SDH156: How to be Strategic When Scaling Your Business with Rosalyn Arntzen

Did you start your own business and realize you never wanted to be an entrepreneur again? However, did you find yourself in those same shoes? Rosalyn Arntzen, founder and CEO of Amaxra, Inc., a computer support and services company, originally founded a training business in the 90's; but the stress and pressure of being her own boss was overwhelming at the time. So she went to the corporate world, and started working for Unisys UK, a global technology company. She was then transferred to Microsoft, and was apart of the Windows XP launch in the US in 2001. By the mid-2000's, she had become the Executive Speech Writer for the VP. The role itself was intense and she found herself burnt out and decided to take a break. She went back to Microsoft as a vendor, but found herself as the head of her own business, once more in 2007. Amaxra focuses on helping other companies decide what technologies to invest in, and make sure that their staff is fully utilizing them. Another aspect of the company is business management, and provide other companies with staffing solutions. As Amaxra has grown, Rosalyn has had to resolve her own staffing solutions, as well. Like all entrepreneurs, when Amaxra first started, she fulfilled all the roles and handled all the tasks associated with running a business. Within a year, she realized that it was too much to handle, but instead of backing out of the business, she passed the duties to people she felt could handle them better. But this proved easier said than done, and still wanted to have control of a lot of the projects, and departments. She soon realized that she had to let some of it go, because she wasn't taking care of herself and was surviving off of 4-5 hours of sleep (which she notes is better than 2-3). In order to be the most effective leader, she had to improve her health, relinquish some of her control, and allow her leaders to be just that. She soon learned she had to be strategic with who she hired. Not only did she want someone who could do their job effectively and productively, she wanted them to be align with the morals and values of the company, and be respectful to employees. An employees personal attribution and attitude proved to be the key to a successful and growing company, and she began to choose quality over quantity in order to steer Amaxra in the right direction. Tune in as we hear more about how Rosalyn developed her team! In this episode you will... Know what leadership style works best for you and your team based off of previous experiences Understand when to pass a portion of your company to someone else because they have better knowledge of it Knowhow to take care of yourself so you can be a productive and effective boss/leader, as well as a healthy human being Figure out how to deal with people and employees who aren't aligned with your business objectives and asses what your ideal employee is Not be in a rush to hire a staff and choose employees who will be productive and healthy fits for your business Find out how to take your business to market and develop the services your business will provide INSIGHTS "When you don't know what to do, go start a company in the middle of a recession." -Rosalyn Arntzen "Running a business [is] exhausting...when it's a small business...it's really nice to know that I've hired a couple of really great people who can do this better than I can." -Rosalyn Arntzen "I can survive quite nicely off of 4-5 hours of sleep a night...but surviving is not going to lead to health and all the other things that are important as a leader." -Rosalyn Arntzen "I want to be the manager I would have wanted...I want to be approachable...I want to make sure they're empowered to deal with their teams"- Rosalyn Arntzen "When we hire there is[a] double test: Can they do the job we want them to do, but more importantly, are they a fit for the company. Will they follow our values...making sure there is that respect at a minimum level." - Rosalyn Arntzen "Sometimes you get the right people on the team and they will think of things you would of never thought of...the entrepreneur doesn't have to be thinking of everything...I can contribute my perspective to it." -Rosalyn Artzen RESOUCRES Amaxra Website Amaxra Facebook Amaxra Twitter Rosalyn Arntzen LinkedIn Rosalyn Arntzen Twitter Good to Great by Jim Collins