She Owns It
Portraits of women entrepreneurs.
In previous posts, members of the She Owns It business group discussed last year’s accomplishments and their goals for 2013. This week, a member of the group, Alexandra Mayzler, who owns Thinking Caps Tutoring, adds her perspective and leads the group into another conversation about managing employees.
Looking back at 2012, Ms. Mayzler was most pleased that her company created an infrastructure that she believes will enable it to grow. “When we started talking, my biggest concern was I didn’t want to grow if we didn’t have a system in place,” she said. “Now we have it, so there’s no excuse.” In the last year, she said, she has transferred the information needed to run the company from her head to a handbook complete with flowcharts that explain how to do things — including hiring and firing — the Thinking Caps way.
She is also happy with improvements Thinking Caps made to its tutor training materials that made them more fun and interactive. Updates to the company’s Web site and logo are imminent. Ms. Mayzler said these changes will reflect that “we’ve been around for 10 years and are growing up.”
During a previous meeting, Ms. Mayzler talked about two new Thinking Caps programs: Prepare to Launch, which is geared toward young adults navigating post-college life, and a study skills class (in addition to the individual tutoring already offered). Having the new programs is one thing, she said, but equally important is letting people know about them. Ms. Mayzler plans to accomplish this by partnering with schools or organizations that offer classes for children and teenagers, like a Y.M.C.A. or a Jewish Community Center.
Managing her staff continues to prove challenging for Ms. Mayzler. She feels she is effective in guiding, inspiring, teaching and critiquing tutors. But she is less adept at setting expectations and directing her office staff.
Another group member, Beth Shaw, who owns YogaFit, said she finds herself in a similar position. She feels she is better at managing her company’s yoga trainers than its office staff.
“I also wonder if I’m training people correctly,” Ms. Mayzler said.
“I’ve had issues with always trying to see the potential in people,” said Deirdre Lord, who owns the Megawatt Hour.
Employees who don’t see their own potential worry Jessica Johnson, the owner of Johnson Security Bureau. She said that while she’s in business to make money, “something greater” keeps her going. “If I can use my business or my position and whatever bit of voice I have to help somebody get closer to what they’re supposed to be doing in life, I feel like that’s part of my job,” she said. But she can’t accomplish that without some help from the employee.
With a little extra effort, she said, some of her company’s guards could position themselves for promotions and higher wages. “If they realize they can do better,” she said, “I can help them do better. But if they can’t see that for themselves, everything I try to do for them is for naught.”
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Article source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/more-thoughts-on-growing-your-business-and-helping-employees/?partner=rss&emc=rss