Hands-Off Growth

By Mandi EllefsonBusiness Management

Hands-Off Growth episodes

September 29, 2022Scale Your Agency with Ice Cold Leads
Reach your ideal prospects wherever they hang out - via LinkedIn or cold email or any other channel - and scale your consulting agency. Mandi Ellefson shares the five variables that make cold outreach work in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO.

Key Ideas:
Use direct outreach to make money quickly if you’re in a bind and need to bring in more clients. It’s a good strategy to use as you build up your company, when you need to test new offers, or when you’re pivoting your company. [3:04]
“We want to move away from reliance on referrals.” Mandi says. Referrals are great, but they bring challenges that make it very difficult for your company to be sustainable if they are the only lead source that you have. “I would look at referrals as being a way to… target the right prospects and get them further up the funnel.” [4:40]
The five variables you need to make cold outreach work are targeting, an attention grabbing hook, a compelling, nurturing process to educate and build desire, an irresistible offer, and a qualification process that paints an expansive vision. [6:45]
Managing cold traffic goes through three phases: attracting, nurturing, and closing. [9:37]
Mandi describes the ideal executive briefing. “[It’s] an opportunity for you to help your prospects understand their problem at a deeper level than they could on their own and show them an alternative way to… generate much better results.” [14:26]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
19 min
September 22, 2022Your 3 Roles as a CEO
What does your job look like when you start working on the business instead of working in it? Mandi Ellefson describes the three main roles that CEOs assume to maximize both their time in the business and the earning potential of the whole company in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO.

Key Ideas:
A CEO is responsible for providing vision, accountability, and support. Vision encompasses growth strategy, mission, and culture; accountability involves setting and managing agreements, and support refers to the training and material support that employees need to be successful. [4:17]
Most CEOs struggle when it comes to accountability and what it means to hold their people and themselves accountable. “People are not really manageable, but agreements are,” Mandi shares. “You can have agreements between two parties and manage those agreements - that's how you drive accountability.” [11:27]
CEO productivity is not defined by what the CEO can do with their time but by getting work done to other people. [12:47]
The entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) is the foundation for operating your business based on agreements, as described by the book Traction. Though it’s a useful and practical guide, companies below $3-5M shouldn’t put all of their time and energy into implementing all the tools in EOS. At that stage, they should expand their vision and install accountability pieces. [13:15]
The integrator role in the EOS assigns too much responsibility to one person in a growth stage company. Instead, having an operations manager who works with a CFO is much more suitable. [15:18]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
23 min
September 15, 2022A Million Dollars in Agency Sales in 6 months with Jaco Grobbelaar and Jon Sooy
Can you imagine going from 3,000 to 30,000 visits a month? BroadVision Marketing takes clients from local to national levels, adding millions of dollars in as little as 6 months. Mandi’s guests Jaco Grobbelaar and Jon Sooy of BroadVision Marketing share how they scale their clients further than they could have ever imagined.

You’ll hear Mandi, Jaco and Jon talk about:
BroadVision Marketing positions themselves as their clients’ concierge, but they’re not sitting across the table from you - they’re walking by your side towards your goals. It’s apparent to them early on whether a business owner is truly engaged in their business or whether they just started it to have a job. [4:56]
Whenever you put a guarantee behind something, it differentiates you from the competition. [8:38]
Jon and Jaco discuss the importance of teamwork in their operations. “What we’re finding is that if you enter an entire account around one person, they’re only getting one exaggerated talent,” Jon shares, “whereas if we approach the client as a team, the clients benefit from multiple different talents.” [18:34]
Humans and companies tend to take for granted what's special about themselves. Because they’re so used to their talents, they don’t realize they’re bringing something other people recognize as valuable. [29:36]
Jaco talks about advice from the Hands-Off CEO program that changed his way of thinking. “[Mandi] made the statement, ‘just be aware it may be your third or fourth candidate before you’re successful.’ … “It’s a totally different mindset.” [37:31]
Having peers to bounce ideas off of is invaluable. [41:22]

Resources
Jaco Grobbelaar on LinkedIn | Twitter

Jon Sooy on the Web | LinkedIn | Twitter
BroadVision Marketing

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
53 min
September 08, 2022How to Use Your Business as a Vehicle to Build Wealth
Businesses are great sources of income, but you shouldn’t have to keep working forever to build your wealth - and especially not after retirement. Mandi Ellefson explores how business owners can avoid this in this week’s show.

Key Ideas:
Mandi shares how she first started seeing business as a vehicle for building wealth. [2:12]
“We had seen all the advice about buying into the stock market in your 20’s… and we made a conscious decision to wait and invest in our earning potential,” Mandi says. She and her husband were able to uniquely build their wealth even before her business went big. [5:47]
Only 1% of businesses are actually sellable, Mandi claims. Even when business owners do sell, they often don’t get the value they want when exiting their companies. Hands-Off CEO has helped their clients sell their businesses for more than they could’ve ever imagined by growing profits. It’s not just about generating more sales - you need to first expand your gross profit margins and use that to generate the cash to scale. [8:08]
Changing your client’s perception of you from a cost center to a profit center is the key to quadrupling your fees, eliminating price resistance, and attracting the highest-paying clients in any market climate. [10:03]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
12 min
July 14, 2022Building an Agency with a Purpose with Karen Hite
Committing to a bigger purpose than profit is a surefire way to build a strong company; one that can withstand even a pandemic. Mandi’s guest in this episode of Hands-Off CEO is Karen Hite, Director of Operations at Digital Agency Hacker and co-founder of Hite Digital. Karen will explore why having a grand vision, passion and purpose leads to long-term success.

You’ll hear Mandi and Karen talk about:
Karen had a big vision of supporting people in her home country and generating over 1000 jobs through her agency. This is one reason why her company has been so successful. “We focus everything back to what our infinite purpose is… [generating] these little islands of happiness, and [creating] the best possible job to have and a culture that empowers people.” [1:42]
You will always have an obstacle to face, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, anything can throw you off. Having a clear vision paves the path forward for your business. [5:44]
The pandemic brought lots of companies to their knees, forcing them to cut salaries and layoff employees. Hite Digital’s exceptional foundation allowed them to escape this fate. It was a hectic time, but they all stayed sane because they understood and trusted in the commitment of the leaders. [10:08]
Your legacy isn’t found in your wealth, but in the impact you make. What you do with the opportunities you are given will outlast you and leave your footprint behind. [18:25]
Learn from other people’s failures and share yours; this is one of the best ways to grow. Take lessons from the proven processes that other people have developed over decades of trial and error. [23:40]

Resources
Karen Hite on LinkedIn
Master Hackers

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
28 min
July 07, 20225 Ways Top Leaders Show Up That Adds Millions of Dollars of Profitable Growth
There are CEOs who are adding millions of dollars to their annual revenue - the ultimate Hands Off CEOs. There are leaders who are able to scale their business profitably, and they have five traits in common. If you want to see the kinds of productivity and profitability that these top-performing CEOs are getting out of their teams and businesses, this episode is for you. Mandi Ellefson is sharing what you need to know in this week’s show.

Key Ideas:
“The next level of growth [doesn’t] come from the amount of work you’re individually doing, but from the influence that you have over others and their ability to get work done through you,” Mandi shares. The essence of leadership is generating unlimited productivity through other people. [1:54]
Top leaders are decisive. They don’t procrastinate making decisions and are able to objectively assess and evaluate all the necessary factors before making those decisions. They may grapple with fear and uncertainty, but feel the fear and do it anyway.. [6:16]
If you want to mobilize people, you need to rally them around your vision. A Top CEO’s expansive vision is what sets the trailblazers that are creating the products and services that change ives apart from businesses that will stay small. [10:32]
No one likes to be taken for granted. Be grateful for and celebrate those who help you grow from your colleagues to your team members. Giving praise where and when it is due motivates your employees, and they become more committed to doing their best. [14:40]
We’re moving into a recession, and that is scary, but we can take our companies and teams to amazing places if we’re working from a place of abundance. [19:10]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
22 min
June 30, 2022The 5 Keys to Gold Standard Agency Project Management with Gray MacKenzie
The temptation to get back into client work can be overwhelming for a CEO scaling their team - especially when it feels like your reputation is on the line. This means that too many CEOs are stuck overseeing project management that really should be delegated to other team members, leaving them with less time to actually run their business. In this episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi’s guest Gray Mackenzie, co-founder of ZenPilot, shares what CEOs need to do to get out of day-to-day project management once and for all.

Key Ideas:
Entrepreneurs are always the people who get left for better, easier or more lucrative opportunities - they never get to leave and that can be disheartening. Don’t get discouraged when key people leave your agency: you were part of their journey, and they were part of yours. For as long as they are a great fit and they stay with you, get as much value from them as you can. [9:20]
If you want to attract the best clients, and make the highest profits, you need to minimize risk and increase quality as much as possible as you scale. Gray talks about the 5 key elements you need to understand and be using them in all areas of your business. A trap to avoid is too much customization - custom doesn’t scale. [16:38]
If you take anything away from this episode, it's this: To continuously make your service better and more profitable, you need to look at it like a scientist would. Solve the same problem again and again by constantly imagining: what would make this better? How do we turn our standard service into all-star service, and then how do we level up from that?. [23:31]
When you know it’s time to make a change, it’s time to make a change, and the smartest move is often to hire experts to implement a new system, like ClickUp. It’s often not worth eating up your team's bandwidth when there are experts who can get you exactly where you need to be. That’s the foundation Graw has built his business on: breaking through “it’s how we’ve always done it” and into systems that are truly gold standard. [30:15]
When you’re starting a new initiative, you need to think about the costs of implementation - and also the cost of NOT implementing. You need to know your vision, and how different projects are going to impact it. When you take on projects internally that you aren’t equipped for, the opportunity costs can be extraordinary. Take the long view when considering your investments in your company. [34:30]

Resources
Gray MacKenzie on LinkedIn | Twitter
ZenPilot

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing

Clickup
39 min
June 23, 2022The Biggest Sales Mistake that Keeps CEOs Stuck in Service Delivery
In this week’s solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson explains how selling the wrong offer traps you in the company as CEO.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
Mandi shares an example of selling the wrong package at the wrong time. [1:16]
Hands-Off CEO takes their clients through an intensive and thorough process to generate growth. “It used to take us 6 to 9 months to actually help our clients implement this in their business, now we can do it in about 3 or 4 weeks.” [3:03]
“What you should be doing is looking at what you can sell that will maximize the commitment from your clients,” Mandi advises. She describes why going for the easiest sale may not do you any favors. [5:17]
You need clients who are willing to stick around for the long haul - if you don't have that commitment level, you're going to be selling them every month, over and over. [6:35]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
8 min
June 16, 2022Boost Cash Flow and Safely Scale Financial Operations with Nikole Mackenzie and Ashley Carroll
Mandi Ellefson’s guests are Nikole Mackenzie and Ashley Carroll, founder and COO of Momentum Accounting. Momentum Accounting helps creative agencies and other professional service companies scale from $1 million to $10 million in annual recurring revenue. They are a 100% US-based, remote team of business-savvy accountants and technology experts who provide actionable insights and vision into the future so your business can grow faster, and more confidently.

You’ll hear Mandi, Nikole and Ashley talk about:
Typically, businesses reach a point where their CEO is asking questions like: How much money can I take out of the business? How much can I pay myself? When can I hire the next employee? When can I offer benefits? Nikole shares how Momentum Accounting helps leaders answer these questions. [2:55]
Pricing is the easiest low-hanging fruit you can change, Nikole says. Raising your prices and providing more value to your clients is going to significantly impact your business. “If you’re [not] continually trying to add more value and more services, you’re not going to grow.” [11:39]
Ashley explores what to look for when bringing in a financial professional. “You definitely want [to work with] someone you’re comfortable with,” she suggests. There are a lot of complex emotions around money that may cause some insecurity, and the right fit will make you feel comfortable to share what's actually going on in your business. [21:18]
Mandi and Ashley discuss what CEOs need to consider before exiting the financial side of the business and the importance of invoicing. [33:47]
You should be spending 2-4% of your revenue on your accounting and finance function, according to Nikole. Additionally, there’s a diverse array of service providers in the accounting space, and everyone does things differently, so you should shop around when hiring a financial professional. “Don’t just go with the first person that raises their hand or [the first person] you get referred to.” [43:20]

Resources
Momentum Accounting

Ashley Carroll on LinkedIn

Nikole Mackenzie on LinkedIn

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
46 min
June 09, 2022Biggest Mistakes Scaling to $1M and Beyond
There are plenty of mistakes you can make while scaling your service business, and if you’re having trouble scaling to the next level, chances are you’re making the biggest one. This is content that Mandi has been working on for years, and that has been used to help businesses vastly increase their profitability. Listen in to find out what the biggest mistake in scaling is - and how to avoid making it in your own business.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
What is happening in the global marketplace that is impacting how services are sold, and what people are willing to pay for them. [01:50]
How you can increase market share and your prices by leading with quantifiable results. [04:05]
Thinking through your business failure points and what might prevent you from hitting it out of the park with a client. These are your screening points for who you work with. Turn away work that you can’t guarantee success for. [7:55]
The questions you need to ask yourself to make sure you’re working with the right people, and able to provide the right results. [9:05]
The value of certainty. We’re all willing to pay more for what we’re sure is going to work. [11:30]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
7 Biggest Mistakes in Scaling your Service Buisness
15 min