The new year pep talk - what makes your team tick?

It is with a heavy heart that I made this decision, that was based mostly on the fact that I have an incredible team in Atlanta and the US in general, that are more than capable of taking the business to the next level.

Unlike many part-time expansion entrepreneurs, I gave it my everything. I have shared the good and the bad of this journey and have found it professionally very rewarding, but personally a hard slog.

I am not quite as tough as I would have liked to be but to put it in perspective, I have realized that I achieved more than I set out to achieve and have been supported by people that have transformed the way I do business.

Marketing Eye is a better company because of the people that we have employed and the ability to draw from internationally diverse cultures and thought processes that continuely push our own boundaries and deliver a more exciting and advanced company profile.

My "pep talk" went something like this:

-  You have all done a great job since I was away and showed me ways in which I could improve the way we do business while still keeping our company culture as it is.
-  I need to do something that will help our business continue to reach its goals and deliver upon our business plan, which means that I will be working half of my time in Australia. This will give you less face to face time, but if we use time more efficiently and put in processes, we will be more productive in the way we utilize my time and our own interactions with each other.
-  Sales is paramount to growth, so we will all need to work harder in the way we convert leads with less focus on me and more focus on our brand and what the company has to offer any business looking for high growth
-  Remuneration is going to change to depict this change and compensate each of you for your hard work and that includes a percentage of profits for 100% of all staff.
-  Having fun is everything and at any time that you feel like you are not having fun, we need to talk. 
-  Watch each other back and always be aware that this is your company as much as it is mine and together, if we treat it with love, everything else will fall into place.
-  You are all responsible for hiring new people. That means; new graphic designers, marketers, journalists and public relations experts. Own it and only hire people you want to work with. Ensure that every person you hire is working towards the same goals and help you do your jobs better.
-  Each of you were the first people in our team in the US and as such, we will grow teams around you. It doesn't matter how many years experience you have. All that matters to me is that you are passionate and are performing - the rest can be taught.
-  Trips to Australia for everyone!! Let's embrace both of our cultures and move forward together.
-  Those goals we wrote down for each of you three months ago, are going to be delivered on. Let's work together to make sure that that happens.

It's going to be a brilliant year so full of promise. There is no obstacle that our entire team can not get over and together, we will make anything happen.

Lastly but not least... there is one very big promotion for someone who works in our Atlanta office --- watch this space to hear more!