If you’re reading this because you’re seeking help for your interior design business, chances are that your time is completely maxed out. And when that happens, your first instinct may be to hire a helper―like an intern or assistant―to take some of the busy work off your plate. But this is often a trap! In this article, you’ll learn why “helpers” may add more time than they save, and why you need “levers” who take matters into their own hands with expertise and efficiency.
Why Helpers Aren’t Enough
A helper can be useful. But as the CEO or founder of your firm, it’s not the kind of role you need by your side. This is because a helper works on tasks, while you work on outcomes. It’s difficult for an intern or assistant to get the access, resources, and expertise required to be proactive. Rather, they have to rely on the principal for continuous direction, new tasks, and verification. By the time you coordinate with them this much, are you really saving time or mental bandwidth? For every hour of work a helper does, they might take up to 20 minutes of your time. It might feel like an improvement over your prior situation, but the stress likely remains. Helpers also fail to fix one of the major issues surrounding small businesses: that the principal is the bottleneck and the single point of failure. A helper doesn’t have the deep knowledge of the company’s vision required to supplement the founder in case of an emergency.
Why Levers Multiply Your Output
A lever can refer to a team member, system, or other asset that multiplies your firm’s output and productivity without multiplying your own personal effort. Essentially, they are proactive action-takers. They’re armed with the knowledge and access needed to get results and execute on your vision confidently and without needing to ask you first.
Utilizing levers means moving beyond a system where everyone reports to you for every decision. It means letting go of some level of control and trusting other people, which can be difficult. After all, your business feels like a deeply personal thing. This new system can consist of multiple departments, each with its own head. That may sound like something only a large company would need, but even with a small team, you can empower your staff to the same degree.
Identify the areas of your business that you’re not good at, such as marketing, finance, or procurement. Then hire an expert rather than a novice-level helper. This expert will be more expensive, yes, but the investment comes with many upsides. Increased time freedom for you, decreased questions and permission-seeking, and even improvements to the business. Helpers often lack the expertise or motivation to improve the systems they work on, but levers are personally invested and driven to streamline their departments and reduce the roadblocks in their everyday work.
Designing the Team Infrastructure
You should have very specific goals in mind when hiring, whether you’re bringing on helpers or levers. Understand your role in your business and where your unique creative energy should be focused. In Pearl Collective’s opinion, that role usually lands at the beginning and end of any project or process. Meanwhile, the bulk of the work is left to your competent team.
The leader defines the creative direction and the brand vision and helps outline the strategic goals. Then, the team takes total ownership of the execution. They handle the day-to-day tasks and operate independently from the leader. The only real interaction between the team and the leader about the project during this stage should be broad progress reports and dashboards that highlight the most critical information. At the end of the project, you should give your stamp of approval and add the finishing touches. Only your unique experience and expertise can provide that final flourish!
Finding Levers in the Interview
Even if you’re hiring a lever, someone with a helper mindset may still find their way into the interview process. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid when hiring:
- Don’t hire based on how well the candidate meshes with your design aesthetic or your vibe.
- Skip over candidates who think they know it all and have nothing to learn.
- Be wary of “yes people” who will say whatever they think you want to hear.
The ideal candidate follows the rules and guidelines you lay out, and is highly coachable, decisive, and isn’t afraid to set clear boundaries.
The Necessary Mindset Shifts
Half of the battle is finding a team member capable of pulling those important levers. But the other half is making the needed mindset shifts that a design leader must accept before being able to let go. Designers tend to hire helpers because deep down, they know that the helper will never truly take away anything important from them. But a lever has to be able to make decisions and use resources that historically were reserved for you. Your timeline doesn’t allow you to handle all of those tasks at once, so you’ll either burn out from constant firefighting or accept that someone else can help carry the burden.
Review your current org chart and be honest about your current staff. Have you hired a studio full of assistants waiting to be told what to do? Or do you trust your team to push the business forward? Part of that trust is being comfortable with a lever executing on a task differently than you would. You need to accept that it’s not wrong, just different. You can no longer be a sole practitioner who feels valued by doing everything. But you’ll become a business leader who values the health of your entire firm and everyone involved. And that’s something worth striving for!
True success and financial freedom only come about when your business is built on a strong foundation of people and assets that can scale regardless of your daily presence. If you’re ready to stop managing tasks and start leading a legacy, get involved with Pearl Collective by registering for an upcoming event.