difficult position. But, if you know in your heart that it's a necessary change that needs to happen to move your business forward, you shouldn't let fear stop you.  Shelli's guest on this episode of Stackin...

Are you struggling to come up with ideas for your next team retreat? Or, maybe you've never hosted a team retreat, and you have no idea where to start? If you can relate, you've landed on the right podcast episode!  Listen in to hear Shelli break down the true power of hosting a team retreat, why they're so important and how the simple act of gathering your team together can go a long way in boost...

When you think of an employee manual, you probably think of a rigorous handbook that weighs a ton. But, employee manuals have come a long way since then and can prove to be incredibly useful in our businesses. We often hear of CEO's in the entrepreneurial world who are reluctant or even fearful of dealing with people issues. Rather than overcoming those fears, they keep them bottled up and stay in...

What's your immediate response when a team member asks for a raise? Sometimes, the question catches us off guard. Other times, we're left wondering why they didn't ask sooner. Whatever the case, the big 'raise' question is an important one to have with your team. And, it's even more important that you respond appropriately so you don't step on anyone's toes or respond in a way that you'll regret l...

International Women's Day is one of my favorite celebrations of the year! International Women's Day gives us a week-long opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women from around the world. It's about the unity of women and helps shine a light on our local women leaders who inspire and motivate us to stop doubting ourselves and go after the things we want in our lives and businesses. The firs...

Welcoming new members to your team is exciting. But, finding the right person for the job can take up a lot of your time. On today's show, Shelli has an on-air coaching session with Amanda Vaughn, the Founder and Tutoring Director at Connections Academics. Shelli helps Amanda discover new ways that she can move a significant portion of responsibility off her work plan and onto her team. As someone...

It's a special day here at BixChix HQ as we celebrate the one year anniversary of the Stacking Your Team podcast! What a year it has been! Thank you to everyone who has tuned in, thank you to all of our guests, and I look forward to recording many more episodes to come. Our goal with the podcast has always been to create a space where CEO's, like you, can come to learn how to build and lead a team...

As the CEO of your business, I know that you would like to maximize your team and free up some space on your calendar? Of course you would. I'm guessing that not only is this challenging for you, but in fact, you probably have to fight for some alone time most of the time. Growing accustomed to doing a lot is just part of the job, right? Well, it doesn't have to be. In this episode, I go back into...