New Powerhouse Team Member
Melissa is overjoyed to join the Powerhouse team as an office administrator. Having found success in team sports, she feels like she can contribute her energetic, loyal, and organized self in assisting with all the needs of the admin team. With over 15 years of customer service-based roles, she has found that leading with a positive attitude, being willing to take on any task, and always giving your best will lead to success! Raised in Oregon, she earned a B.S. in sociology while playing for the University of Oregon Division I women’s soccer team. Shortly after graduating, she married her husband, a newly commissioned Marine Corps pilot. After stops in San Diego and Corpus Christi, they landed in New England, where they currently reside with three active children. Melissa has over 20 years of milspouse experience with several different branches—the Marine Corps, Navy, Marine Corps Reserve, and currently Air National Guard. If Melissa had free time, she would love to be hiking outside or enjoying a freshly squeezed margarita.
LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Growing Community with Liza Rodewald of Instant Teams
By: Carolyn Rawson
Co-founded by software engineer Liza Rodewald in 2016, Instant Teams’ talent marketplace has consistently grown and facilitated more than 5,000 direct hires. Beyond their remarkable success, we wanted to know more about the launch of their new app, Twelve Million Plus, and how it’s designed to support the military spouse community.
Liza Rodewald was busy writing government software when she met and married her husband, an active-duty Army officer. Immediately enveloped in military life, she found herself surrounded by fellow military spouses wanting to know how she remained so gainfully employed. For most military families, moves are frequent, making it challenging for dependents to find and maintain jobs.
Approaching her, they would often ask, “How are you working from home? What are you doing? I’ve been struggling with getting a job for so many years . . .”
Liza sympathized, admiring their tenacity. “I love the fact that military spouses build community,” she says. “They are productive with their time, they are appreciative of opportunities, they want to keep [those opportunities], and they’re going to perform.”
POWERHOUSE OUT & ABOUT
Powerhouse President and CEO Jessica Bertsch will once again be lending her expertise to the annual PILLAR conference. PILLAR is a once-a-year online retreat designed for military spouses of all branches of service. Full of wisdom, tips, and sympathetic ears, PILLAR is a fantastic way to grow your military spouse community and get access to information and resources available to you. For more information on PILLAR’s founders, check out this interview we did with them last year.
If you are a military spouse and have not already registered for PILLAR 2023, don’t wait! Spots fill up quickly. Save your spot today. We promise you won’t be disappointed.
Did You Know?
According to statista.com, online sales were responsible for $5.2 trillion dollars in global sales in 2021. While online commerce exploded during the pandemic, it is still growing and is expected to become an $8.1 trillion dollar industry by 2026. In 2023 alone, online purchases are projected to account for 22% of all retail purchases.
In addition to the importance of online commerce to business growth over the next few years, social media isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it is expected to increase in importance over the next five to ten years. So, if you don’t have an online business presence yet, now is the time to get on board.
Two other hot topics in business growth include creating/offering hybrid work solutions (or fully remote work scenarios) and utilizing AI applications. With the rise of AI technology like ChatGPT, companies will be looking to increase effectiveness without a lot of overhead costs. A word of caution: Some companies aren’t sure about the efficiency of remote work, and AI technology currently does not offer capabilities such as copyright.
At Powerhouse, we have perfected the remote team solution and the ability to help you grow your business for less than the cost of a full-time employee. Interested in learning more? Check out our website or contact us today.
BUSINESS RESOURCES
Business growth starts with a plan—and is followed by lots of hard work. For ideas on how to grow your business, we’ve compiled a short list here. As always, Powerhouse Planning is well equipped to help you grow your business through our total remote team solution.
For proven business growth strategies (with examples) check out this Terakeet.com article. While the article isn’t geared specifically toward small businesses, it does give a great overview of the strategic thinking behind business growth and the elements to consider when crafting a growth plan.
The Harvard Business Review’s oldie-but-goodie article “The Five Stages of Small Business Growth” is a thorough overview of the life cycle of a business development plan, complete with charts and explanations that still ring true. It’s a good primer on what goes into developing a business strategy.
If you are in the retail industry, check out Thryv’s top tips for short-term business growth that might just turn into long-term gains. This super quick read may jump-start your business growth brainstorming.
Want more? Powerhouse Planning can help. From free resources, such as this one on building partnerships, to full-scale business growth services, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today for more information.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
The Case for Common Courtesy
By: Heatherlynn Akins
Just a quick Google search for “business growth + business etiquette” results in page after page of sites dedicated to how important business etiquette is to grow your business successfully. Click on any site that comes up in that same search and no matter how it’s worded, it all boils down to this: If you want to succeed, you must practice common courtesy,
As GCFGlobal puts it, common courtesy is all about “adopt[ing] the ‘you’ attitude—consider[ing] others’ needs and feelings first.” Really, as small business owners, no matter what our industry is, we are in the business of customer service. If our clients don’t like us, we don’t retain them, and they don’t refer others to us. First impressions matter, as do second and third and twenty-third. By practicing common courtesy, we are creating a professional atmosphere that makes our clients feel respected and our employees feel heard and important—and that translates to business growth and success.
Though business etiquette changes given the times (especially given the technological advancements of recent decades), social mores, and culture, what remains timeless is treating others with dignity and respect. So, what are some easy things you can do to improve the common courtesy culture in your organization? Consider the following tips:
