Supplement Brand Owners & Managers – Lead Your Troops or Die on Your Own Sword

by Matt Weik

I’m going to put all supplement brand owners and managers on notice. Why specifically supplement brand owners and managers? Because that’s the industry I’m in, and we might as well discuss this topic because I’ve seen and experienced what I’m about to talk about. Now, before you read this and get your panties in a wad (assuming you already have a guilty conscience), know that this topic can completely transform your business if you’re willing to get your head out of your ass.

I want to preface this by saying there are some fantastic supplement brand owners and managers out there, and I have the privilege of working with many of them on the content creation and copywriting side of their business. But I’ve also seen my fair share, who I’m hoping can turn things around before it’s too late.

(And yes, if you can’t already tell, I’m pretty fired up about this topic.)

So, if you’re still with me, let’s dive into things.

Supplement Brand Owners & Managers Are the Generals

If you own a supplement company or are a sales manager, marketing director, or insert any C-suite executive/director/manager within a company, consider yourself a General in the war of gaining shelf space and growing your brand in a battle of supplement brands.

All of the people you work with and who may be “below you” in the hierarchy are your troops. You can either lead your troops or can get them killed. Now, of course, I’m saying that figuratively, not literally. But follow me here. It’s your job to help them be the best soldier out on the front lines for your business. In doing so, you need to lead by example. You’re not a one-person army. You’re not able to put everything on your shoulders and go out to win the war.

What supplement brand owners and managers seem to forget is that your product isn’t the most important thing in your business. Your number one product in business is people. It’s the people you work with and the people who buy your supplements.

When you have a me-me-me mentality, and you only think about yourself and not others, you might as well just die on your own sword and get it over with. When you lose touch with people is when they leave – both as an employee as well as a customer.

Supplement brand owners and managers need to bring their team together. Unite everyone. And help everyone stay focused and motivated. But it starts from the top. When you treat people poorly is when the wheels will fall off of your business.

As a leader, it’s your job to boost morale. It’s your job to pull people back in if they get a little squirrely. And help people GROW within the company. If you’ve already put a ceiling on someone’s potential with your company, how motivated do you think they will be to work hard year after year?

If you’re experiencing quite a bit of turnover in your business, it might not be a matter of hiring the wrong person, it could be YOU are the wrong person. Being a leader isn’t for everyone. In fact, some individuals who start a business on their own step away, and while they maintain ownership, they hire a CEO who shares the same vision and can rally the troops together to grow the business.

That person might not be you, and that’s ok. But recognize it before you realize you’re the only man standing in the middle of an open field with the enemy closing in on you. You have nowhere to hide and have no help because no one wanted to stand with you when things got rough or when you failed to recognize people’s strengths and skills.

Take Responsibility and Be Accountable When Things Aren’t Working

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that supplement brand owners and managers will have all of their problems solved when they show they care for their staff and employees. That would be naïve to think. But when things aren’t working, look at yourself FIRST. What could you, as the leader, have done differently to put your team in a position to win?

Did you not give them enough help and resources? Did people voice their opinion, and you decided to stick to your strategy because you’re making everything about yourself so that you can take all of the credit? No one wins with that mentality. Everyone needs to lean on one another and their strengths to go out and execute.

Something to think about and ask yourself if you are one of the supplement brand owners and managers out there is, “How well do you know the people you work with directly and do you know what motivates them?”

That question can be answered over a 60-minute lunch. Grab someone you work with and take them out for lunch. Do it individually and go through your entire team. Get to know them on a personal level. Get to know what makes them tick and what motivates them to want to work hard. Is it money? Are they looking for a raise? Are they very much into titles and want a new title and role within the company? Are they driven by accolades? Do they want to be recognized in front of their peers and respected for their work? Simply put… ASK.

When you get the answer, figure out how you can work with them and help them achieve their goals. Lay out a game plan on what needs to take place. And stick to it. If you agree to help them achieve something and you don’t follow through, they’ll never believe you again, will resent you, and will probably be brushing up their resume to put it out there to all of your competitors. Then you’ll wonder why good people leave.

I’m not the smartest person, and I’m not saying anything here that is worth securing the IP on. It’s common sense. Yet, very few supplement brand owners and managers are willing to put in the time to be a leader and build up their troops to go out and win. So, if you’re reading this while sharpening your sword, will you be carrying it into battle beside your highly trained troops who will stand side-by-side with you no matter what you’re up against, or will your fall forward onto it and destroy everything you’ve been trying to build because YOU have the wrong mindset and mentality? Only you can answer that question.

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