Vital stats:
- Company: Seven Star Energy Centre
- Player: Peri Zourides
- Est: 2008
- Contact: +27 (0)82 375 0825
- Visit:7sec.co.za
Ask yourself: When’s the right time to expand, and are you finding the right people?
According to clients, it’s the level of individual attention and support for people who want to improve their physical and mental wellbeing that sets Seven Star Energy Centre apart from the competition.
When owner and head trainer Peri Zourides launched the business on his own, it was easy for him to offer highly personalised service – as the sole face of the company, he was what kept them coming back.
But the real test was when he had to employ staff so that the business could grow and not be just another start-up. It’s never easy for an entrepreneur to hand over responsibility to others for the role they have played since they started their venture.
“As an alumni of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, I realised that I had to stop working in the business and start working on the business,” says Zourides. “I was spending a lot of time with clients, but I had to focus on growing the client base and doing all the admin too.”
Zourides says he applied six rules for employing new staff:
Build great relationships with your clients
It makes it easy to be honest with them. He let his clients know that he wanted to grow the business and make it sustainable, and he asked for their support. Because he was open about his goals, his clients were incredibly supportive.
Reassure clients that nothing will change
People have a natural resistance to change because they fear what it may bring. They prefer to just continue to do things the way they have been doing them.
The only problem is that if businesses don’t change and grow, they will eventually die. Zourides assured his clients that employing additional staff would enable the business to offer new services and products, but that the business philosophy would remain the same.
Employ people with the right fit for your business
When you bring someone new into a company, there are both tangible and intangible qualities to look out for.
Zourides obviously sought employees with the right qualifications, which is key when you are helping people to train their bodies, but he also wanted staff who were prepared to align themselves with the Seven Star Energy Centre philosophy, which is built on sound fundamental principles.
Systematise the business
Zourides carefully developed a systematic approach to training both body and mind. He could not expect to bring new team members on board if he did not have all the systems and processes in place to make it easy for new staff to replicate the offering over and over.
Use the time you have freed up to develop new services
Zourides is in the process of launching an app, ‘Just a mindful minute’ or JAMM, to show users what a difference one minute can make in their lives, and help them to develop good habits by applying simple techniques to enhance health and wellbeing.
He aims to have one million people regularly practicing the JAMM programme by the end of 2018, creating a significant new revenue stream for the business.
Look at the business strategically
Zourides says passion and love for what you do can only take you so far. When he increased the head count, he was able to focus on strategy, growing the business network, and partnering with other wellness industry service providers.
“It can be daunting to hire people, but nothing helps more than experience and time,” he says.
“Yes, it’s your vision as the founder, but instead of pushing others away because of fear, rather help them to understand what you do and why you do it in a certain way. If they buy into that, you can build a loyal team that takes care of clients as well as you do.”