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How a Business Therapist Helped the Founders of Clearstem Scale Their Company

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Many have sought therapy outside of the office, but have you ever thought about bringing a therapist into the workplace? When you consider the nuances of starting a business, from managing finances to finalizing product formulas, creating marketing strategies, and supervising a team (no matter how big or small), the concept of bringing a third party onboard to help employees meet personal and team goals and offer guidance on how to enhance individual work styles may not seem far-fetched. 

Communication happens at every stage of running a business, and how you effectively communicate through the ups and downs of operating a business can impact the overall success of your company, as well as the mental health of employees. Forty-two percent of people have suffered from burnout, stress and fatigue as a result of communication issues in their business, according to a recent survey from Project Co., a project management software company. 

For Clearstem founders Kayleigh Christina and Danielle Gronich, bringing in a therapist was paramount, especially during the early stages of bootstrapping and scaling their non-toxic skin-care company—lauded for its revolutionary line of stem cell products combating acne, scarring, and aging.

“When [Kayleigh] moved to LA [from San Diego], we were at a point in the company where things were starting to get really real,” says Gronich, on the latest episode of WorkParty. “The checks we were writing were a lot bigger, the decisions we were making were a lot more consequential, and we didn’t have a lot of the foundational understanding of how each other communicates to bridge the gap with the distance and the added pressure.” 

To help facilitate effective communication through the stresses and tribulations of scaling a business, the pair brought on a therapist and executive coach to walk them through their core values exercises, three-year plan, and “all the other things you do when you are serious about the trajectory of your company,” says Gronich. 

Now on retainer for three years and counting, the therapist even helps their team if there’s anything they need to “clean up,” such as if a conversation didn’t go smoothly or if an employee didn’t quite understand something during a review. “We have him there to neutralize and elevate all conversations and discrepancies when they arise,” says Gronich.  

Christina also points out that a lot of founders aren’t trained in leadership and management before starting a business. “Both of us didn’t come from some senior level management position where we’re running another company and then come over,” she says. “We’re figuring this out for the first time.” Learning how to make employees feel supported and appreciated, but also challenged and accountable, has pushed the duo to learn a different style of communication.

“Our team is growing beautifully—they get along and the communication is great,” says Christina. “When there’s little bumps, our team knows how to handle it, and they know they have the resources and support to handle it at the same time. We really get to go through all the struggles together, and even better, celebrate all the wins.”

Tune into WorkParty to learn more about how Christina and Gronich bootstrapped their business, why they lead an education-first model with consumers, and how they grew a strong online community as a consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand.

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