\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
On the surface, Nate Berkus and I couldn\u2019t have more different businesses. He designs multimillion-dollar homes and commercial properties. I implement CRM and AI software systems and advise small businesses. But after talking with him, I realized we\u2019ve learned many of the exact same lessons about growing a company, keeping clients happy and building teams that last.<\/p>\n
Berkus founded Nate Berkus Associates<\/a> \u2014 a design firm that specializes in luxury residential interiors and select commercial projects \u2014\u00a0 more than 30 years ago and has since catered to the rich and famous, frequently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show<\/em>, judged and hosted numerous TV shows on HGTV (most recently The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project<\/em>) and has won numerous industry awards for his renovating, furnishing and custom interior work.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t claim to have such a storied career. But I write, speak and consult. Berkus and I both built our respective companies \u2014 his has about 50 people, and I have about 10 \u2014 over about 30 years. \u00a0Here\u2019s what we\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n Great companies scale by not having the founder do everything.\u00a0 Before my father passed away in 2005, my company was just me and him. After his passing, I started to hire people, build teams and delegate projects.\u00a0 And that was when I started to make money. Berkus learned a similar lesson.<\/p>\n \u201cEntrepreneurs eventually have to let talented people represent their brand,\u201d he told me when I interviewed him on a recent Paychex Thrive<\/a> podcast. \u201cThe founder\u2019s job shifts from doing the work to creating systems and hiring people who can deliver the same quality.\u201d<\/p>\n Clients want Berkus just like they wanted me on their projects.\u00a0 But they can adapt, and to Berkus, the owner or founder can still stay involved, but at a distance.<\/p>\n \u201cThe client knows that I\u2019ve always looked at it before it goes out the door,\u201d he said. \u201cIf somebody that represents me is suggesting something, it\u2019s because I\u2019m suggesting it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Although my firm now has more than 600 clients and I spend a great deal of time travelling, I still retain one long-term client \u2014 a 150-person paper and film manufacturing company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania \u2013 where I visit just about every week for a few hours. I love meeting with the three brothers who own the business (we\u2019ve grown old together), chiming in on the various issues of the day, reviewing their financials and being useful as an advisor. And it keeps me in the game. The stuff I learn there I take to other clients and in my writing and speaking activities.<\/p>\n Berkus is the same. His media schedule is way more intense than mine. Still, he believes in staying close to his core business, even as the demands of his success have pulled him in different directions. He says that the business that made your reputation should continue informing everything else you do, as it does for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a designer first and will always be a designer,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like I\u2019d have the credibility that I wanted unless I was still very much involved in the day-to-day design process with my firm and clients.\u201d<\/p>\n The more years I\u2019ve spent implementing technology and advising clients on financial matters, the more I\u2019ve grown in confidence. Berkus, too. Both of us have learned that we know what we know, and what we know a lot of our clients don\u2019t know, regardless of how much they think they know. Got that? Both of us are pretty adamant about saying \u201cno\u201d to a client when we don\u2019t agree with an approach.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we don\u2019t just say no without a reason,\u201d he said. \u201cBut over the years, we\u2019ve built a foundation of principles, and we require our clients to respect our process.\u201d<\/p>\n Too true. A client wouldn\u2019t be hiring my firm or Berkus\u2019s if they could just do it themselves. They have to understand that they\u2019re paying us for a reason \u2014 our expertise and experience to truly know what\u2019s right.<\/p>\n Regardless of what we both know, we both still make mistakes. And another thing I\u2019ve learned is to be accountable.<\/p>\n When I was a young accountant, I made a major mistake on a spreadsheet that I prepared for a client. He noticed it and kept questioning me, and I kept deflecting, avoiding his calls and making up excuses. To this day, I still regret behaving that way. People make mistakes. Grown-ups own up to theirs.<\/p>\n Berkus agrees and has learned that being accountable usually solves more customer problems than just making excuses. Customers can accept problems. They rarely accept defensiveness.<\/p>\n \u201cI like accountability,\u201d he said. \u201cI found myself as a customer being diffused almost instantly when somebody says, \u2018You\u2019re right, and here are my ideas to navigate it.’\u201d<\/p>\n I speak and write about AI, and my company implements AI applications.\u00a0 You\u2019d think I\u2019d be one of those guys saying that AI is going to replace humans and that you can automate just about anything.\u00a0 Baloney.<\/p>\n My firm relies more on our people than ever before. I need solid, hardworking, committed professionals to help me roll out solutions that help our businesses.\u00a0 And I prefer to hire people smarter than me. I\u2019ve only become comfortable with that approach over the past few years.\u00a0 However, the brightest entrepreneurs \u2014 like Berkus \u2014 understand this concept at a much earlier age.<\/p>\n \u201cStrong entrepreneurs know what they aren\u2019t good at and let others handle it,\u201d Berkus said.<\/p>\n And they know what\u2019s important: treating people the way they want to be treated.<\/p>\n To that end, Berkus\u2019s company offers significant flexibility and job recognition. He also finds it important to recognize employees for their loyalty and dedication, giving gold watches and Chanel bags to longer-term workers when they reach their work anniversaries.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a cheap boss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He is not. Neither am I. We are business owners who have been doing this for a long time. We\u2019ve made our mistakes. But we care.\u00a0 And I think the results show for both.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n On the surface, Nate Berkus and I couldn\u2019t have more different businesses. He designs multimillion-dollar homes and commercial properties. I implement CRM and AI software systems and advise small businesses. But after talking with him, I realized we\u2019ve learned many of the exact same lessons about growing a company, keeping clients happy and building teams that last.<\/p>\nBuild teams and delegate<\/h2>\n
Keep your toe in the water<\/h2>\n
The customer isn\u2019t always right<\/h2>\n
Be accountable<\/h2>\n
Finally, it truly is all about your people<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
\n