Introduction: A Sudden Setback, but a Stronger Path Forward
Not too long ago, an incident came to light that challenged our resiliency. We lost our entire sales team, the UA team, due to differences in how we wanted to operate. This may seem like a huge problem for any organization. In my case, it was a reminder of something very critical: when you are building a company, hurdles are part of the journey.
We could have lost momentum as a result of the sales team’s sudden departure, but it served as the main motivator on why I personally decided to aid UPBRIGHT’s inception and why I fundamentally believe we have gotten this far. This is a story of willpower, smart moves, and having the right people with you.
The Situation: No Sales Team, No Problem?
The news of the sales team’s exit was stunning to me. Just picture the scenario where you manage to run a company and one day you wake up to realize you simply have no sales team supporting you. 😮 Most assume this invokes anthropomorphic dread, something I completely disagree with. From my mentality and our collective ethos, the company’s achievements were not merely subjected to one team. Rather, as long as we had the right mindset, commitment, and flexibility towards functioning, we would always remain successful.
I revisited our beginnings as a small company. It was just two of us, but even then we managed to generate solid sales and build something valuable. Thinking back, I realized that we were always going to be able to manage the change. If we were able to do that with such a small core team, there was no reason to worry about handling this transition.
Preparing for the Unexpected: Anticipating Change
Hindsight is always 20-20, and in this case, I did see the situation coming. I noticed that the alignment within the sales team began to shift. Vision misalignment among employees is usually a downward symptom. As a business owner, you may find yourself in situations where all the paths seem to be obstacles. You can’t progress and things look unyielding. The only thing that matters is who’s on the journey with you and what you choose to do next.
Instead of pursuing the legal route, as I most definitely could have, I opted to take the moral high ground. And walked away fully supporting the team’s decision, fully believing the choice they made was in their best interest. 🌱
A Quick Pivot: Moving the Right People Into the Right Roles
After the sales team departed, I immediately placed the most competent people from other divisions into the UA team. These were the people whom I had previously worked with and I knew would be motivated to perform under pressure, infused with new vigor, and accelerate the organization’s growth. They accepted the challenge, and I knew that with their can-do attitude, together, we had all the building blocks to continue accomplishing milestones.
That day, I captured an upbeat selfie 🤳 because I felt that even with a reduced headcount (we shrank by 40%), we could attain the same milestones us working optimally as a team. I had faith in my team believing that they would put in the necessary effort and coupled with a positive mindset, the challenges ahead would simply become opportunities for expansion.
The Results: Achieving Success Despite the Setback
Now is the time to fast forward. Our newly created, ‘smaller’ sales team has now matched the sales numbers that the bigger sales team was hitting. 😁 What was a setback turned out to be a comeback, achieving miracle results with the right strategy and people, powered with unwavering resolve.
The morale in the sales department is at an all time high and we’re going to expand the sales team by 10x in the upcoming days. This further strengthened my belief that the right team will always be capable of adding another great team. 💯
The Lesson: Keep Going, Trust the Plan
As a new entrepreneur, allow me to highlight one critical factor. Setbacks do happen and can be expected, But there is no reason to despair. No matter what your goals are, every challenge is an opportunity to become better, learn, and get one step closer to success. The fundamental principle is to ensure that fear and challenges do not stand in the way of progress.
When faced with the above situation, we refrained from giving in. Instead, we persevered, executed what we had in mind, and remained focused. It’s easier to achieve everything when you trust the process—not so much when you expect everything to fall into place.
My Opinion | Resilience and the Power of the Right Team
These past few months have reinforced the notion yet again that one of the most important things an entrepreneur needs is resilience. Challenges and shifts in the normative business model will incur without a doubt, but with the right attitude and the right people, anything is possible.
I am pleased with how far we have come and what is to come for UPBRIGHT. This journey is far from over, we are just getting started. Remember, entrepreneurs, ‘Trust the process and surround yourself with the right people.’
