Blackwood Operations

HR: Sofie just quit. CEO: What do you want me to do?  HR: Are we going to replace her? That project management role was crucial to the company.  CEO: We are not hiring new employees for the foreseeable future. Instead, delegate her tasks to others. HR: Are we offering a promotion for employees who take on additional tasks by picking up their workload? CEO: Of course not. - 2 Weeks After - HR: The individuals to whom we assigned Sofie's tasks have submitted their two-week notice. CEO: They’re just not committed enough, that’s ridiculous. Delegate their work to Tanya she has been here for 8 years, she will do it. - 4 Weeks After - HR: Everyone on our project management team has quit, including Tanya. We need to rebuild the entire department.  CEO: I never thought that Tanya and Sofie would quit after 8 years. I thought this work meant a lot to them. - - - The lesson here is that if you can't afford to give a top-performing employee a $10,000 raise, you certainly can't afford to lose them. It's crucial to always find a way to retain and take care of your most loyal and top-performing employees. What lesson did you learn from this situation? #hiring #quitting #promotion #leadership #footwear #footwearleader #farylrobin

3. Maintain Quality Control Standards: Because let's face it, we don't want a project that's as dry as the Sahara desert. We want it to be a masterpiece, like the Mona Lisa of projects. So, here's how we can spice things up and ensure those quality standards are met: a) Set clear quality expectations: No, we're not talking about vague descriptions like "good" or "excellent." We need to be as specific as a GPS guiding us to the nearest ice cream shop. Give those subcontractors detailed specifications and requirements, so they know exactly what level of awesomeness we're aiming for. b) Regular inspections and audits: Think of yourself as the project detective, Sherlock Holmes in a hard hat. Conduct regular inspections and audits to catch any quality slip-ups. And when you do find them, don't be shy to address them. It's like fixing a leaky faucet before it becomes a full-blown flood. c) Encourage open communication: We're not running a secret spy agency here. Let's create an environment where subcontractors feel comfortable speaking up. If they spot any quality concerns or face challenges, we want to hear about it faster than the speed of light. Together, we can tackle those issues head-on and make this project a shining example of excellence. Remember, quality control doesn't have to be all serious and boring. Let's inject some fun and zest into it, like a project party that everyone wants to be a part of!

12 months ago I decided to sell my startup to Octopus. The most frequent question I get from other founders now is the difference between running a company now vs then. The first big change was that we shed our wings, grew some tentacles in their place, and became Octopus Legacy. 🐙 This has come with some big differences in how we run our company. 1️⃣ No more fundraising. As founders know, it's a time-consuming process, often sidetracking us from our core duties and team. Now, without this on my plate, I can focus on what's essential: innovating our company,💡developing our strategy, and leading my team 👥 2️⃣ We take a long-term strategy.⏳Post-acquisition, we have the security to know that we’re not going anywhere and have no risk of going out of business. I can think 10 years ahead, and put together a long-term plan. Compared to chasing our tail even 18 months. The decisions we make now can have exponential returns, like compound interest 💰 3️⃣ With this, comes a new risk of losing more money slowly. There is something about the 'money running out' that keeps a team scrappy and focused. As a founder, you want to start getting wins or fail fast. 4️⃣ We’ve learnt to hire, quick. Since our acquisition, our team has grown 2.5x. It will double again this year. We're swiftly scaling to meet our goals. It’s quite a change to go from an intimate start-up where you knew everyone very well, to a big team – but it’s very exciting. 🎉 This feels a little like moving from a bus to a train. 5️⃣ Greater impact.💥 Being part of a renowned group like the Octopus has significantly amplified our voice on critical industry issues and trends. We’re in a stronger position to contribute to making a difference. We believe we will be the first household brand for estate planning, and bring the process into the 21st century... something I thought was a possibility, but in reality unlikely just 2 years ago. Selling your company is always a big decision and will lead to massive changes, however, like always, follow your gut.

Jake Moore's latest ethical hack used #AI voice cloning software to steal the voice of a CEO! Jake cloned the CEO’s voice (with permission) and sent a voice note to the target company’s Finance Director asking for funds to be moved into a bank account. The transfer was approved and sent to Jake’s account with no further checks! This is because: 🗣 The voice note, of course, sounded like the boss 📲 The CEO’s phone number verified him (which was spoofed) 📆 The fabricated story matched the day’s events (using information from the CEO’s social media updates) What lessons can we learn? At the moment, verification tools aren’t always equipped to fully protect against new levels of social engineering. People are still relatively unaware of the risks. So now is the time to get ready for a new wave of impressive cyberattacks 💪

We’re delighted to release our inaugural #TrustReport, a pivotal publication that underscores the rigorous effectiveness of our assurance model, developed over 17 years. The Trust Report shines a light on HITRUST’s unparalleled relevance and reliability in the industry and demonstrates why HITRUST remains the gold standard for #CybersecurityAssurance. For more information, check out our recent press release. https://hubs.ly/Q02tfrnv0 #DigitalTrust

Confident founder jumping into entrepreneurship. (*watch until the end*) The lesson: it's all about PERSEVERANCE. 🙌 Happy Friday 🙌 -- 👋 I'm Semir. I write about sales, SaaS and startup-building. 🔔 Hit FOLLOW if you like what you're reading. 📬 Want to learn about Salesmotion? Get in touch (link in profile).