Work from Anywhere. This is what my team and I do. During the lockdown and throughout the current pandemic, we have not only survived but significantly grew our business. Year-over-year revenues of small business owners plummeted 52% in the second quarter of 2020, (Source: Small Business Financial Health Survey, Biz2Credit) In that light, we recognize that our numbers may be unusual for many industries during this time, and are grateful for the interest we have had in our products. We are on the mission to bring Chrysmela, the most secure earring back to everyone who would like to enjoy Fashion Freedom without fear of losing a precious earring.
I’ve been working from home for 30 years, but as technology has advanced, and since the lockdown has lifted, I find myself working from anywhere. I believe this is the present and the future. In the new order of a post COVID world, it makes sense for skilled freelancers and small business owners to form a virtual, hyper-efficient team by WFA. Did you know 59 million Americans; 36% of the US workforce, freelanced in the past year? I didn’t realize the percentage was so high, but I’m not surprised.
Are you a freelancer, looking for a new client? Are you thinking about starting a side hustle as a freelancer, to supplement your income and expand your experience? Here is how I built my team, as well as some tips for freelancers on what a hiring manager might look for in candidates.
How I am building my Chrysmela Team:
Seven years ago, I launched Chrysmela in the US, first on Amazon. I had to start from scratch on branding, logistics, sales channels and customer service. I had no experience in retail, nor the jewelry business. I needed help in every aspect of building the business to quickly learn and execute everyday tasks and meet strategic goals.
To build and grow a successful business, you don’t necessarily have to hire full time employees. You can intentionally develop a scalable model with mostly freelancers and independent contractors. In recession and time of uncertainty, variable costs are far easier to manage than fixed costs. When business is growing fast, you can act swiftly to add brainpower and hands as needed.
Find and work with professionals in each specific field to build your virtual office. There are so many talented entrepreneurs and freelancers out there who have a wealth of different ideas and experiences. Because you’re bringing in diversity in your team, you may ultimately end up with a value chain in a lean and efficient organization that matches, or surpasses, that of a larger company.
It doesn’t matter where everyone is physically as long as we attain our mission. As Daniel Pink said in Drive, the three elements of true motivation — autonomy, mastery, and purpose-are the keys to human motivation. I personally like to work with that principle, which I also apply as I build my team. To me, it does not matter where, when, and how our team members work, as long as they are happy and the output is delivered on schedule. Having a deep bench that is also not constricted by time zones or geography is an advantage that we have now that wasn’t as readily available in the past. I myself may be at my home office in Los Angeles or on a work-ation elsewhere. Team Chrysmela enjoys autonomous work freedom, as we bring fashion freedom to the world.
Here’s how I have built my team. These tips may work for you too:
- I hire one by one, by function, and by specific needs for the time frame or project.
- I ask around and do research — When you see a brand executing a great Instagram feed or publishing a great article, look deeper to find out how and by whom they are done.
- All my team members were found by referral or based on my own research of direct output, such as Instagram and Podcasts. When I saw an amazing article in The Wall Street Journal of an interesting product (an ergonomic chair), I ordered it for myself, and found out who was behind the article from the Director of Marketing of the company. This is how I met my PR guru, Jess, who is also a fan of WFA.
- Meeting your new contractor may be like a date. Once you establish mutual trust, I like to share my goals and dream output, then unleash the success of working together.
- I often ask my trusted contractors for their contacts. If they are doing this work regularly, they may have people in their network, which is totally beyond my own reach. I like to be able to cross-pollinate that way, and eliminate any bumps in working relationships because they already have one.
- Keep your team aware of one another and in contact with each other. You might not be an expert in their field, but they might know enough about one another’s industries where they can collaborate on something that might not have even crossed your mind.
- Have non-negotiables for your team. Everyone’s work ethic and pace must align, they should always approach with a positive attitude, and relate to your brand.
The 3 S’s: What I look for when hiring:
- Self Discipline and Autonomy. I look for the best from a vast pool of talented freelancers and independent contractors available. It may take a few months to build a mutual trust, but I need it established so I can entrust a project to be completed without me worrying about it. I empower them to deliver results toward our common goals. Luckily, all my team members are far more organized than I am, and I do appreciate they often remind me of deadlines, and things I should be doing. Also, I love when a team member brings an amazing idea that I had never thought of. For example, I would never have imagined writing this series of articles for Home Business Magazine without my team.
- Style and Skill. Skills consist not only of technical skills but also style. It requires more than pure technical skill itself; especially for a small business. It has to fit your brand and what you’re looking for in terms of professionalism. This takes certain efforts in a virtual team environment to mutually understand and appreciate each other. With style, we see extra sensibility, meaning everyone has their own lane, their strengths are different, but they can communicate and collaborate to provide effective results and deliverables.
- Sense of Speed. Sometimes, things have to be done fast to capitalize on the window of opportunity open. I appreciate our team who accommodates urgent projects popping up beyond our pre-set monthly goals and attack list. Earlier this year, I hired a jewelry marketing specialist, because she reached out to me within a few hours after we met at an event. That sense of dedication and speed, I really appreciated, and we had a fun project together. She also invited me to her podcast, which led to a new client in Asia. I enjoy serendipity!
I am so grateful to get to work with such a talented team of Chrysmela. Everyone is a fabulous professional in her own field. In fact, two of them are publishing a book on their core profession, one this October and the other in February! Yes, Team Chrysmela rocks WFA.
If you have any questions, please contact me via LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayumiishii/) or Instagram @Chrysmela.
