Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Brizi. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rebecca , appreciate you joining us today. Do you have any advice regarding quality control and maintaining quality as your brand grows?

Quality is about standards set and maintained. On the other hand: growth automatically means change. How can you reconcile set standards with constant (positive) change?

It’s about knowing what, in your business, is written in pencil and what is written in pen.

There are business fundamentals, such as the business mission, the value it brings, and its guiding principles, that are all written in pen. These don’t change.

Then there is the everyday work and structure of the business, which can be written in pencil. The tasks, roles, and plans can all be updated regularly as the business grows and adds new people, clients, and resources.

As your business grows and adapts to the change that growth brings, remember what is written in pen as you make decisions, and to confirm that you are doing the right things.

Rebecca , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When I was 18, I came to the United States from Switzerland for my undergraduate studies. I had been to the US many times, so I had not expected the level of culture shock I experienced. It was hard to explain: everything seemed both familiar and foreign at the same time. I tried to live one step at a time as I had to really listen and understand, in order to function at my best in a new environment. After my studies and three years in the commercial art world, I joined a software startup and spent 12 years co-running that business, through growth in employees, new products, and new markets. Throughout that experience, I developed a system of business management that relies on understanding the essence of a business’s strengths and ensuring it is functioning at its best in its given market.

I use both of these experiences with my clients now: most people who start a small business have previously worked for somebody else. When they go out on their own, everything is familiar – they have worked before – but also foreign – being the owner is a different experience. They want to build a business they can be proud of, but more than that: one their employees can be proud of, and even their clients can be proud of.

I listen and understand the essence of the business’s mission, value, and benefits, and work with the owners to create a business and operational plan that makes leadership easy. I don’t offer a “canned” business structure, instead, I use a system of deep discovery to build a plan that is unique to each business, and highly tailored to its strengths.

Business ownership is both familiar and foreign, and it thrills me to share this journey with business owners and make sure they are functioning at their best in their business environment.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Focus on that word: “team”. Employees are happy when they can see the results of their work, when they know they are growing professionally, and when they feel free to do their best work.

Create that shared mission with the team. It is not enough to know what industry your business is in, you must articulate why your business exists, how it is different, and how it wants to be known. This is all part of your mission, and you want to build a team who will come on this mission with you.

One of the biggest complaints new employees have is that jobs turn out to be different from what they were led to believe. Learning how to be clear and consistent in what you expect of employees will offer a huge boost in morale. And the best way to do this is to be clear about the expectations you have of each role. Tell people how their role contributes to your mission, and why that contribution is important.

And finally, but most important of all: trust your team. Trust them to work in the manner they think is best, and to achieve the results you expect.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Language, presence, and consistency. The services I offer can feel ethereal to a client, I have heard people describe it as selling “ideas” or “decisions”. I have worked hard to productize my services, specifically to simplify that language. I learn to adopt my clients’ language and speak to them using the same words they use to discuss their business.

It is also about being where they are. I chose a word-of-mouth business model because I wanted to grow through a shared community and with a focus on reputation. Being present and active in, and especially accessible to, that community is important.

And maintaining a consistent message about who I am, what I do, and how I work. The topics I write and speak about center on common themes and use the same language, so my message remains easy to follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rgbrizi.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgbrizi/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rgbrizi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFhkoqC7DfnFHGRYrxZ1SXg
• Other: My book: Phrases for Business Success https://rgbrizi.com/phrases-for-business-success/