When it comes to shaping your brand’s personality, every new hire should be an integral part that reflects the values and culture of the business. Michele Cuthbert, president of Baker Creative, an advertising firm that goes “beyond the brand,” understands the importance of branding from the inside out. With a desire to fuel continued growth and her plans for expansion into more offices nationwide, Cuthbert is currently navigating the ins and outs of recruiting a great sales team.
Like many other entrepreneurs, Cuthbert started her career by logging a lot of hours at larger firms. During that time, she witnessed too many missteps on campaigns and talent management, and observed a severe lack of work-life balance. After a while, Cuthbert figured she could do the job better.
“It’s important to service the clients, but it’s also important to have a life,” Cuthbert said. “Having more balance is healthy for everybody — business, staff and customers, too, because then you do better work.”
To elevate the client experience and establish a workplace culture more suited to her, Cuthbert ventured out on her own. She built a solid team of 10 and set up shop in Groveport, OH. Cuthbert makes it a point to play every role in her business, asserting that it helps her manage people better to see the job from their perspectives. This has allowed Cuthbert and her team to uncover new ways to improve processes, because she can relate better to their roles and challenges.
Now, after building an impressive client base and winning numerous national and international awards, including a recent Prism Award for Innovative Marketing, Cuthbert is looking to expand her business by adding a sales team. She has turned to the Entrepreneur Exchange training program hosted by YMT Consultants for assistance.
Cuthbert has gone through business coaching programs before, but said the difference she’s found working with YMT Consultants is that the Entrepreneur Exchange program focuses on Baker Creative, specifically. While others covered topics generally related to business management, she now receives focused business and leadership training, individualized advice from a network of subject experts and peers, and the support of an experienced small business consulting firm.
“I think it’s important to have some of those resources, because, you know, tomorrow you could have the weirdest challenge you ever thought of, and you never ever thought you’d have to come across it,” Cuthbert said. “To have multiple resources in different areas is always a great way to kind of cover your bases so you manage it right the first time.”
Cuthbert understands that recruitment is a process, and her priority is finding someone who’s right for the culture at Baker Creative. Throughout it all, she refers to her community of experts, peers and business consultants for constant and timely feedback.
Once she’s made it through, she’s considering a return to the Entrepreneur Exchange program as her clients continue to request more locations across the country.
For more information, visit baker-creative.com.
To take the next step in scaling up your business, visit YourManagementTeam.com/EE to apply and learn more about the Entrepreneur Exchange Program, funded by SBA ScaleUp America.
YMT Consultants is a microbusiness consulting and training firm providing monthly consulting and business development. We help microbusiness owners change their mindset, resulting in greater control of their business, increased revenue and bottom-line, and a strategic growth plan to achieve their “big-picture” vision for them and their business.
