“I love design, but it’s not what I’m put on this earth to do. I really love growing a business and fostering a team. My mission is to create an amazing workspace where people are actually really excited to come to work.” – Tess Robinson

Part two of our chat with the incredible Tess Robinson of Smack Bang Designs delves into everything you need to know about building an epic team. We’re quietly confident that Tess is one of the best bosses around, so we picked her brain on everything she does to keep her team happy, productive, inspired and keen to come to work each day.

Tess has grown Smack Bang Designs to 15 staff members in a few short years by fostering a workplace that feels like a little family. And while she is a natural-born leader she insists that both leadership and intuition (including taking educated risks for your business) are things you can refine over time. Discover how to find the right people who believe in your vision, how to identify your staff skill sets, how personality plays a role in hiring, and how to keep your staff happy by looking at long-term goals rather than short-term gain.

While Tess admits the responsibility to ensure 15 people have food on the table is massive, it’s also the most rewarding thing you can do. “[Leading a team] is not about power, but about helping people and watching them do well in their role.”