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Over four years Cecilia had grown a small team, managed a wide array of freelancers, built year-over-year revenue growth, and secured external funding — all on their own. There comes a point in every founder’s journey when the weight of holding it all can be overwhelming: you’re the single point of failure; everything is in your head; you’re managing people, business admin, and clients; and still trying to figure out how to deliver impact.
When we met Cecilia, this is exactly where they were. On paper the business was doing well, but we recognised four common issues that most small organisations suffer from:
All of the business information was in Cecilia’s head. Staff and clients alike relied on Cecilia in real time to answer questions, make decisions, and lead direction.
Growth was there, but without a strategic focus or direction. Their vision and mission from three years ago no longer fit, and the business was leaning on day-to-day decisions rather than a long-term, thoughtful approach.
The skills and expertise needed for many of the team’s roles had developed faster than they had — this is not uncommon with small teams and fast-growing businesses: suddenly the responsibilities and abilities needed to do a role well expand, but you have no infrastructure to up-level your people to grow with the business.
Studio Lutalica was using a variety of systems and tools to handle day-to-day management, but they had no reporting functions, many of the tools came at a high financial cost, and none of them quite met their needs as a business.
Ceysa started working with Studio Lutalica as a fractional Managing Director — somebody who could come in not as a direct report, but as a partner. In the first three months, Ceysa worked with Cecilia and the rest of the Studio Lutalica team to refine their vision, mission, and values; develop a multi-year business plan and strategic approach; and identify opportunities to pull together systems, information, role requirements, and governance. Ceysa continues to work with Studio Lutalica, and to date has:
Worked with the team to refine strategic direction and service positioning
Introduced goal-setting and planning rhythms across the team
Consolidated systems and information management, reducing overhead costs and building workflows that work specifically for the Studio Lutalica team
Up-levelled team member skill sets and expertise
Implemented reporting mechanisms and cadences, focusing on information that allows for data-driven decision making
Reduced the overall cognitive and emotional load for Cecilia, allowing them to prioritise their skills as Creative Director which in turn has helped the business capitalise on their unique selling points, and given Cecilia greater peace of mind
There’s increased confidence across the team in how their work contributes to impact and to the business’s bottom line, individuals have increased agency and tools to make strategic decisions, and Studio Lutalica’s board has a more robust governance structure and reporting mechanisms to understand and help support the business.
— Studio Lutalica team members
Managing Director support allowed Studio Lutalica to:
Secure £70,000 in grant funding and social investment to support growth
Create and hire two new leadership roles
Establish a 5-year business plan to guide decision making
Redefine role descriptions and requirements, up-level existing team members, and re-hire where needed
Develop strong reporting capabilities across finance, sales, operational efficiencies, and impact