Building Your Right Team

Notice how I wrote building YOUR right team and not building THE right team? The right team implies that a team that works for my company will also work for your company, however this is anything but the case. Using a chocolate chip cookie analogy – there are many chocolate chip cookies available to buy but the one that maybe yummy to you may be yucky to another. Some like a cake-like chocolate chip cookie, while others like a crispy chocolate chip cookie. Personally, I prefer the Italian chocolate chip cookie at Bommarito Bakery – yum!

Back to building the right team…I’m often asked, “How did you build the right team?” I usually reply by sharing through a lot of interviewing of service providers, networking, and making mistakes. Yeah – making mistakes and being okay to acknowledge them and SHARE them so others can learn what I’d do differently and why…

First, building the right team means that each person on the team is an expert in their field. These people know what I need to know, know what I don’t know but need to know, and understand that they are to share their knowledge with me so I understand the “how”, “why”, and the “what”, in their profession. For example, I do not sew the Messy Face® clothing protectors – so some people’s surprise, I’ve never sewn, however, I understand the “how”, “why”, and “what” to construct that bib. As a business owner, I need to know and understand each area of my team’s specialty in order to make sound business decisions. As I once told someone in a business meeting, “Messy Face® is not a game – it’s a business and I’m not looking for sports commentator-like speculative opinions – this does not help me make sound business decisions.”

Answering questions like: “how it (team member’s specialty area) is done”, “why is it done”, “what are the alternatives and/or consequences to do it this way vs. that way” helps me understand what I need to know to strategically operate Messy Face® – across the organization. Again, using the sewing example: How is the bib constructed, why is it constructed this way, what are the other ways it can be constructed, what are the consequences (both favorable and unfavorable) to doing it this way versus that way…these questions are what I asked service providers and how I built my right team.

Secondly, building my right team meant making some mistakes. The mistakes I made were networking mistakes that I wonder why other people are not openly talking about similar experiences. How many times have you attended a networking event and heard from someone you just met, “oh, I’d love to meet with you...we can really help you out.” But the person telling you that you need them hasn’t even taken the time to ask you questions about your business, your needs, your challenges, your goals – they zero in on small business owner and their services…a classic case of them putting THEIR needs ahead of the customer’s needs. Nope, I’ll pass… Or what about going through your network, asking for a referral, and getting a referral but then being totally dumbfounded on the quality of the referred person?

Early on with Messy Face®, I asked for a referral and got the “I went to school with this person; she’s very good in her profession.” Only to find out that this service provider was a generalist in her profession who knew nothing about the juvenile or manufacturing industries. So, thousands of dollars later and not to mention a potential regulatory liability risk – my light bulb clicked on that I was paying for her to become educated in my industry! Hello?!? What?!? Costly mistake, however I learned that when getting a referral the person being referred may be a friend, professional colleague/buddy, and professional collaboration to help increase business between the two parties, or simply someone who has good intentions but is not right for my team.

So, moving forward when I look for a referral within my network (or at networking functions) to build my team, I look for potential (manufacturing experience, familiar with regulatory laws OR the person is trying to build a skill set, offers reduced rate, and is shares their plan of transition) and specialization(expert in their area versus general business).

Remember, even with my shared information, there are many ways to make a chocolate chip cookie and many ways to build a business team - and the right way is YOUR way.

2010 Minnesota Marketplace for Entrepreneurs – Expect the Best!

Messy Face® exhibited at the 2010 MN Marketplace for Entrepreneurs and showcased the adult size clothing protector. I heard about the expo from Deb Hess, Director of the Minnesota Inventors Congress. Needless to say, I was not surprised to see Deb, the MIC booth, and inventor Pam Turner (aka the Needle Lady) of Spiral Eye™ Needles. Both Deb and Pam were guest speakers at the MN Marketplace. Deb is always sharing information and expo opportunities for inventors and idea people. Pam is an inventor-entrepreneur whose success story encourages the everyday inventor, entrepreneur, and small business owner as a testimonial to keep your dream alive!

Keeping the dream alive also means doing things to keep the dream alive…like attending expos. Looking around at the other entrepreneurs, I wondered how many people said they’d exhibit but never came. A couple people I know had personal emergencies, however, I do know of people that said they were interested in displaying their new products but were missing from the expo. I can hear the list of reasons why they did not attend: tired, didn’t want to drive from the Twin Cities to Mankato, not prepared, etc. I too can sympathize with the “being tired” since I had just returned from an international project that was 8 hours ahead of our CST. Believe me, that morning I was super tired, but I told myself that something great was going to happen to me and Messy Face®…and it did!

In hand with my espresso, I drove to Mankato, listened to classical music, and thought about talking to people about the new adult size bib. Although I made copies of a survey to get feedback, I really wanted people to share whatever information they thought about the product. At the booth, people shared all kinds of ideas – more than I asked and a lot that I did not even think to ask.

Highlights of my day included being interviewed by several undergraduate business students. Talk about a group of talented folks! Their genuine interest in understanding Messy Face® showed with their detailed questions. The experience was like having a brainstorming session with a group of business people who understood the vision of Messy Face®; both as a company and product development. Truly amazing and talented group of students that were shy about being undergraduates until learning that I too am a student working on a doctorate.

Another highlight was having a private moment with Deb Hess and Pam Turner. If you have not met either one of these ladies, let me tell you they are both top notch and I greatly appreciate the time they took to talk with me about Messy Face®.

Then I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Lattin and Mark Ritchie. Ron is a professional person who is very easy to talk with; when talking with him I was pretty insistent that we had previously met! Ron shared information about a business resource, the James J. Hill Reference Library, which was new information to me as well as the French restaurant Meritage! And then Mark Ritchie stopped by to talk about Messy Face®.

Overall, the day was very productive and a great networking opportunity. I met a lot of great people, made some of business connections, gained a lot of new information, got market research feedback, and did all of this while experiencing jetlag!

So, the next time you’re feeling like not attending an event, even though you told yourself that you would, pull yourself together, go, and expect the best - it could be one of your best days yet!