Company Outline
Tiles on Devon is Hamilton’s only family owned and operated tile company. They have been in business for over 20 years and boast a wide range of top quality tiles and associated products. In the years since the business was bought by the current owners, they have grown from a team of 3 to a team of 10 permanent staff. After outgrowing numerous previous locations, they now work out of a 400m2 Design Inspired Showroom and have done so for the past nine years.
Problem
Although the business had experienced substantial growth over the years, they were struggling with a number of issues internally. The strain of working through the recession had taken its toll on the working relationships of the family members within the business. As a result, their relationships with one another outside of business hours were suffering. This was affecting their ability to make important business decisions and was putting a burden on the overall running of the business and the team members within it.
Solution
Getting Nick Harvey on board helped to get their business back on track. They started by implementing structured weekly planning meetings with defined agendas. These covered everything from reviewing the past week, to having discussions about and planning for the week ahead. This allowed issues to be dealt with in a timely manner and enabled the team to make informed decisions for the coming week. Together, they put in place boundaries and responsibilities for each other within the business which made it clear where work started and finished. This made it easier for the team to separate their work life from their family life. They also amended their business plan and amend it quarterly to ensure that they are working towards their goals. They now have fortnightly meetings with Nick where they go over the events of the past couple of weeks. They identify areas which could be better and then, together, make decisions to actively improve in the coming weeks.
Outcome
The changes that Nick and the team at Tiles on Devon have made have had a positive impact on all aspects of the business, from creating better working relationships to financial growth. They are now at a place where the team enjoy coming to work every day, and their relationships outside of work are back on track. Nick is also now helping the owners to set up a succession plan for their daughter to take over the family business over the coming years.
Summary
Nick’s involvement in Tiles on Devon has really helped to turn the business around, and the owners view it as a great investment. There is always the potential in family-run businesses for relationships to suffer, but together they have managed to improve all aspects of their lives. This had reduced stress within the team, which has allowed them to shift their focus back to where it should be – providing a great service to their customers.
