The Growth Chain® is an award-winning operations, consultancy and podcast studio for unapologetically ambitious leaders and founders. Founded by Sneha Morjaria in 2020, we offer an individualised and intimate service. We support your growth ambitions with bespoke systems, processes, and audits to achieve operational excellence, whilst also helping you increase your visibility with our luxury podcast management service. Since starting the Business we have collectively generated over £2m for our clients and increased their profits by circa 8%.
Can you tell us a little about your background and the company?
Before starting The Growth Chain®, I was an FTSE 100 corporate auditor for national and global businesses, including the likes of Google, Selfridges, Next PLC, The White Company, pharmaceuticals and luxury hotels. Name the industry, I’ve covered it.
Then 2020 happened. I’ll spare you the grim summary of that historic year, as we all know the impact it had on jobs around the world. With my department gone, it was time to go back to the drawing board. Uprooting my life and moving to London for work wasn’t filling me with enthusiasm, so I turned my hand to VA work whilst I planned my next move.
Discovering Online Business Management was a light-bulb moment. It has allowed me to use my natural skillset and build a highly specialist dream team of data analysts, project managers, audio engineers and tech specialists.
Today, I use my expertise to help entrepreneurs and visionary business owners scale with custom-built systems and processes. From mapping your workflows to recruiting the brightest talent, to launching and managing chart topping podcasts, the team and I are here to take the pressure off, so you can reclaim your time and focus on the money-making moves.
How did the idea come to you for the company?
I had come across ‘Virtual Assistance’ but felt that my skill set was higher than this. When I came across ‘Online Business Management’ or the OBM role, I felt this was my calling.
How did you achieve awareness?
Being an introvert, I didn’t feel comfortable marketing my services the way other online service providers do which is by creating reels and sharing their lives online. What I did was post value based content consistently on social media, networked and did a great job for my current clients. We have achieved a lot of awareness by being the very best in the industry, winning 2 awards and working with high profile clients.
How have you been able to gain funding and grow?
Not applicable – no funding
What are the key successes?
1. 96% of our clients are through referrals. To me this is a huge achievement because it means my clients are clearly happy with my services.
2. One of my clients was sick due to the pandemic for a month and so I took over the business and we were able to not only manage her business but increase her profit margins by 8%!
3. Growing a team of 8 and providing incredible opportunities for their development
4. Launching and running a profitable business during the pandemic
5. Winning 2 Business Awards
6. Inspiring other women of colour: In my culture, it is not the norm for an unmarried woman over the age of 30 to build a business. However, I have had many budding entrepreneurs message me to tell me how I have inspired them and they have had the confidence to start their own ventures.
What were/are the challenges and how have you overcome these?
One of the main challenges has been maintaining healthy boundaries. As a service provider, and as a woman of colour who has been subjected to racial abuse from past clients, it has been difficult to say ‘no’ or ‘not right now’ to client requests. Our service is very unique in the sense that we partner with our clients in their Business and we are invested into their Business just as much as they are. This can easily result in unhealthy boundaries and the ability to actually take time off.
After suffering from burnout and overwhelm multiple times, I looked at the way we run our internal operations and refined these/brought on extra support to reduce my workload. We also communicated with our clients our expectations, working times and turnaround times and stuck to them.
What are your plans now/for the future?
We plan to grow and scale the podcast arm of the Business by offering full launch support services, guest bookings, monetisation and repurposing. In addition to this, we plan to build an OBM certification to train and develop the next wave of Online Business Managers.
What would you like to share with others to encourage them to start their own entrepreneurship journey?
Entrepreneurship can be overwhelming and scary. You will most likely have people [usually the ones closest to you] not believing in you. There will be late nights, phases of burnout and times where you want to burn the business to the ground. This is completely normal. There is no blueprint to building a successful business. I haven’t met a business owner, who feels they have everything 100% figured out. However, don’t let that stop you from pursuing your dreams. Your time on this earth is limited and there is no greater sense of fulfilment than building something of your own. So if you have an idea for a service or product, fire in your belly, dogged determination and work ethic then go for it. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy but it is worth it. As my Dad always says ‘whatever you put your focus and mind to, you can 100% achieve it’. Entrepreneurship allows you to achieve financial freedom, to give you back your time and the flexibility to be there for your family and friends when you need them.
Can you share your top tips for entrepreneurial success?
- Start to systemise everything in your business from the beginning. Put in solid processes, procedures and tech in place. Do this, before you even consider hiring. This will ensure that your business can truly benefit from having a team.
- Listen to your clients and audience. Listen to what they want. Too often, Business Owners build offers which they ‘think’ their customers want and are surprised when it doesn’t sell!
- Look after your physical and mental health. Your Business will only be as good as how great you feel. Late nights, poor sleep, lack of exercise and rest can and will catch up with you!
- Start building your personal brand – Think Grace Beverley and Tala, Richard Branson and Virgin, Steven Bartlett and Diary of CEO, Flight Story and Third Web. There is an age old saying that people do business with people. It’s not enough to just have a strong service/product, customers want to know the CEO behind the business. Building your own profile directly impacts the success of your Business.
Who are the 5 people who inspire you the most and why?
- Karren Brady – I read her autobiography when I was 14 years old and she taught me alot about the importance of hard work and determination
- Steven Bartlett – His podcasts have expanded my knowledge, the way I think and conduct business.
- Amy Guy founder of The Nail Tech Org – One of my most beloved clients and someone who I learn from on a daily basis. She is a born marketeer, disrupter, and community builder. She understands her audience like no other entrepreneur I have come across, never takes no for an answer and dreams big! All whilst having a huge smile on her face.
- My Dad – Coming to this country with £5 in his pocket, he has single handedly through clever investments been able to take an early retirement. He has taught me a lot about the need to manage finances, invest and ensure that every penny is working hard for you to generate more pounds.
- Rachel Harris founder of Strive X and Account She – I have been extremely inspired by how quickly she has scaled her accountancy business [especially as a former accountant] in a way in which I have never seen done before. She has built an incredible personal brand whilst not only educating people about finances, taxes and accountancy but also lowering the barriers to entry for the next generation of accountants.
What are your favourite inspirational /motivational quotes?
What is the worst that can happen?
What are your Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn social handles and also website links so our readers can connect with you?
https://www.instagram.com/thegrowthchain/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneha-morjaria/
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