A hundred million with one employee: who does the rest of the work?
One employee at Twistboxes is the goal. Porobic Group’s team, external specialists and logistics must be counted too.
ORIGINAL EPISODE: Så skalar du mot 100 miljoner med en anställd #120 · · Audio in Swedish
The ambition for Twistboxes is a hundred million with one employee. It is a goal, and the business has support around it, including Porobic Group’s team. In episode 120, I describe using AI to contact retailers and how the founder then steps in to demonstrate the product. Fredrik and I examine the work and costs that have to fit behind that small headcount.
The employee list shows only part of the work.
When I describe Twistboxes in the podcast, I also explain that Porobic Group is the operating team behind it. A team works on the brand. Few employees in the business does not mean one person alone produces the ads, solves logistics and runs every part of sales.
What interests me is the ability to assemble resources around what the business needs. A busy period may need more creative and execution. In a quieter period, costs need to be able to come down too. That is a different question from how small the organisation looks on paper.
Count all the work around the business: external teams, tools, warehousing and customer service. What does the setup cost at low and high volumes, and who is responsible when something fails? You need that to assess how efficient the team is.
Listen at this point · 00:23Bring the founder in where they are needed.
One concrete example in the conversation is working with retailers. I describe an agent that makes contact, asks qualifying questions and helps prepare a meeting with the founder. The person arriving at the meeting should already have information about the product and how it works.
It is worth examining where a person’s contribution matters most. A product unfamiliar to the buyer can raise questions that need a demonstration and someone knowledgeable. I want the founder’s time spent on that conversation, with better information in place before it starts.
Break the process into finding the retailer, qualifying the contact, sending material and demonstrating the product. That makes it easier to choose what can be automated and where the founder’s knowledge is needed.
Listen at this point · 00:41The same roof box may need different ways of selling.
In the episode, I discuss the difference between selling a roof box to someone with limited space at home and someone mainly thinking about a skiing trip. The product can be the same, but the reason to choose it and the questions on the way to purchase can differ.
If the ad talks about a lack of space, the page the customer reaches needs to keep helping her with that. She should not have to search through a general message to understand whether the product fits her situation. A well-planned content library and technology can make relevant variations easier to produce.
We also discuss product information. One example in the conversation involves a buyer having to zoom into packaging in an image to find features missing from the copy. Those belong in clear text on the page. A small team must not become a reason to leave customers alone with questions that can be answered.
Listen at this point · 09:28Be careful with commitments that are costly to reverse.
When I discuss a small team, I keep returning to costs and stock. In the podcast, I describe decisions at Mockberg where we backed products we thought would do well, and having to step back and focus on what we did best.
There is a practical point here. Money tied up in the wrong stock cannot also fund the next priority. A business can afford a cost and still need to ask whether it deserves its place. That work continues even when sales are going well.
Logistics differs too. Large, varied products require different work from a uniform range. Include the physical handling when assessing which setup the business can manage.
Listen at this point · 18:42A report should help someone make a decision.
Reporting and media work are two areas where I see considerable potential for automation in the conversation. But more available data also makes how we use it more important. What are we trying to understand, and which decision could that knowledge affect?
I discuss an ad receiving substantial spend while looking weaker on some direct metrics. There may be reason to investigate its role before switching it off. Material that creates interest may need a different assessment from material that reaches someone later in the buying journey.
In the episode, we consider how different ads can work together. That is a possible explanation to test, rather than an answer for every account. I want the team to explain why it is making a change and follow what happens to the whole account afterwards.
Listen at this point · 40:05Decide where your own contribution makes a difference.
When Fredrik asks for three pieces of advice, I first return to what a person actually needs to do in that particular business. A physical demonstration, an event or warehouse work may need someone present. Research and other computer-based tasks can be organised differently.
Then comes the data and the ability to use it, followed by spending your own time on what you do well. If the product is your strength, you need room to develop it. Other skills need to complement yours.
Fredrik adds an important point: even someone getting help needs to understand enough to assess it. He suggests asking potential partners what they should achieve and how success will be judged. A small organisation needs to be able to ask those questions. That is part of making the whole setup work.
Listen at this point · 49:20The customer journey is a good place to start looking.
Towards the end, we review ads and follow the click to the website. A recurring problem becomes clear: the ad can make a specific question relevant while the page continues with a broader message. The customer has to connect the argument herself.
That is a concrete task for a small team. Choose an important buying situation, follow the route from ad to product information and check whether the next step helps the person move forward. Technology can make the change easier, but someone first needs to see what is missing.
Start with one such buying situation and put a team in charge of it. The small business needs to know who spots the gap, who fixes it and what the work costs. Then the ambition can be tested against an actual setup.
Listen at this point · 1:23:17This article is based on the conversation and adapted for reading.