It has been our pleasure to provide Hannah Lowe from Hannah Lowe Interiors with Fractional COO and team support for her business. We have assisted in various avenues of her business, from development, client communications, marketing, and presentations to space planning, drafting, sourcing, and more. Working so closely together, we have built a partnership that has enriched her business and strengthened our own collaborative skills, too. Keep reading to learn more about this valuable partnership!
How It Started
Time was a precious thing for Hannah when we first started working with her. She felt like she never had enough of it to get everything done for her business.
Hannah found it challenging to keep up with the heavy correspondence pouring in from clients daily, but at the same time, she wanted to ensure that her clients were satisfied with her work. Pricing jobs was also a major stressor for her. She wasn’t sure how to best allocate hours within the scope of work, or negotiate the scope when clients were looking to accommodate a specific budget.
Although she was working with an independent assistant before joining 4Dbiz, she found it difficult to find the time for quality control and training her on client etiquette. With so much to do and very little support that could be self-managed, Hannah was feeling so overwhelmed that she considered shutting down her business altogether.
How It Came Together
Shayna’s first recommendation was to revise Hannah’s existing system of operations and implement a stronger foundation for her business. We repositioned the role of her independent assistant to match her strengths, which include vendor communication, presentation materials, and personal tasks.
Then, Shayna joined her team as Hannah’s Fractional COO and implemented a two-part closing call strategy. When prospective clients reach out to her, Hannah meets with them for an introductory call to gather basic information about their project. She then passes the scope of work to Shayna, who prices each project and jumps on another call with the clients to close the job.
Shayna also stressed the importance of learning how to delegate effectively to a team. She connected Hannah with our administrative team, which handles client communication and manages the high volume of emails in her inbox. A secondary administrative assistant does invoicing and reconciling of deposits. Shayna added a Senior Design Assistant to her team, who began attending all client presentation calls. The Senior Design Assistant can quickly make edits to drawings and renderings live on the call, which helped her cut down on back and forth communication.
Once these foundational efforts were in place and operating efficiently, Shayna recommended a recurring system that included about 20 hours of support per week. Hannah’s business has grown significantly since then, and she now has a 40-hour weekly package. Time is fluid within the package and it is shared among all members of her team, which facilitates smooth operations within her business.
As business ebbs and flows, Hannah has the option to purchase additional one-time hours for more support from our team as well. This flexible option has been a huge help to her business, especially with so many incoming clients lately. Shayna recently helped her close 8 jobs in one week, which required her to buy 80 one-time hours to accommodate the large peak in business.
The Experience
These days, Hannah is busier than ever before, with new projects and five-star reviews streaming in weekly. The biggest change, though, is that she no longer feels overwhelmed by the weight of carrying it all on her own shoulders. She has been building her confidence over the last few years and is now more comfortable taking on client meetings. She also knows that she can rely on her Fractional COO and her team to take on challenges that she doesn’t have time, or simply doesn’t want, to tackle herself. Her team is able to execute the day-to-day business operations, which has allowed her to stay focused on the creative aspect of the job. She feels like her business has been reignited with passion and joy.
Throughout our partnership, Hannah has expressed how much it means to her that we were able to help her get her business back on track. Here’s what she said about our partnership in a recent testimonial:
Whether you need to get your business back on track like Hannah, or simply find more efficient systems as your business grows, we would be happy to provide you with Fractional COO and team support. Reach out to schedule a demo today!