As we reminisce on the journey we’ve had this past financial year (sorry, we know we’re a little tardy!), let’s dive into some of the challenges Jake and Phoebe faced, the moments that left them utterly impressed and what they’re focusing on for the next 12 months. Join me as we reflect on the Foxy Year in Review!

Jake and Phoebe talk through the numbers in the below Foxy TV (and I’ve put them in a little infographic below too!), so for this article let’s focus on the challenges, the wins and the goals for the future.

The Foxy family continues to grow, and Jake and Phoebe are thrilled with the expansion. However, the people puzzle presents its own set of challenges. And finding the right individuals to join our crew is part of this challenge. We have specific criteria when recruiting, not so much in the way of experience, but in attitude, because team culture is at the heart of what we do. Read more about our team culture here! Another aspect of this challenge is managing our staff. So, managing when they aren’t at the level we want them to be, or managing to help them grow and upskill. It’s a reminder that growth comes with its share of growing pains. An additional staff challenge is when someone who is a big part of the team decides to end their time here, and they leave a bit of a hole. This is of course, part of the business owner game, and Jake and Phoebe knew that coming into the industry. But it leaves challenges for them to find ways to optimise procedures and train new staff to meet that level.

Finding space in the warehouse for all of our stock was another challenge this past financial year. As Phoebe predicted, the market did slow over the last six months (toward the end of the financial year), and our storage capacity took a bit of a hit. The logistics team found themselves juggling Tetris-like feats to fit everything in safely. And new stock releases only added to the excitement (and challenge!). Because when it comes to new season releases, if you snooze, you lose. So, this left us with an overflowing warehouse of stock and new boxes. But the silver lining is that despite a downturn in the market, we had enough installs on, allowing us to make space and fit all the new pieces in.

One aspect that impressed Jake and Phoebe immensely was when the team reached the goal of completing a massive 600 installs in 6 months in late 2022. This insanely busy period left the team both breathless and brimming with pride. The exhilaration of hitting that target was a high the team won’t soon forget!

Another big win for Jake and Phoebe was embracing the idea of leadership as a balance between empowerment and personal growth. They’ve been fortunate enough to allocate time to professional development conferences. And to top it off, their week-long family holiday to New Zealand was a first in what feels like forever! It was both a moment of celebration and a testament to the fantastic team they’ve built. The transition of responsibilities showed the team’s progress and adaptability. This evolution in leadership speaks volumes about the way Jake and Phoebe nurture and invest in the progression of the team. Read about how we managed with Jake and Phoebe out of the country here! 

Currently we’re looking to reign in and consolidate our processes to ensure we’re meeting a high standard of work. Recently we’ve found we have some really busy days that can feel a little chaotic. And while we’re chuffed being busy, we want to ensure our processes and training are meeting our high standards. Putting boundaries in place and setting a limit to the amount of jobs we accept on a daily basis helps ensure we meet the Foxy standards. And this comes with the added bonus of avoiding burnout!

We have some awesome software in the works which will revolutionise the way we keep stock of our inventory. This inventory system will reduce the need for manual data entry and lower the probability of errors. So this streamlining our work will save Jake and Phoebe a lot of time, meaning they’ll be able to focus their energy towards other aspects of the business.

We’re holding the Australian Home Staging Conference which is coming in February 2024! And Jake and Phoebe are thrilled about the new direction. Of course, we’ve always been open to answering any and all questions. We’ve never had an issue with putting our business model out there, but the conference is another step up. It’s not Foxy-centric at all, rather, it’s about improving the sharing of knowledge in the industry in Australia, covering a range of topics from home staging to business ownership and growth. If you’re interested in attending the conference or learning more about it, the website is live! Check it out for details, and follow our socials (links below!) to keep up to date. 

Thanks for joining us on the blog today! I hope our year in review has given you some things to reflect on about the past financial year, and given you some things to be grateful for and some things that you can learn, adapt and grow from. And don’t forget to reach out on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn if you have any questions or comments, we always love hearing from you!