Liz Illg, founder of Liz Illg Consulting, is an entrepreneur active in multiple industries “with brick-and-mortar businesses across Arizona and several online businesses.”
Among her online businesses are “her own consulting business and boutique marketing agency.”
Liz Illg started Liz Illg Consulting because “business owners continually asked Liz how she grew her storefront in multiple locations in a short amount of time.”
After successfully growing her business, Liz Illg credits “systems, effective delegation, and strategic launch planning.”
Her background in “business starting, flipping, and expanding” helped Liz Illg master “the method of scaling brands with launches that are unique and impactful.”
Liz Illg decided to quit her “really great sales job in the corporate world” when she was 26 years old and “buy my first brick-and-mortar business.”
That business was a grooming shop. In just under a decade, Liz Illg grew the business to “multiple storefront locations across Phoenix, Arizona.”
After that success, Liz Illg “started consulting other business owners that needed help growing their business with systems, operations, and business planning.”
Liz Illg has grown her consulting business “so much that I’m now able to serve my clients with direct business consulting.” She has also “expanded into a boutique marketing agency.”
Throughout her entrepreneurial career, Liz Illg has never considered failure to be an option. It’s important to “believe in what you’re doing” and “spend the time to continually improve your business” to “see the return on your investment.”
Check out more interviews with serial entrepreneurs here.
I’ve never thought about giving up.
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, 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?
Liz Illg: When I was 26 years old, I had a really great sales job in the corporate world and I decided to leave the comfort of that job and buy my first brick-and-mortar business. I bought my first grooming shop and in under ten years, I was able to grow that business to multiple storefront locations across Phoenix, Arizona.
After I created successful businesses, I started consulting other business owners that needed help growing their business with systems, operations, and business planning.
Fast-forward to now, my consulting business has grown so much that I’m now able to serve my clients with direct business consulting and I’ve also expanded into a boutique marketing agency.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
Liz Illg: Running physical storefronts is super challenging and I encourage any business owner who’s thinking about opening up their own to really do the research. From staffing to property management, there’s so many layers to running an in-person business.
I’ve never thought about giving up. I’ve invested so much into growing my businesses that I’ve always had so much to lose so failure has never been an option for me. When you believe in what you’re doing and you spend the time to continually improve your business, you’ll see the return on your investment.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
Liz Illg: I think the silliest thing I’ve done and learned from as a business owner is spreading myself too thin to do all of the things. It’s a problem that I now help business owners solve in their own world but as entrepreneurs, we tend to think we have to be everything for our companies. From what I’ve seen in my businesses, I’m able to move my business forward faster when I trust in my team and they work alongside me.
Systematize Your Business.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you please share your “Five Things You Need To Know To Delegate Effectively and Be Completely Satisfied With the Results?” Please share a story or an example for each.
Liz Illg:
- Systematize Your Business
Are you using platforms that make your business run smoothly? If not, make the switch. There are so many digital tools that can help your business run more automatically so utilize them! - Document Your Operations
From start to finish. What are your business daily duties? Who does what? How? Document every step of the process so that someone ever needs to step into your business to manage a part of it, they have a full synopsis on how it should all be done. If you don’t have documentation, you’ll spend more time telling people how to do things over and over. - Spend Time Training Your People
Some people often think that when you give an employee or contractor your standard operating procedures, you’re fully preparing them for their role and they’ll knock it out of the park. If you spend extra time with them actually applying your principles and teaching them “on the job,” the more independent they can become. - Spend Time Hiring the Right People
I see so many business owners hiring quickly and without thought. In those cases, you’ll see that they end up losing time, resources, and money when they realize that the team member wasn’t a good fit to begin with. I recommend taking time to get to know your potential team member and really analyzing whether or not they’d be a positive contribution to your team. - Empower Your People by Trusting Them
If you’ve done the systematizing, documenting, and preparation to put people in the right places in your business, trust them in taking that direction and doing their job. They’re not you and they’re not going to always do what you do or think but that’s the beauty of having a team. You have new ideas and perspectives to offer your customers!
Jerome Knyszewski: One of the obstacles to proper delegating is the oft quoted cliche “If you want something done right do it yourself.” Is this saying true? Is it false? Is there a way to reconcile it with the importance of delegating?
Liz Illg: In my experience of starting and growing businesses in different spaces and industries and helping my clients grow in theirs, I can honestly say that this is not the case.
As leaders, we have to make decisions. Making decisions is one of the most challenging responsibilities we have as entrepreneurs. And being the decision maker and visionary for your business can be its own role.
When you have a team that supports you and allows you to be that visionary in your business, you’ll jump over mountains.
The truth is… I couldn’t do this all on my own and I wouldn’t want to. I truly value my team members because they’re so skilled and gifted, which inspires me to the best leader I can be to allow them to shine.
When you have a team that supports you and allows you to be that visionary in your business, you’ll jump over mountains.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Liz Illg: You can connect with me on my website and on Instagram, @liz.illg!
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
