Posted on April 14th, 2026 

 

The Big Contract—And the Operational Shift It Required

A few months ago, I spoke with Mikias Lulseged, owner and co-founder of BrightStar Cleaning & Maintenance, about the operational demands that came with rapid expansion into stadium-scale work.

They had been running a disciplined operation for years—thirty employees—building a strong foundation with hands-on control and execution. The business was solid, profitable, and professional. 

Then came the opportunity: A major contract at a professional arena—requiring BrightStar to scale from 30 employees to 180 in a very short period of time. 

They did it. 

Then came the second contract. Another facility. This time, 250 employees across two stadiums. 

The Real Opportunity: Adopting New Systems to Match Growth

What started as a major growth milestone also introduced a new level of operational complexity that required more advanced systems. 

With more than 250 employees across two stadiums, multiple languages in the workforce, staggered shifts, and manual timekeeping processes, the operational demands increased significantly. 

Payroll processing alone was taking 40 hours per month. 

That’s time away from strategy. That’s time away from growth. That’s time better spent leading operations, strengthening systems, and supporting growth across multiple venues. 

The existing processes were no longer sufficient for the scale of the operation. 

 

The Strategic Shift: Upgrading Systems to Match Scale

 

As BrightStar scaled rapidly, Mikias made a strategic decision to strengthen and upgrade systems across the operation to match the complexity of managing 250+ employees across multiple venues.

He started with workforce management. Mikias partnered with Nathan Belaye, CEO of Sira, a San Francisco-based AI-powered workforce management company built specifically for businesses managing large, diverse workforces at scale. BrightStar implemented Sira’s time-tracking solution—employees could clock in on their phones, see instructions in their preferred language, and automated systems handled exceptions and reminders.

Within weeks, the 40 hours of payroll work dropped to about 1 hour per month. 

Not 40 hours condensed to 30. Not 40 hours cut to 20.

40 hours to 1 hour.

But that success revealed something bigger: one system upgrade wasn’t enough to sustain this level of growth.

This payroll win freed up 39 hours per month and proved the value of intentional systems. But managing 250+ employees across two stadiums required more. The next step for BrightStar was creating greater clarity around mission and strategy, building a structured sales approach across both locations, standardizing service delivery so every manager could execute consistently, strengthening financial discipline across multiple P&Ls, and continuing to build the infrastructure to support sustained growth.
From there, the focus became building and professionalizing the entire system to support that level of scale. That’s when Mikias reached out to me to build a comprehensive framework for thinking about professionalization across the entire organization—not just one area, but all seven.

He understood something most business owners never realize: sustainable growth requires systems that evolve with the business.

 

What Does “Professionalize” Actually Mean?

 

When we talk about professionalization, most people think: “Get an accountant. Hire a manager. Create some policies.” 

That’s part of it. But professionalization is much bigger than that. 

Professionalization means building a business that can run without you. 

It means creating clear systems in every area so that when you scale, you’re not just cloning yourself. It means your business can handle 30 employees or 250 employees because the systems are designed to scale.

Donald Miller, author of the New York Times bestsellers StoryBrand 2.0 and Business Made Simple, created the 7-Part Airplane Framework as a comprehensive way to think about what professionalization actually looks like. It’s the framework I use to help small business owners scale professionally.  

 

The 7-Part Airplane Framework: How Professional Businesses Fly

 

“Every business is like an airplane. All seven parts must work together or the plane won’t fly.” 

Part 1 — The Cockpit: Leadership & Vision
“Every airplane needs a pilot with a clear destination.”
The Cockpit is about clarity: your mission statement, your three economic priorities, and your financial projections. Without it, nothing else works.

• Your Mission Statement (X, Y, Z format) — X is the outcome you create, Y is the method you use, Z is why it matters
• Your Three Economic Priorities — the three revenue streams ranked in order of importance
• Your Financial Projections — clear Year 1, 2, and 3 revenue targets

 

Part 2 — The Right Engine: Marketing
“Marketing that works positions the customer as hero, not the brand.”
The Right Engine generates leads. Without marketing fuel, the plane has no power.

• Your brand story and positioning
• Your website and lead magnet
• Your content strategy
• Your email nurture sequence
• Your social proof and testimonials

 

Part 3 — The Left Engine: Sales
“Sales is not about persuasion — it’s about serving people who need your help.”
The Left Engine converts leads into paying clients. Marketing brings people to the door. Sales brings them inside.
Your discovery call framework

• Your CRM pipeline
• Your follow-up system
• Your proposal template
• Your closing process

 

Part 4 — The Wings: Products & Offers
“Clear offers create confident buyers.”
The Wings keep the plane in the air. Without strong products, the plane drops.

• Your complete product ladder
• Clear pricing for each tier
• Specific transformation each product delivers
• Upsell and cross-sell sequences

 

Part 5 — The Body: Operations & Systems
“Systems create freedom. Freedom creates impact.”
The Body is the fuselage — the structure that holds everything together. Without strong operations, the plane breaks apart under pressure.

• Your client delivery system
• Your standard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Your weekly rhythm and meetings
• Your team structure
• Your quality control processes

 

Part 6 — The Overhead Compartment: Cash Flow & Finance
“Revenue is oxygen. Without it, nothing else matters.”
The Overhead Compartment is your financial system. Even a plane with great engines crashes without fuel management.

• Your Profit First system (five separate accounts: Income, Profit, Owner Pay, Tax, Operating Expenses)
• Your revenue goals and lead calculations
• Your monthly financial review discipline
• Your Target Allocation Percentages (TAP)

 

Part 7 — The Landing Gear: Infrastructure & Scale
“You can’t land without gear. You can’t scale without infrastructure.”
The Landing Gear is what allows the plane to take off and land safely — your tech stack, your team scaling plan, your integrations, and your long-term growth systems.

• Your technology stack (accounting software, CRM, project management, communication tools)
• Your team structure and hiring plan
• Your domain and brand infrastructure
• Your integrations and automation

 

The Professionalization Blueprint
A professional business has all seven parts working together.

• Cockpit: Clear mission and financial targets
• Right Engine: Systematic lead generation
• Left Engine: Professional sales process
• Wings: Clear, tiered product offerings
• Body: Documented systems and procedures
• Overhead Compartment: Financial discipline and cash flow management
• Landing Gear: Infrastructure that scales

 

When all seven are working, the business can grow without the founder losing control. 

When you’re missing pieces? The business breaks.

 

Scaling Into Multi-Site Operations

 

What stands out most about Mikias’s experience is not just the speed of growth, but the ability to execute at scale across multiple venues.

In a relatively short period of time, BrightStar expanded from a disciplined 30-person operation to managing approximately 250 employees across two stadium environments — each with its own operational demands, schedules, and workforce dynamics.

That level of growth required more than just staffing. It required coordination, communication, and systems that could support a high-volume, fast-paced environment.

As the business expanded, BrightStar invested in strengthening its operational infrastructure: implementing improved workforce management systems, streamlining payroll processes, and establishing more consistent procedures across sites.

These changes allowed the company to move from a hands-on model to a more structured, scalable operation — capable of managing large teams while maintaining consistency and control.

Today, that experience serves as a foundation for continued growth, positioning BrightStar to operate effectively in complex, large-scale environments.

 

Is Your Business Ready to Scale?

 

Here’s the question for you: If a massive opportunity came your way tomorrow, could your business handle it?

• Do you have a clear mission, or would you second-guess yourself?
• Could you generate leads systematically, or would you panic?
• Do you have a professional sales process, or would you wing it?
• Are your products clearly defined, or would you be making it up as you go?
• Could you train new employees using documented systems, or would everything depend on you?
• Do you know your numbers, or would you be flying blind?
• Do you have infrastructure, or would everything fall apart under scale?

 

If you answered “no” to any of these, your business isn’t professionalized yet.

And that’s okay. Most small businesses aren’t. That’s why most small businesses stay small, and why scaling opportunities often turn into disasters.
But you can change that.

 

The Path Forward

 

Professionalization doesn’t happen overnight. But it happens in a specific order:

• Start with the Cockpit — Get clarity on your mission and financial targets
• Build the Right Engine — Create systematic lead generation
• Develop the Left Engine — Create a professional sales process
• Define the Wings — Create clear product offerings
• Document the Body — Create systems and procedures
• Implement the Overhead Compartment — Get financial discipline
• Build the Landing Gear — Create infrastructure and scale

This is the framework. This is how you transform a small business into a professional organization.

And when the big opportunity comes? You’ll be ready.

 

Ready to Professionalize Your Business?

 

If you’re running a small business and feeling the weight of growth — or the frustration of not being able to scale — it’s time to get the seven parts of your airplane working together.

I work with small business owners (50–500 employees) to help them implement professionalization across all seven areas using proven frameworks and methodologies.

Here’s what you can do right now:
1. Schedule a Business Growth Conversation — Let’s assess where your business stands on all seven parts and identify the biggest opportunity for growth. Book your free 45-minute call here
2. Get Your 7-Part Airplane Checklist — Stop guessing about your business growth. Download the 7-Part Airplane Framework Checklist — a detailed diagnostic tool to assess which systems are flight-ready and which need work. See exactly where to focus next. Download your free checklist 

Your business doesn’t have to break under growth. It can fly.

The question is: Are you ready to build the airplane?

Yohannes Tilahun is a former Wall Street executive and international CEO turned Business Growth Coach. After surviving cancer, he made it his mission to help entrepreneurs and business owners design their lives intentionally. He specializes in helping small business owners (50–500 employees) implement proven frameworks to scale professionally and profitably. 

Questions? Reach out at [email protected] or 925-459-6325