Operational Scalability: Stasi Grenfell of VICTRESS MVMT On How To Set Up Systems, Procedures, And People To Prepare A Business To Scale

Ideal Technology Stack: Having a strong technology plan and leveraging tech to grow is critical for the success of any business. Potential tools to put in your tech stack: CRM, project management system, communication tools, HRMS, Financial management, ERP, Inventory management, Data analytics or business intelligence, Asset management system, and/or workflows.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, scalability is not just a buzzword; it’s a necessity. Entrepreneurs often get trapped in the daily grind of running their businesses, neglecting to put in place the systems, procedures, and people needed for sustainable growth. Without this foundation, companies hit bottlenecks, suffer inefficiencies, and face the risk of stalling or failing. This series aims to delve deep into the intricacies of operational scalability. How do you set up a framework that can adapt to growing customer demands? What are the crucial procedures that can streamline business operations? How do you build a team that can take on increasing responsibilities while maintaining a high standard of performance?

In this interview series, we are talking to CEOs, Founders, Operations Managers Consultants, Academics, Tech leaders & HR professionals, who share lessons from their experience about “How To Set Up Systems, Procedures, And People To Prepare A Business To Scale”. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Stasi Grenfell.

Stasi Grenfell brings nearly twenty years of business management to her role as CEO of VICTRESS MVMT. As co-owner of VICTRESS MVMT’s flagship location in Lincoln, Nebraska, Stasi also understands the unique set of skills required to manage and grow a small business. She’s an entrepreneur at heart, leveraging her extensive experience to mentor and lift the women around her, from franchise owners and staff, to coaches and members. Stasi has an unwavering passion for spreading the VICTRESS movement of empowering women through strength training in all stages of life. Stasi and her Co-Founder Stacy Orsborn’s strength training programs cater to women at all stages of life — from young adult, prenatal, postpartum and menopause — providing a supportive community and medical-backed fitness training to help all VICTRESS women feel strong and empowered. .

Stasi holds a BA in Marketing from Saint Leo University and has 15+ years experience in sales and management. In 2017 Stasi launched Reach Consulting, a small business consulting firm, offering her expertise to help other businesses thrive. Stasi is a wife and mother of three boys. She’s a member of the board for Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln and a Malone Maternal Wellness advocate. She also runs Reach Business Consulting, leveraging her experience to offer support to small business owners. Stasi lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started

Entrepreneurship has always been an interest of mine. In fact, my favorite course in college was Entrepreneurship. The entire semester was dedicated to building a business plan from start to finish, and I loved it. I spent the next 10 years honing my skills in business management, business development, and start-up consulting until I decided to take a leap of faith in 2017 by starting my own consulting firm while pregnant with my first child. In 2018, I became pregnant for the second time, prompting me to adopt a healthier lifestyle after a difficult first pregnancy. After finding my fitness footing again with the help of a prenatal specialist, Stacy Orsborn, the female-specific concept of Victress MVMT was born. We opened our flagship location in March of 2019.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I don’t love calling ‘failures’ mistakes. They are opportunities for learning, and that uncomfortable feeling is how we grow. The six months leading up to and after opening Victress is definitely something I would do differently if I had to do it all over again. The strategic planning process of Victress happened pretty much my entire pregnancy, so when the perfect location fell into our laps, Stacy and I ran with it. We planned to open our doors only two months post c-section of my second child. I was setting up equipment and organizing our space at nine months pregnant, and then came to work with a baby for the first six months of his life. It was probably one of the most challenging times of my life. The biggest lesson I learned from this experience was to go with the flow while staying persistent. Having gone through two of the most difficult things in my life simultaneously, I learned to be disciplined and resilient. A new baby and a new business have something in common: they are both unbelievably unpredictable.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

VICTRESS MVMT is a leading fitness training facility that specializes in training the female lifecycle: from young athlete to young adult, prenatal to postpartum, and each stage of menopause. Founded on the simple belief that movement should be intentional and strength is transformative, VICTRESS MVMT offers functional strength training designed specifically for the unique needs of women at every stage of life. In each VICTRESS MVMT location, members will find small-group and personal training led by expert coaches alongside a community of individuals seeking their own strength to lend strength to others.

VICTRESS MVMT is dedicated to creating meaningful change in the world, and we believe that change can start with movement. We’ve seen firsthand how creating a space that positively impacts our members can be a catalyst for positive impact on the world around them.

After a traumatic birth experience, medical gaslighting, and postpartum depression, I felt compelled to be a part of this movement. My experience during my second pregnancy was transformative, mentally and physically, and there was no way I could move forward without sharing the opportunity with the greater community.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Advocacy: Leadership requires a high level of advocacy. Empathy and thoughtfulness provide leaders with the skills to nurture relationships through high-level listening, introspection, and a growth mindset. Victress MVMT advocates for our employees by maintaining a culture that cultivates growth, equality and autonomy.

Purposeful: Leadership is challenging and can pull you in multiple directions. Maintaining purpose and a strong belief in your mission is integral to your success. Victress MVMT changes lives, and the more women we serve, the larger the waves and positive impact we will leave in its wake.

Integrity: Upholding the highest standards in transparency, ethics, and self-accountability creates an environment of trust. Integrity is crucial for leaders to build lasting relationships both inside and outside their organization. Victress is dedicated to maintaining full transparency with staff and the communities we serve. We build trust, listen, and act to provide the highest level of service possible.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

Leadership is not black and white. You have to be willing to live in the gray and make decisions that are best for everyone involved. People management decisions are likely some of the most difficult decisions a leader has to manage. Scaling requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, where efficiency and accountability are highly valued. Over the past six months, we have had to hire quickly, placing individuals in positions where they had to adapt very quickly. Unfortunately, adaptability isn’t always a skill or strength apparent in the interviewing process. We made several hiring decisions that needed to be reviewed soon after those individuals were settled into their roles. We revoked a large chunk of responsibility from one of our employees, resulting in her decision to leave the position after four short months of employment. In retrospect, she was not the best fit for the position, and given more time, we would have hired differently. The saying “hire slow, fire fast” is likely one of the truest statements when it comes to organizational management. Given more time and applicants, we would have made a better decision in placement for this position.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion about Operational Scalability. In order to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s begin with a simple definition. What does Operational Scalability mean to you?

Operational scalability refers to the standard operating procedures and organizational management necessary to scale a business efficiently and effectively, without sacrificing quality or quantity of output.

Which types of business can most benefit from investing in Operational Scalability?

Any and all businesses looking to scale/grow benefit from investing in operational scalability.

Why is it so important for a business to invest time, energy, and resources into Operational Scalability?

The question is why WOULDN’T it be important for any business. Building solid foundational operational systems and processes make it easier to make informed decisions quickly. Quality control is also incredibly important for most businesses, so when making these investments, you avoid making mistakes, which in turn, helps save money and resources long term.

In contrast, what happens to a business that does not invest time, energy, and resources into Operational Scalability?

Many businesses that fail, fail for this reason. When operational scalability isn’t a priority, leaders are forced to become reactive in their decision making and it leads to higher spending, lower profit margins, and under capitalization.

Can you please share a story from your experience about how a business grew dramatically when they worked on their Operational Scalability?

Victress MVMT is a great example of this. Our brand has grown 400+% since 2019 and is now franchising due to investments made in our operational scalability over the past 5 years. We started our business responsibly, with strong financial projections, a competitive analysis, feasibility study, and operational growth plan. All of which have been living documents that have been reviewed over time. We have also leveraged artificial intelligence to help us with improving our standard operational procedures and an operations manual, so that is replicable for scale in all core areas of our business.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the “Five Most Important Things A Business Leader Should Do To Set Up Systems, Procedures, And People To Prepare A Business To Scale”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1. Feasibility Study: This would include an executive summary, demographic analysis, financial forecasting, and competitive analysis.
2. Business Model Canvas and/or Standard Business Plan: strategizing relationships, key partners, sourcing, revenue streams, etc.
3. A Strong Operations Manual and Strong: Lean into AI generated support to create best practices for all core areas of business: operations, organizational management, human resources, tech, procurement/resourcing and quality control.
4. Strategic Organizational Growth Plan: Creating a culture for scale. How will you be able to scale impact, social/community engagement, and overall high-level purpose? Who are we hiring, when, and how?
5. Ideal Technology Stack: Having a strong technology plan and leveraging tech to grow is critical for the success of any business. Potential tools to put in your tech stack: CRM, project management system, communication tools, HRMS, Financial management, ERP, Inventory management, Data analytics or business intelligence, Asset management system, and/or workflows.

What are some common misconceptions businesses have about scaling? Can you please explain?

The most common misconception businesses have about scaling is the amount of capital needed. Scaling requires copious amounts of resources, including human capital and financial capital. What a business thinks it needs to scale and what it actually needs to scale are often two completely different figures.

How do you keep your team motivated during periods of rapid growth or change?

I believe that with growth, comes opportunity. We motivate our team through advocacy in their career, constant engagement, investing in their own personal growth and a strong focus on culture and impact. And, most importantly, we have fun!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential” — Brene Brown

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I am living this every single day with Victress MVMT and I want to continue foraging forward in this purpose. Women’s health is desperately under-resourced and under-researched. With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, we have only taken steps backward over the course of the past two years. Using Victress MVMT as a vehicle, I believe that we can make a lasting impact on women’s health and be able to engage women all over the world.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

For those interested in hearing more about owning and operating a VICTRESS MVMT franchise, you can learn more here: https://victressmvmt.com/

We can also be found on social media at:

https://www.instagram.com/victressmvmt/

https://www.facebook.com/victressmvmt/

And you can connect with me personally on:

https://www.instagram.com/stasigrenfell/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiagrenfell/

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!