Expanding Our Phone Accessory Product Lines And Meeting The Evolving Customer Needs [Update]
This is a follow up story for Phone Loops. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published almost 7 years ago, check it out here.
Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.
We are excited to share a fifth that Phone Loops has been featured on Starter Story for the fifth time. All of our previous articles can be found here.
As entrepreneurs, we receive a lot of unsolicited outreach. However, we still vividly remember receiving a cold email from Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story, on December 13th, 2017. We had a gut feeling that Walls was onto something different, and we are thrilled to see how Starter Story has grown into a platform with well over a million monthly readers and an impressive domain authority. Pat and his team have successfully managed to scale over the past years.
Scaling a business can be a challenging endeavor, particularly when it comes to building a strong team. In this case study, we want to address specific aspects of team building, such as defining processes and workflows, delegating tasks, automating processes, hiring employees, onboarding new hires, retaining employees, managing projects, and dealing with employee turnover.
At Phone Loops, we are currently going through the most challenging period in scaling our team. We are actively looking to hire sales forces, customer service agents, designers, video editors, and other professionals who can help us take Phone Loops to the next level.
Our goal in this interview is to provide valuable insights into the intricacies of scaling a business and building a strong team. We hope that by sharing our personal experience with Phone Loops, we can offer practical advice to fellow entrepreneurs who are facing similar challenges. We aim to help entrepreneurs successfully navigate the ups and downs of scaling a business.
Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?
We have been actively working to expand our product line and meet our customers' evolving needs for the past year. Our latest offering includes Crossbody Slings, Phone Leashes, Phone Cases, Airpod cases, and several new Loop designs.
Building strong relationships with our clients is the key to our success, and we are continuously impressed by our customer’s stories and journeys.
As our business has grown, my partner has taken on more responsibility and has become more involved in our R&D activities. This redistribution of responsibilities has been very successful in helping to scale the business, and as the founder, I find that fewer and fewer things solely depend on me.
Responding to popular demand, we have added Neck Lanyards to our customizable products. These Lanyards are of course compatible with our Phone Loops and provide added convenience and safety for mobile users.
We are thrilled to see that our clients love this combination of products, and we are continuing to receive more and more custom orders as the pandemic comes under control. If you're interested in learning more about our products or seeing some mockups, request your custom swag here.
In addition to expanding our product line, we are also focused on growing our influencer network through our Ambassadors Program. We have even set up an Affiliation Program and have already paid out good money to several of our affiliates.
We've made it easy for our ambassadors to sign up and get unique discount codes and referral links for their audiences. If you're interested in becoming an affiliate, don't hesitate and request your affiliate link here.
We believe that word of mouth is the most effective marketing strategy, and we are actively inviting long-time VIP clients, influencers, and others to become affiliates and ambassadors. Our efforts are paying off as we are even seeing long-time clients, from all ages, now ordering custom Loops for the companies they work with. Building strong relationships with our clients is the key to our success, and we are continuously impressed by our customer’s stories and journeys.
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
We've faced several challenges at Phone Loops over the past year. One of the biggest issues that we've been working on day in and day out is the problem of scalability and hiring. While we've experienced fair growth over the past year, it's been a challenge to keep up with demand while maintaining our high standards of quality and customer service.
To take the business to the next level, I’ve had to make several changes. We've had to revamp a lot of our systems and processes and bring in fresh talents to help us achieve our goals. More on that is below. However, I feel like we're at a tipping point and still have some work to do.
Despite these challenges, we remain fully committed to providing our customers with the best possible products and services. I am excited about the future of Phone Loops and the opportunities that lie ahead. I believe that with the right team and strategies in place, we can continue to grow and succeed in this ever-changing crazy market.
Speaking of fast-paced landscapes, take a look at the image below. It has been edited using DALL-E 2 and other online AI tools. I challenge you to find the original image on our Instagram profile. Quite amazing… It's humbling to think about the era we are living in and the possibilities that lie ahead.
What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?
Having a precise plan is essential for achieving direction and momentum. One of the best decisions my partner and I made was to take a month to plan and reorganize our projects and management practices.
This has helped us de-noise, prioritize our tasks, and track our progress toward achieving our goals. Despite the neverending miscellaneous one-offs that drop in our inboxes, we've learned to push them aside and stay focused on the main thing.
Check out this screenshot of our Content Management Board. We've redesigned it with over 20 different automation to keep us ahead of the curve when it comes to content creation. From the very beginning stages of ideation, all the way through to scheduling, creation, and distribution, our board is built to streamline our process and ensure that we're always delivering top-notch content.
Another important lesson I've learned is the value of building a strong team. As CEO, I play a critical role in hiring and developing talented individuals who can help us achieve our goals and drive growth within the company.
Whether we're working with full-time employees, freelancers, or contractors, finding and retaining top talent is essential. I learned the hard way that we need to hire people faster to keep up with the growth of our business.
While automating some of our processes has saved us time and effort, I've realized that automation can't replace all human effort. Even with the latest AI tools like Chat GPT by Open AI, there's no substitute for a team of talented individuals.
Elon Musk's attempt to over-robotize Tesla's production line serves as a cautionary tale. They ended up replacing some robots with humans… Too much obsession with automation can cause you to miss out on great opportunities!
But who doesn’t love automation? Ah! After transferring all of our automation from Zapier to Make.com, we’ve been improving a lot of complex processes. Here is a flow diagram from a part of our logistics behind the scenes for seeding Phone Loops to clients, prospects, ambassadors, etc.
Below is our corporate automation for all Custom Branded Loops operations, from the initial quotes, up to manufacturing, order tracking, and invoicing. It’s fair to say that hundreds of tasks have been automated between Monday.com, Shopify, CognitoForms, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Freshdesk, Quickbooks, Klaviyo, Wave, and many more…
What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?
Within the next five years, our ultimate goal is to 10X. However, to be honest, our plan does not extend beyond five years. I am not comfortable planning past an 18-month horizon. In the current socio-economic context, not to mention the latest breakthroughs in AI technologies, 3-4-5-year plans feel a bit counterproductive to me.
That being said, we're exploring new avenues for growth and expansion, from new product lines to new audiences and regions. One of our top priorities is expanding our product line to better meet the needs of our customers. We're constantly seeking feedback from our customers to identify areas where we can improve and innovate, either through surveys or very constructive notes from clients. This has led us to explore new materials, designs, and product offerings, all to provide the best possible experience for our customers.
Looking ahead to the next year, our plan includes a major focus on expanding our B2B corporate sales. We're committed to building strong relationships with businesses and organizations, offering customized solutions that meet their unique needs. This includes wholesale, promotional products, and distribution partnerships.
Since problems are a renewable resource, getting passionate about finding solutions allows you to not only succeed but also find happiness in the process.
We're dedicated to supporting the evolving needs of our current customer base. Our belief in the power of word-of-mouth marketing drives us to continue building strong relationships with our clients, putting their needs first. We're excited about the potential for growth and innovation in the years ahead, and we're committed to staying at the forefront of the industry.
Here is what our Project Management Board looked like for Q1 2023.
What’s the best thing you read in the last year?
I love using Blinkist! I'm always on the lookout for new ways to learn and grow my business, but finding the time to read entire books can be a challenge. Blinkist has been a game-changer for me because it provides concise summaries, or "Blinks," of popular non-fiction books on a variety of topics.
I've discovered so many great books through Blinkist, but some of my favorites for entrepreneurs include "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. With Blinkist, I can optimize my time and gain valuable insights to help me succeed in my business and life. I highly recommend giving it a try!
Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?
— As an entrepreneur, it's important to remember that you're not alone in this journey. Don't be afraid to reach out to other entrepreneurs for help and support. Hire more people and consider bringing in experts or specialized freelancers to add fresh perspectives to your team.
— One of the keys to success as an entrepreneur is designing and delegating autonomous workflows with closed-feedback loops. This should be your main output as a business owner, not working on one-off projects. Your systems should run in parallel, with as few critical parts as possible. This way, if something breaks or someone leaves the ship, most operations can still run smoothly.
— We're on the brink of some major AI disruption, and it's essential to remain open to new approaches and be willing to pivot when necessary. Adapting to changing market conditions is crucial to positioning your business for success in a constantly-evolving landscape.
— When faced with challenges, I like to think of them as games. Like a chess player, you can only make one move at a time, even if you can plan a few moves. So, instead of resigning yourself to the problem, focus on the fun of solving the puzzle and finding the checkmate. My mantra is "Passion Solution." Since problems are a renewable resource, getting passionate about finding solutions allows you to not only succeed but also find happiness in the process.
Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?
We're currently on the hunt for some talented individuals to join our team. Here are the roles we're currently hiring for:
- Sales Director
- B2B Customer Support
- Video Editor
- Graphic Designer
At Phoneloops, we're proud of our tight and well-organized workflows and processes. Our well-defined tasks and responsibilities ensure that everything runs smoothly. If you're looking to work with a fun and easy-going team, we'd love to hear from you! Drop us a line at [email protected].
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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