At what point in the growth of your studio did you first make the decision to hire your first team member?
I founded Elicyon with the mandate to design two relatively large projects for long-standing clients with whom I had nurtured close relationships. Very shortly after founding the company, we secured two further wonderful projects. This propelled the hiring process forward, and we were close to 15 people within 8 months.
I have been working with and leading teams from quite early in my career, and have always found great enjoyment in it. It’s an opportunity for a group of people who are more skilled than I am in various aspects to come together, giving our clients the very best service. I find that very energising and have always wanted to lead a studio with a strong team and team structure.
What positions did you prioritise in the hiring process early on?
Creating a structure for the studio was central to my vision. I had a strategy around the key functions required for the inner workings of the business. In fact, I had an organogram for the first year through to year number five to ensure the vision flowed forward to a more established structure. The early years' priorities focused on the key pillars of design, architecture, project management, and administration.
How did your work output change once you had assembled a team?
There have been around six different phases in Elicyon’s evolution over 11 years. In each phase, my work output has responded to that structure. I have always maintained a strong link to design and client engagement, which are my two passions, throughout each phase.
In the early days, hiring a PA allowed me to step away from many administrative tasks.
An interim phase where we created a strong procurement team with a lead manager meant I spent less time reviewing procurement processes and the status of orders.
Recently, we have hired a brilliant marketing manager, who is leading that aspect of the Studio, hence I am less involved in the granular actions and meetings around that area.
Growth brings new opportunities, new requirements and new challenges. I revel in each stage, and hiring incredible new team members that are experts in their field (and many multitudes better than me!) is one of my proudest achievements at Elicyon.
Is there something you miss about the work you were doing at the beginning of your career versus the kind of work you do now, or have you specifically maintained working on things you have loved since day one of founding your studio?
My work continues to bring me great joy, and my arc of learning moves forward every day. I take the time to reflect on how I spend my time through three lenses: Where I can bring the most value for our clients, what I enjoy most and what is best for the studio. Inevitably, there are tasks and areas of focus that drift into my time, and on reflection, I feel can be outsourced or done by others. But by regularly considering this, I tend to broadly align my work in a way that continues to bring me great joy.
I try to carve out the early mornings for design. That remains at the heart of what I love. Structuring my day so I always have time for it grounds my career.
Do you have any advice for new studio owners who want to scale up?
Hiring your first employees can be a daunting milestone. I recommend having clarity on both your immediate and longer-term requirements. Considering a pool of freelance support that you can rely on can be a beneficial first step.
Consider those activities and tasks that someone else can do to allow you to focus on tasks that are more reliant on you. These would typically be client relationships, design vision, key financial and strategic decisions, but can vary for each individual.
