3 years in and we’re still learning!
Wow, last month Start Inspiring turned 3 and our journey has been quite the adventure!
Like a toddler, we've laughed, cried, and fallen over a few times. But recently it feels like we're really hitting our stride, even if we don't know everything. One of our core values is continuous growth and learning - ain't that the truth!
We're so grateful to have worked with over 40 brilliant organisations large and small, continuously evolving together. [Logos]
When launching Start Inspiring, our mission was clear: make work work for everyone. While our business model has pivoted over time to stay relevant, that guiding light remains true. By truly partnering with our clients and caring for their people as our own, we take an outside-in approach to support them.
Over the years, we've learned a few things about business:
Don't panic over pipeline ups and downs. If you deliver value, the work comes. Nearly 95% of our biz is from word-of-mouth referrals.
Trust your gut on when to make bold moves, even if you don't feel 100% ready. I've been too cautious at times.
Boil it down: be awesome at solving problems, package it into value, and tell everyone in your network.
You can't scale by doing all the work yourself. Build an amazing team to deliver while you focus on the biz strategy and delight clients.
We've also learned a few things about our clients:
No two are the same. We dive in to understand what makes them tick.
We use their uniqueness to help them attract and build the best talent.
You can boost value, performance, and engagement through inspiring cultures. It's not either/or.
Get your managers right and the rest follows. Capable, caring leaders drive capable, caring teams.
Our advice to leadership teams:
Align your leaders with an inspiring purpose and strategy.
Communicate the vision clearly and repeatedly so people get it and run with it.
Define your culture and the behaviours you'll reward or won't tolerate.
Set your people up for success with clear expectations and frequent feedback.
Motivate teams with stimulating challenges in a fun, supportive environment.
Address underperformance quickly and recognise high performance often.
Then set your people free to show you what they can do!
The future looks bright, with some guiding lights:
Embrace tech to enable people and create efficient, engaging workplaces.
Continue being nimble - rip up the old rules. Post-COVID, move fast and innovate.
Foster psychologically safe, accountable cultures where people feel empowered to speak up, try new things, and deliver.
Cheers to the next 3 years of helping clients unleash talent through inspiring cultures.
Here's to growing together in a healthy, sustainable way for mutual long-term benefit! What do the next 3 years have in store? Who knows, but the adventure continues...
