There are many challenges in leading and building teams, and one of them can be distance. Today’s guest has found a way to grow a successful business with her team separated by over a hundred miles in two locations on opposite sides of the state.
On this episode of The Clarity Advisors Show, Keri Kujala, co-owner of Special Occasions Event Rental and Design shares with host Ken Trupke how she and her business partner manage logistics and find creative ways to enhance the event experience for individuals, organizations, and groups across the state.
Timestamps
(01:08): About Special Occasions Event Rental and Design
(02:04): What makes the company unique
(02:44): How Keri got into the event rental business
(04:55): Merging two businesses into one
(06:50): Division of roles between partners
(08:14): Makeup of the current team
(11:12): Challenges of managing two locations
(14:33): Lessons learned over the years
(19:53): Inheriting an existing team
(21:20): Growing as a leader over time
(22:41): Differences in leading teams today
(26:26): How to connect with Keri
Episode Quotes
“We know a lot of the questions and the tricks and the ways to get the best bang for your buck and to make the most amount of ‘wow’ experience.”
“The most important part, if you are going to be business partners, is that you understand and you develop your roles. You need to know who’s in charge of which part, so understand your lanes and stick to your lanes.”
“We like to call ourselves “The Perfect 10”. We love following the Enneagram and she is a “3” and I am a “7”. And so …we can really level each other out when making decisions.”
“We’re a small business, but we are doing a lot of high-end events and we are super busy. So, it’s this small business feel, but it does have a large business feel to it as well.”
“Ask your volunteers or other people that are working and your guests, how did it go? Because a lot of times, if you are the person putting on the event, you’re not seeing some of the long lines or you’re not seeing some of the snafus that happen. And unless you ask about it, you’re not necessarily going to have a guest come up to you and let you know it happened.”
“Come prepared and be flexible with making sure that everyone’s having a really outstanding experience.”
“The whole idea behind everything is if you walk out and get hit by a bus, does someone know how to pick up the pieces? You only have to learn the hard way a couple times you can’t take that information with you in your head.”
Connect with Keri Kujala
