Novel Work Co.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO and co-founder of S & H Solar & Electric, a solar panel sales and installation company for residential properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novel Work Co.?

We were looking to grow our business through strategic planning. We had a hard time narrowing down what our focus should be, so we hired Novel Work to help us with this challenge.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with Novel Work, we sat down and identified all of our goals, as well as the different options we could choose from. Then, we went one by one and hammered through each one, determining whether it was a goal or not.

By the time we were done, Novel Work had helped us identify our trajectory, which included about 50 actionable steps that we then took and prioritized. Then, they helped us develop a plan to move forward. Additionally, they helped us create an employee handbook.

Among the pain points that Novel Work identified was that we needed to focus on our business strategy and that we had to increase our marketing efforts. Still, they helped us identify ways to overcome those struggles.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with Shay (COO), but I also worked a little bit with Jared (CEO).

How did you come to work with Novel Work Co.?

I knew Novel Work from church.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2021, and we wrapped up the project in February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Although our engagement finished so recently that we can’t see a real impact yet, we’ve noticed that we’re headed in the right direction. We had talked about expanding our business to new areas for two years, but we never identified a clear path to do so, and our focus would change weekly. Now, we have a defined path, and we’ve actually started looking for a salesperson and an advertiser specializing in that area.

Novel Work’s involvement helped us have the confidence to move forward. For example, we were able to reevaluate our pricing and take a more serious look at the value we were providing. Like everyone else these times, we had to increase our prices, but we were able to do so without feeling guilty about it.

Overall, Novel Work’s involvement was instrumental in helping us mature as a company.

How did Novel Work Co. perform from a project management standpoint?

Novel Work performed very well. Shay was great at keeping us moving forward and managed what we were doing very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated that Shay worked with us the entire time because he understood the whole project and was very invested in it. I worked with another company on a similar project before, and they had someone different for every part of the project. While working with that other company, we felt like we constantly had to reeducate them about our project as each resource joined. However, that didn’t happen with Novel Work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I noticed that Jared had a lot of knowledge that he could’ve brought to the table, but he wasn’t very involved in the project. I don’t know if they did this behind the scenes, but it would have been good to see more collaboration between them to ensure that we got Jared’s input too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You shouldn’t hire Novel Work to do everything for you; you have to be willing to make time to meet with them and do your homework. Additionally, make sure that you come prepared.