Fire Starters,

Here are some field notes for growth from the two amazing women who run our business: Angie Wheeler, CMO / Creative + Marketing Strategy and Vic Scovel, President.

xo, Danielle

A FEW GROWTH POINTERS FROM TEAM D

1. Bigger is not always better. A healthy business pays around 20% of gross income in payroll (up to 40% in some industries). Anything above that is unhealthy.
2. Skills tests are helpful. Someone may look great on paper, but it’s helpful to get a real-life taste of their work ethic and personality (and for them to get to know yours). A skills test is a great way to find out if you’re on the same page.
3. Hire for passion too. Just because someone has the skills doesn’t always mean they’re the best person for the job. You want someone who believes in your vision, mission, and goals. If their heart is IN IT, they’re more likely to think big picture when it comes to their impact. If it isn’t, it hinders their ability for excellence.
4. Give them room to rock. Give your new hires structure, but with enough freedom to take ownership of their role. Micro-managing is stressful for everyone involved.
5. And if they prove themselves… leave space for them to blossom. We look to hire folks who are a great match for their jobs, and then leave room for them to grow into a management/leadership role and receive a raise, a bonus, or both.
6. Invest in individual growth + team culture. Ask team members to identify professional development opps and courses to help them grow in their role. Plan personal development and team building exercises to create a team culture that matches your values.
7. Ask what your team needs—often. What do they need to be able to show up at their best each and every day? Tools? Training? Sleep? #TeamD is full of super-humans… who are human. We’ve played around with schedules to ensure that everyone feels free, well-rested, and capable of doing their job at the highest level of performance, while meeting our needs as a business.

PS: Creatives & Career lovers! I’ve got an e-list called Hey! FireStarterPeople! I mail 1x a month to fan your entrepreneurial flames. Simple. Hopefully useful. Try it out HERE.

Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries.

Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.