CASE STUDY
Paradigm x Brand Good Time
How Strategic HR Helped Brand Good Time Make Marketing FUN Again
When Lauren Loreto founded Brand Good Time in 2020, building a team and scaling into an agency was not on her to-do list.
Operating as a marketing consultancy, Lauren spent most of her time advising clients on marketing strategies, and happily rolled up her sleeves to do the majority of client work herself. Business was booming and everything was going to plan.
Then Lauren had a baby in November 2021 and that plan? It flew right out the window.
“After coming back from my maternity leave, I quickly realized how unreliable and fickle childcare can be. I was feeling a lot of tension within my business as I tried to figure out how I was going to be a business owner and a mom and not feel resentment towards either.”
- Lauren
CONTRACTORS.
At first the solution was simple:
Lauren began to grow her team, using contractors to fill in the gaps and provide support to her clients in the times that Lauren was unavailable.
As the team and client roster grew, however, so did the needs of the business, and Lauren knew that employees were the next step.
“I’d been following Kira for a while and knew that moving towards employees was going to be the right move if I really wanted to grow Brand Good Time… but I waited a lot longer than I should have to actually work with Paradigm to set everything up.”
MAKING THE SWITCH
With strong systems in place and a company culture that fostered a tight-knit team, the initial transition to employees was pretty seamless; over time, team and business growth left Lauren experiencing some growing pains and it was time to give Kira a call (ok it was an Instagram DM - what do you think this is 1990?).
“Our client systems were strong, and transitioning to employees was pretty seamless in that regard, but when I started to face questions about sick leave, pto, and other benefits, I realized that something was missing.”
After a deep dive in the resource library and a serious podcast binge, Lauren came to two realizations:
#2
She was ready to get started like… now.
#1
Kira was the “something missing” that could help her fill in the gaps and take her team to the next level;
"I sat on the decision for a long time before finally feeling ready to invest, but once I was ready – I was ready. It was like I could see the light on the other side of the tunnel once I didn’t have to figure out all the HR by myself and I was ready to just get there already.”
A BALANCED SOLUTION
Lauren’s biggest concern heading into her time with Paradigm was losing the positive and fun company culture she had worked so hard to cultivate, but the process actually had the opposite effect.
“For a lot of my team, this is their first job, so building a company culture that balances our values with clear boundaries and standards for professionalism required a lot more explaining than I had expected. Once we had a company handbook with everything outlined in black and white, we actually reduced friction and improved employee engagement because there was clarity in everything we did.”
The other thing Paradigm helped Lauren look forward to? The possibilities for Brand Good Time’s future.
“I knew the handbook would help me feel better about providing feedback to my team, but I had no idea how much time I would save by having a concrete set of guidelines to turn to when faced with a decision.”
“After working with Paradigm I’ve been able to get a better understanding of our profit margins, stay on top of compliance requirements for my team, and even streamline the KPIs we use for performance reviews.”
Setting expectations up front had a major impact on team morale and on how Lauren spent her time.
Building out a clear set of guidelines for professional behavior helped Lauren share her expectations with the team before they took action, allowing Lauren to spend less time correcting behavior and more time supporting her team and her clients.
A FUN FUTURE
“Working with Paradigm had such a positive impact in all areas of the business. Having a handbook to turn to for policy enforcement made it easier for me to hold my own boundaries and maintain quality standards for the team, and employee engagement has improved as a result.”
What started as a desire for a simple handbook and benefits breakdown has turned into the beginning of a new chapter for Brand Good Time. From a deeper understanding of profit margins to a streamlined approach to KPIs for performance reviews, Lauren has seen the impacts of working with Paradigm in virtually every aspect of her business
“I thought we were doing alright and that working with Paradigm would just help me feel more confident in my compliance but the change I’ve seen in my team has gone above and beyond my expectations.
Now that we have proper performance metrics I can make better financial plans and visualize ROI on the team which has been a total game-changer. I always had faith that we were going to do great things at Brand Good Time, but now I can easily see how we’re going to get there.”
Crossing your T's and dotting your i's when it comes to hiring, keeping, and managing employees can be overwhelming.
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