As the year comes to an end, I want to reflect on what Gossip Genie means to me. If you have been following our blog, you know by now that we keep it casual, we all contribute on a regular basis and we are all passionate about our jobs. Passion is key, it’s the motivation that gets you up in the morning and the force behind the desire to succeed. Gossip Genie will be 3 years old in February. The decision to start a business is not an easy one. It was very tough in the beginning but I was determined and made many sacrifices in order to make it work. It was the passion that kept me moving forward.

Over the past 3 years, there have been many ups and downs. I have learned that finding the right team is crucial to the success of a business. Hiring is an extremely overwhelming process and managing a team is an even more daunting task. Firing people is unbelievably difficult and they always end up hating you regardless of the reasons behind the separation. You have to learn to accept that not everyone will like you, conflicts will inevitably arise among coworkers, clients and power partners. Every one has a bad day and bad moods which are most likely unrelated to you. You don’t have to micro-manage to get what you want, if you do, you are working with the wrong people. Accusations and confrontations are two entirely different things. It’s important to encourage the truth over excuses. If you are judgmental, you are unapproachable. Stay positive because negativity is contagious. If you don’t trust your team, you will never be able to relax and enjoy life. Creating a hierarchy can be detrimental.

There are so many things I have learned in 3 short years and I continue to learn something new every day. Once I had the idea to start Gossip Genie, I literally had no idea how many other elements running a company would entail. Constant prospecting and networking while maintaining current client communication and satisfaction, lead generation, innovative and creative ideas to attract new clients. Materials and proposals to present to new clients. Gaining trust and credibility amongst my peers and aligning myself with the right people for referrals. Contracts and agreements, lawyers and language. Tax forms and accounting, invoicing, payroll, and expense reports. Write offs and deductions. Client management, daily account upkeep and reporting. Delegating work and confirming completion. Appreciating coworkers and clients, power partners and strategic alliances. Assessing bandwidth based on work-load, asking for help when necessary and being honest with your team.

In the beginning, I was very hard on myself because I can be a bit of a perfectionist. About 6 months into this year, I was faced with a major challenge when we lost a few clients due to budget cuts. The stress weighed on me heavily and I saw it transform my company. My demeanor directly affected the happiness of my coworkers and for that I will be forever regretful. Stress is not good for anyone or anything – just read a Lululemon yoga bag. I knew that with the right team in place and after a year of restructuring, we finally had that team that the stress would disappear, which it did. I also realized that at the end of the day, a company can only thrive when it has a solid foundation, a happy team and in a positive environment. Hard work and respect are the fundamentals of a good team.

Okay, this post is getting too long and I am rambling. I will end with something that I think is the key to a growing and successful company. My team performs at the same level of excellence if I am there watching or not. The shared passion and mutual respect is apparent and therefore, Gossip Genie is only going to prosper moving forward.