Why Finding the Right Employees is Worth the Search

Some days, I find myself sitting in my office at 8:00 at night wondering what just happened. 

I've been running my business since 2009, but as a lot of people know, Wheelie grew a lot in the last year. 

It took some work, but I finally dialed in my creative crew, and the work we are creating together is incredible. Our client list is growing fast, and we are producing work that we are all really proud of. Business growth is fascinating.
 
Over the last 6 or 7 years, I transitioned from being a college graduate with a laptop to a freelancer with a steady client list to a business owner with an office, then a few part time employees or contractors, a bigger office, and full on boss status with talented full-time employees and dream status clients. Holy wah. I've logged insane hours to get here, and I'm proud of the work we've made for our clients and the results they've seen because of it.
That's extremely satisfying. 
 
I'm grateful for every project, every file created, and every business owner who leaves our office smiling. It's amazing, and we have gotten to work with lots of adventurous business owners in our little mountain community in Northwest Montana.

While I'm stoked out of my mind about it, I have to admit that some days, I secretly miss working from home in my pajamas with my laptop and my favorite coffee cup. 
Actually, for a brief, hangry moment a few weeks ago, I got to a point where I didn't want to make any decisions. I didn't want to tell anyone what to do. I didn't want to go to meetings, run financial reports, or even get dressed. 
 
I just wanted to put on headphones and design. 
For old time's sake.
 
I had a freakout moment, business owners always do, where I wondered if I could ever work just 40 hours in one week and if I'd ever get to enjoy this very last snippet of my twenties. I even found my first grey hair. Total freakout session ensued.
 
Then I realized something very important.

I remembered that my team is super solid. 
And I realized that luckily for me, the wheelie crew is a massive part of my company's brand. Dan is calm and collected no matter how many projects we juggle. Amanda is loyal and honest with design talent through the roof. And Pete is hilarious and patient no matter how many distracted conversations I make him sit through. 
 
As Wheelie Creative grows, my employees are becoming a larger and larger part of our brand, and I embrace it. 
 
Every single person on our crew has access to our company Facebook page and can create blog posts whenever they want. There's no social media schedule-- anyone in the company can post whatever they want when they want. We have a company podcast, and any member or combination of the Wheelie crew can host it, which has been fun. 
 
I'm enabling my employees to be a major part of the Wheelie brand, and it feels really good. They have great insights and passion, and I think we are a stronger, better company because every person on our team gets to share their ideas.
 
Collaboration is refreshing.
 
Know the best part? At our morning meeting, I asked my crew if they would mind if I worked from home a few mornings a week, that I missed my mornings of nerding out hard on design projects from the safety of my kitchen table, and that I needed some creative, quiet space to get things done efficiently. They quite literally laughed at my stress and told me of course they could steer the ship if I wanted to work remotely a little and reclaim a bit more of my freelancing freedom. Together, we created a few systems to ensure everyone feels creatively supported and that deadlines will continue to be met. 
 
Our clients are happier than ever, and our work is fresh and fun. 
 
My team is baller. 

They support my vision for my little company, and they make the Wheelie brand even better.
 


What do your employees bring to your brand? 
 
How can you support them so that they support you?

Do they know how much you appreciate them?

HIGH FIVES FOR EVERYONE!