A marketing service firm went from $5K projects to $144K per client per year. Revenue more than doubled in 18 months. Not one of their high end growth clients were lost.

And the founders finally got out of the business long enough to see it clearly.

In this episode, the co-founder walks through exactly what changed, what they tried that didn't work, and why he thinks the window to make this results focused shift is closing faster than most founders realize.

You'll hear:

• The hire that gave them their business back
• How they got 90 hours back per new hire and built a team that ran without them
• What happens to founder-dependent firms that wait too long

That's Alex Olivero, co-founder of Curio Digital. And this is his story.

Connect with Alex: https://www.curiodigital.io/

Hands-Off Growth specializes in facilitating large transformations, capturing huge growth, and complex turnarounds. If you'd like to see this kind of fast impact in your company, book a call with our founder Mandi at handsoffceo.com/scale. She'll walk through your business situation and look at what's possible.

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Cameron Herold, founder of COO Alliance and the operational force behind scaling 1-800-GOT-JUNK from $2M to $106M in six years, to uncover how business owners can scale faster, build stronger teams, and remove themselves from the day-to-day without losing momentum.

Cameron shares how he's helped hundreds of CEOs and their second-in-commands close the leadership gap, develop their people, and build companies that don't depend on the founder to function.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

✅ Why your second-in-command is the most underutilized growth asset in your business

✅ How the COO's real job is to make the CEO iconic by removing tough decisions from their plate

✅ Why most people's problems trace back to untrained managers and what to do about it

✅ How keeping underperformers is actually hurting your A and B players

✅ Why training your team weekly like a pro athlete is the real growth lever

✅ How to balance timeless business fundamentals with new tools like AI without losing focus

✅ Why working less and delegating more might be your company's biggest breakthrough

The best businesses don't scale by doing more. They scale by developing stronger operators, systematizing leadership, and building teams that grow even when the founder steps back. With the right second-in-command, the right training culture, and a return to the basics that have always worked, your business can grow predictably without burning you out in the process.

1. Want to cut your workload in half and 2–3x your fees?

Get my book, The Hands Off CEO, and learn how to scale your firm without founder dependence — while working fewer hours and increasing profits.

https://book.handsoffceo.com/newbook-org?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Why-your-second-in-command-is-your-most-valuable-hire-with-Cameron-Herold

2. Want to close your next big deal in the next 30 days?

Get The Sales Reactivation Blueprint and use proven scripts to reopen past deals and warm leads, so you can add 5–6 figures in pipeline without feeling pushy.

https://book.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Why-your-second-in-command-is-your-most-valuable-hire-with-Cameron-Herold

3. Drowning in client delivery right now?

Get The 5 CEO Exits roadmap and see which exit you need next and the exact sequence to free yourself from daily delivery and firefighting.

https://scale.handsoffceo.com/5-ceo-exits?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Why-your-second-in-command-is-your-most-valuable-hire-with-Cameron-Herold Not sure where to start? Email the Hands Off CEO team at [email protected] and share where you're stuck.

🔗 Connect with Cameron Herold:

Website: https://cameronherold.com/

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@secondincommandpodcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Dan Englander, founder of Sales Schema, to uncover how service business owners can scale their pipeline through referrals, strategic partnerships, and trust-based outreach without burning out or chasing cold prospects.

Dan shares how he's helped agencies and B2B service firms shift away from mass outbound tactics toward a more intentional, relationship-first approach that leverages the network they already have. Instead of hiring salespeople before the system exists, Dan reveals how to build the foundation first, turning warm contacts into consistent referral sources and partnerships into a scalable growth engine.

When your business is built on trust and specialization, referrals aren't a passive hope. They're a system you can activate, nurture, and grow.

🔍 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

✅ Why reactive referrals aren't enough and how to make them proactive and predictable

✅ How to identify the low-hanging fruit already sitting in your network (that you've forgotten about)

✅ The exact process for reducing friction so contacts actually follow through on introductions

✅ How to bake referral asks into your client process at the moment they're most likely to say yes

✅ Why hiring a salesperson before building the system almost always fails

✅ How your EA can handle the legwork so referrals don't require more of your time

✅ The mindset shift from chasing new leads to activating what you already have

The best businesses don't grow by doing more cold outreach. They grow by systematizing the trust they've already built. With the right process, your relationships become your most reliable and enjoyable pipeline.

📌 Connect with Dan Englander:

Website: https://salesschema.com/

Podcast: The Digital Agency Growth Podcast

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

Let’s unpack the real reason many service firms plateau: they scale by adding clients and headcount instead of clarifying outcomes, ownership, and leadership. She introduces the four-tier service firm model, explaining how most agencies and consultancies get stuck selling deliverables, even when they’re capable of driving transformational results. The result? Rising costs, flattened margins, and a business that feels harder to run every year.

Through practical examples and real client scenarios, Mandi shows how Tier 1 firms scale differently by taking responsibility for outcomes, defining a clear future state for clients, and pricing based on impact rather than time or effort. She also explores how leadership, perceived risk, and clarity of positioning directly influence pricing power, profitability, and freedom.

This conversation is for founders, consultants, and agency owners who feel underpaid for the value they create, overwhelmed by complexity, or trapped in a hiring treadmill. It offers a grounded roadmap for building a more scalable, profitable, and sustainable service business without burnout.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ Why hiring more people often increases chaos before it increases profit

✅ The four tiers of service firms and why most businesses get stuck in Tier 3

✅ How selling deliverables turns great work into a commodity

✅ The difference between ROI-driven services and true transformation

✅ Why Tier 1 firms charge for leadership, not labor

✅ How responsibility for outcomes reduces risk and increases pricing power

✅ Why positioning determines whether clients see you as a vendor or growth partner

✅ How to move away from time-based pricing without sacrificing quality

✅ Why clarity of vision must come before scaling operations and hiring

✅ How to build a scalable, irresistible offer without over-reliance on the founder

The most successful service-based founders don’t scale by doing more work. They scale by leading transformation. This episode is a powerful reminder that sustainable growth comes from clarity, ownership, and the courage to charge for the real impact you create.

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Amanda Freick, founder of Creative Intelligence Group, to unpack what it really takes to sell into complex, high-stakes industries and why mindset, confidence, and execution matter just as much as strategy.

Amanda shares how her firm helps companies selling into electric utilities and other complex organizations navigate 18–24+ month sales cycles, build scalable commercial infrastructure, and shorten time to revenue without cutting corners. With deep expertise in the energy sector, she explains why utilities are intentionally hard to sell to, how road signs like MSAs and pilots signal real progress, and why chasing “silver bullets” can destroy long-term growth.

But this conversation goes far beyond sales mechanics. Amanda opens up about imposter syndrome, burnout, pricing fear, and the internal work required to step into leadership at a higher level. She shares how shifting from hourly work to value-based retainers, narrowing her offer, and fully owning the impact of her work transformed not just her business, but her confidence, team, and energy.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ Why selling into utilities and complex organizations requires patience, capital, and deep industry fluency

✅ How to shorten long enterprise sales cycles without compromising trust or compliance

✅ Why MSAs, pilots, and internal “road signs” matter more than early revenue

✅ The dangers of hourly consulting and why delivering outcomes changes everything

✅ How narrowing your offer increases confidence, pricing power, and scalability

✅ Why founders often block their own growth through fear, control, and over-optimization

✅ The connection between burnout, cortisol, and leadership decision-making

✅ How mindset shifts translate directly into stronger teams, better clients, and faster growth

✅ Why building the vision first prevents you from building a business that becomes a prison

The most successful founders don’t just refine their strategy. They redefine how they see themselves, their value, and their role in their clients’ businesses. This episode is a powerful reminder that sustainable growth comes from clarity, courage, and the willingness to step fully into your expertise.

🔗 Connect with Amanda Freick:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandafreick

Website: https://www.creativeintelligencegroup.net

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Jeff Greenfield, CEO and founder of Provalytics, to unpack why most marketing measurement is broken and how brands, agencies, and CMOs can finally prove what actually drives revenue.

Jeff shares nearly two decades of experience building and exiting one of the first multi-touch attribution platforms, explaining how privacy changes, click-based analytics, and platform-reported metrics have misled marketers into making costly decisions. Instead of optimizing for what truly changes behavior, many teams are trapped optimizing for clicks, often at the expense of long-term growth.

This conversation explores how predictive marketing models, finance-grade validation, and a shift from activity-based reporting to outcome-based measurement allow marketing leaders to earn trust with CFOs, unlock larger budgets, and position marketing as a true revenue driver. When marketing is measured in the same way as financial models, business teams gain clarity, confidence, and the ability to navigate uncertainty without guesswork.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ Why click-based attribution (including GA4) distorts decision-making and undervalues brand and upper-funnel investment

✅ How to connect marketing activity to real revenue outcomes, online and in brick-and-mortar sales

✅ What CFOs actually look for in marketing data and how to earn credibility with finance teams

✅ Why impressions, attention, and awareness drive behavior long before conversions happen

✅ How predictive marketing models outperform dashboards and platform reports

✅ The difference between selling marketing activity vs. delivering measurable business outcomes

✅ Why agencies that act as growth partners rather than vendors win bigger, longer-term engagements

✅ How specialization, proof, and modeling help marketers navigate uncertainty, privacy changes, and fragmented media channels

The most effective marketers and agencies don’t rely on vanity metrics or flashy dashboards. They build trust through proof, model the future instead of reporting the past, and focus relentlessly on what actually changes customer behavior. This episode offers a clear blueprint for turning marketing into a predictable, defensible growth engine.

🔗 Connect with Jeff Greenfield:

Website: https://getprova.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffgreenfield

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson talks with Cam Beaudoin, a speaker strategist who helps founders, consultants, and service-based business owners leverage speaking to build authority, attract high-value clients, and scale influence without chasing big stages or flashy keynotes.

Cam shares how he has helped experts turn speaking into a strategic growth engine, utilizing stages, breakout rooms, and recorded talks to generate leads, build credibility, and create repeatable business opportunities. Instead of relying on one-off events or massive audiences, Cam shows how intentional speaking can compound over time and position you as the expert event planners want to book.

When your speaking strategy is structured around influence, relationship-building, and repeatable systems, your authority grows, your audience converts into clients more predictably, and your business scales without unnecessary stress or wasted effort.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ Why the stage should never be the goal and how to use speaking as a vehicle for influence, trust, and revenue

✅ How founders and consultants can leverage small, intimate audiences to close higher-value opportunities

✅ The difference between being an implementer vs. being seen as a true expert and why it determines who gets booked

✅ Why event planners are risk-averse and exactly what they look for when booking speakers

✅ How to use YouTube and recorded stage content to build authority and get more speaking opportunities

✅ How to turn talks into content, lead generation, follow-up conversations, and backend sales

✅ Why mastering the spoken word is one of the highest-leverage skills a founder can develop long-term

The best founders and consultants don’t grow their business by chasing large audiences or trying to become celebrity speakers. They scale by building a speaking strategy that creates influence, builds trust, and converts audiences into high-value opportunities.

🔗 Connect with Cam Beaudoin:

Website: www.thefrequentspeaker.com

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson talks with Shaun Alger, a sales strategist and advisor to mid-market companies, about how businesses can build repeatable sales systems that scale without relying on luck, superstar hires, or constant firefighting.

Shaun shares how he’s helped mid-market companies overcome the “complexity ceiling,” turn client relationships into growth engines, and create structured sales processes that drive predictable revenue. Instead of growing through reactive efforts or overextending teams, Shaun shows how top-performing companies scale by combining strategy, systems, and relational selling.

When your sales operations are structured around process, metrics, and human connection, your business scales more predictably, your team performs better, and your client relationships strengthen, all while freeing leaders to focus on growth instead of putting out fires.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ Why the human side of sales is just as critical as process and data for long-term growth

✅ How mid-market companies can scale from $5M to $100M+ without losing control

✅ Turning mistakes into stronger relationships with clients, employees, and investors

✅ Leveraging fractional teams, proven processes, and metrics to add CRO-level impact without a $500k price tag

✅ Using tangible results and case studies to build trust, accelerate referrals, and attract high-value clients

✅ Steps to future-proof your business in a rapidly changing market with AI and technology

✅ How to combine structure, strategy, and relationships to create a repeatable growth engine

The best mid-market companies don’t scale by relying on hero salespeople or reactive firefighting. They scale by building the right systems, focusing on relational value, and empowering their teams to deliver consistent results. With clear processes, measurable outcomes, and strategic relationships, your business grows predictably while leaders stay in control.

🔗 Connect with Shaun Alger:

Website: https://volohaus.com/

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

n this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Steve Gordon, founder of Million Dollar Author, to uncover how business owners can scale, attract clients, and generate referrals without constantly chasing prospects.

Steve shares how he’s helped founders use books as powerful business development tools, position themselves as a “category of one,” and leverage their expertise along with AI to grow revenue predictably. Instead of relying on endless sales calls or overstaffed teams, Steve reveals how top-performing businesses grow by capturing their unique intellectual property, systematizing processes, and using books strategically to drive high-value opportunities.

When your business is structured around your unique IP, leveraged through a book, and supported by repeatable systems, you attract the right clients, close high-ticket opportunities more efficiently, and free up your time as a founder.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ How to position yourself as a “category of one” so AI and competitors can’t replace you

✅ Using a book as a business development engine to generate leads, referrals, and high-value opportunities

✅ How to turn your expertise into a repeatable, scalable sales process

✅ Leveraging AI with your book to create content, newsletters, and social proof faster

✅ Building systems that free the founder from constant sales dependence

✅ How to structure outreach and nurturing to convert prospects without high-pressure calls

✅ The mindset shift from chasing clients to designing a business that sells itself

The best businesses don’t grow by doing more—they grow by building strategic leverage, packaging their knowledge, and systematizing outreach and client acquisition. With the right positioning, content, and process, your business can scale predictably while reducing founder dependency.

🔗 Connect with Steve Gordon:

Website: https://milliondollarauthor.io

Get your free copy of The Million Dollar Book: https://get.themilliondollarbook.org

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson talks with Eli Rubel, founder of Profit Labs, about how agency owners can scale profitably without adding unnecessary headcount, chaos, or complexity.

Eli shares how he’s helped agencies increase net profit, position themselves as the “chosen path” for premium clients, and build lean, profit-first operations that run smoothly without the founder at the center. Instead of growing through brute force or overstaffing, Eli reveals how top-performing agencies grow by focusing on pricing, positioning, and structured systems that work predictably.

When your agency is structured around profit and outcomes, your business scales more easily, your team performs better, and your revenue grows, all while freeing up the founder’s time.

🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✅ How to use pricing as a lever to drive outsized profit

✅ How to position your agency as results-driven to command higher fees

✅ Building a profit-first model to anticipate growth, team needs, and investments

✅ Structuring teams in profit-driven pods for scalable operations

✅ Avoiding the 7–15 employee growth plateau that stalls many agencies

✅ How to simplify operations while increasing revenue and client outcomes

✅ The mindset shift from doing everything yourself to architecting a business that runs itself

The best agencies don’t grow by doing more, they grow by building the right systems, focusing on profitable outcomes, and empowering their teams to deliver results. With clarity, structure, and profit-first planning, your agency stops depending on you and starts scaling predictably.

🔗 Connect with Eli Rubel:

Website: https://profit-labs.co

🎯 Want to Scale? Here Are 4 Ways to Work With Us:

1️⃣ FREE – Stop undercharging and start landing $100K+ clients. Join our next Executive Briefing → https://handsoffceo.com/briefing/?utm_source=podcast

2️⃣ FREE – Grab our $500K Pipeline Map: Unlock $10K–$50K Hidden in Your Business Right Now → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

3️⃣ Read The Hands-Off CEO Book (4.7★ on Amazon)

Triple Your Fees and Scale Without Burning Out. Grab your copy → https://scale.handsoffceo.com/map?utm_source=podcast

4️⃣ Apply for The Invisible Advantage™ Growth Program

We’ll help you uncover your Invisible Advantage, package it into a premium offer, and scale profitably without adding to your workload. Learn more → https://handsoffceo.com/book?utm_source=podcast