What happens when growth outpaces communication, and how one simple tactic helped bring clarity, collaboration, and culture back to the table.
By Matthew Hart – Attractus Consulting
When a business grows fast, things break.
And sometimes, the first thing to go is your team.
That’s exactly what happened to Stormcrow Games, a beloved local game store in Lubbock, Texas. After years of building a loyal community and running successful in-store events, they expanded, opening a second location two hours away in Midland.
From the outside, things looked great.
Behind the scenes?
Stress. Miscommunication. Burnout. And a growing sense that something vital was slipping away.
“I thought we were going to lose most of our staff.”
Those were the exact words Jennifer Eldridge, co-owner of Stormcrow, said to me a few months into our work together.
She wasn’t being dramatic, she was being honest.
Stormcrow was unraveling under the weight of its own success.
The Tension Beneath the Surface
The problems weren’t unique. They’re the same challenges I see with many growing teams:
- Disconnection between leadership and staff
- Breakdowns in communication across locations
- Conflicting work styles between co-owners
- A lack of clarity about who’s doing what, why it matters, and how decisions get made
Jen, the visionary, had big ideas, but wanted everything perfect before launching.
Aaron, the operator, was overwhelmed with daily logistics and had little capacity for strategic leadership.
They didn’t need another strategy deck.
They needed alignment.
The Power of the Team Charter
Because we already had a monthly marketing strategy rhythm in place, Jen and Aaron asked me if I could help fix what was going wrong internally.
I told them, “I have a tactic for that.”
And we began.
Over the course of seven months, we met for two hours a month, slowly and intentionally working through the Team Charter tactic, a deceptively simple tool that helped them put words to what had gone unsaid for too long.
We defined:
- Their shared purpose
- Clear roles and responsibilities
- How they’d communicate and make decisions
- What they valued most in their team
But we didn’t stop there.
We expanded into other complementary tactics:
Start With Why, Team Strategy, Team Values, and Ritual Reset, each one adding depth and clarity to the culture they were rebuilding.
Culture That Lives on a Whiteboard
I believe that culture should be visible, tactile, even interactive. So to make the Team Charter stick, I built them a custom magnetic dry-erase board that mimics the structure we built together.
Now, every Monday morning, the Stormcrow team gathers around it to kick off their week with shared clarity and purpose.
It’s no longer just a board.
It’s a rallying point.
A rhythm.
A symbol of who they are and how they work together.
From Survival Mode to Momentum
The most powerful moment in this entire journey wasn’t a big milestone or dramatic shift.
It was a quiet conversation when I asked Jen how things were going.
Her response?
“It feels like we have our team back.”
That’s the power of starting with why, getting specific about how, and being intentional about who.
One tactic.
Seven months.
A team transformed.
Want to Rebuild Your Team’s Rhythm?
If your business is growing and the pressure is starting to show, through dropped balls, friction, or that gut feeling something’s off, let’s talk.
The right framework, at the right moment, can shift everything.
