Eileen Vizard is finance director at Leyland-based EnergyAce,  a manufacturer of solutions designed specifically to reduce energy consumption.

The company recently moved to new purpose built manufacturing facilities in April 2019 in order to service the growth experienced in the energy reduction sector.

Here, Eileen, a participant on Two Zero’s Women Scaling Up programme, shares her top tips for scaling businesses.

What is the most important quality of a scaleup business leader and why?

As a scaleup business leader you need to be able to adapt in the ever-changing landscape that comes with managing a business and be able to embrace new challenges. It’s important to empower your staff to join you on your growth journey and show them where you would like to take the business.

How have you grown and developed as a scaleup leader?

I have learnt that communication and the empowerment of staff is the key to growth. You are only as good as the team you have.

Also, I have learnt to delegate more to staff members. This was a hard step for me, but it has given me more time away from the business and allowed me to focus on the planning for the future.

How do you inspire and empower your people?

As a business leader, I believe it is important to empower staff members and allow them to grow and flourish as people. All of my staff are encouraged to broaden their knowledgebase.

We currently have four apprentices, two of which are mature staff members who wanted to go back to college and university to learn new skills. We have provided them a platform to help improve and develop those skills.

What is the best piece of business advice you have received and why?

The best piece of business advice I received was business is like a bus journey.

You have to make sure everyone is on the same journey, if they aren’t, stop the bus and let them off. This piece of advice has empowered me to ensure everyone has the same goal and are ready to travel together on our growth journey.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned on your business journey, and how has this impacted you?

The biggest lesson I have learnt is businesses is to follow your instincts, as they are rarely wrong. If something doesn’t feel right, it normally isn’t. Like any business leader, self-doubt can creep in, but don’t let this cloud your initial instincts.

Honesty and integrity are everything in business and if you stick by this you won’t go far wrong.

What scaleup business do you admire the most and why?

There are many businesses that are growing that I admire, but the thing I admire most are those businesses that still put their clients first. Businesses that treat their customers well will create a loyal support and this will be the backbone for their success.

What key metrics do you look at everyday in your business?

The metrics we look at on a daily basis are new orders, invoicing and payments received. This is followed up by a weekly management meeting where we delve deeper into these figures along with what is going through the factory and when it is expected to be dispatched. This allows everyone to have a clearer picture of the business activity.

What is the legacy you want to create?

We want to create a better planet for future generations. Our company motto is save and protect, which we use to try and help companies save the planet and protect it for future generations.