Unlocking Growth: Why Your Small Business Needs a Skills Matrix

Growing a small business from 80 employees to the next level is exciting – but it comes with challenges. One of the biggest is making sure your people grow with your company. As you build a management layer between founders and individual contributors, defining ‘what good looks like’ becomes crucial. This is where a skills matrix (or competency framework) becomes a game-changer.

Why a Skills Matrix?

Many businesses in this growth phase struggle with role clarity, career progression, and performance measurement. Without a clear picture of what good looks like from a competency point of view, managers spend too much time figuring out what skills their teams need rather than focusing on development. A skills matrix provides clarity by mapping out the competencies required at every level of your organisation.

However, creating a competency framework from scratch is typically time-consuming, taking months of manual work. That’s where we come in.

Faster, Smarter, More Effective

At Treehouse, we’ve developed a way to generate a skills matrix in weeks instead of months using your existing role profiles, job descriptions, and internal talent management documentation. Our Unlocked capability development tool transforms your existing materials into a structured competency framework quickly and efficiently.

Here’s how it helps:

• Saves Time & Money – Traditional competency frameworks take months to develop, involving lengthy discussions and external consultants. Our approach cuts this to an elapsed time of about three weeks, with hands-on time measured in days, allowing you to act faster while reducing costs.
• Enables Founders to Step Back – As a business grows, founders must transition from being involved in daily operations to focusing on strategy. A skills matrix helps define clear expectations for managers, enabling them to take on more responsibility.
• Supports Management Growth – A structured framework empowers your management team, providing them with a roadmap to lead effectively and ensure their teams develop the right skills.
• Provides Role Clarity – Employees understand exactly what’s expected at each level, making it easier to measure performance and identify gaps.
• Drives Employee Development – Knowing the skills required to succeed and progress boosts engagement and retention.

Tested & Proven with Early Adopters

We’ve worked with early adopters to refine our approach, and the results speak for themselves. Businesses using our tool report faster decision-making, improved team alignment, and greater confidence in their people development strategy.

The Market Gap & Your Opportunity

Many competency solutions exist, but they often focus on large enterprises or require expensive customisation. Our research indicates a gap in the market—growing small businesses like yours need a structured, affordable, and fast way to build a skills matrix. We provide just that.

Ready to Build a Stronger Team?

If you’re a growing business looking to professionalise your people management, now is the time to act. Let’s chat about how we can help you build a skills matrix that sets your team up for success – quickly and effectively.

Get in touch today to find out more.