Hands-Off Growth

By Mandi EllefsonBusiness Management

Hands-Off Growth episodes

June 02, 2022The Real Cost of Bad Onboarding with Kristen Gallagher
Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Kristen Gallagher, founder and CEO of Edify, the frictionless way to onboard software engineers. Edify functionally tailors onboarding to each client’s teams, which works to attract, keep, and grow great employees while helping them get back the time they need.

You’ll hear Mandi and Kristen talk about:
One of the top reasons for team dysfunction is that context isn’t being shared properly, Kristen says. In their desire to be transparent, a lot of business owners and executives are sharing a lot of information, but not everybody in the organization has the context they need to properly interpret it. This ends up causing more conflict in the team than you might expect. [3:27]
Kristen shares what a new hire’s experience should be like on their first day. [13:29]
“The high failure rate for hiring could be prevented if people took the time to outline their expectations,” Kristen advises. In the onboarding process, you should have a checklist of what you require a new hire to do and what success looks like. [23:06]
Kristen gives insights into an effective hiring process. “Hiring for a small business is going to look different than for a large business.” Employees going into large businesses with prolific track records have had large support systems at other large businesses, and there is no guarantee that they can achieve the same results doing it all by themselves. [27:39]
Mandi and Kristen discuss the importance of a cool-off period. When circumstances occur that trigger your emotions, you shouldn’t react immediately. Take time to get out of the emotional high and reflect on the situation - you don’t want to burn your bridges. [37:54]

Resources
Kristen Gallagher on LinkedIn | Twitter
Edify

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
40 min
May 26, 2022Adapting to the New Business Climate
In this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson discusses the changes that the business climate has undergone over the last 2 years, and how you can use it to your advantage. She shares tips on ways to strengthen your business, increase your fees, and get a higher commitment from your very best clients.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
The challenges that arose in the spring of 2020, and how she helped her clients navigate it using the Power of One formula. “We went right back to the foundations - one client, one painful problem, one outcome.” [2:24]
Maintaining your footing within a shifting market. Mandi shares an example of how changing your client type can lead to better outcomes. [3:11]
How she helped a client raise their fees and retain the interest of investors. [5:53]
Creating your ‘abundance bubble’ and scaling to freedom. It’s now more important than ever to be very intentional about where you’re putting your energy, Mandi says. You should surround yourself with other successful CEOs who are focused on constant growth and improvement. [8:07]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
11 min
May 19, 2022Using "Specialized Content" to Attract Consulting Clients with Michael Zipursky
Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Michael Zipursky, CEO and co-founder of Consulting Success and bestselling author. Consulting Success is the most comprehensive learning platform for serious consultants and skilled professionals who want to grow a stable and reliable consulting practice that attracts high-value clients. Michael has advised organizations like Financial Times, Dow Jones, and RBC, and helped Panasonic launch new products into global markets. He has helped over 500 consultants in over 75 industries significantly increase their annual revenues.

You’ll hear Mandi and Micheal talk about:
Every consultant could use some advice on keeping the pipeline full in a consulting agency, Mandi claims. Michael gives insights about how your mindset affects your outcomes. [2:05]
Being dependent on referrals may not always be wise. “You can get referrals, but they’re not always the kind of referrals you want, and you can’t really predict when they’re going to come in,” Mandi says. She and Michael explore the dangers of over-reliance on referrals. [5:48]
Most of the common marketing practices seen online are geared towards individuals and very small companies, not organizations. The tactics and strategies used to reach buyers of consulting and advisory services are markedly different, Michael points out. [15:03]
Michael discusses how communicating effectively and providing value to your clients drastically affects your relationships with them. “When you start off the relationship delivering a lot of value by sharing [your] unique perspectives with your ideal client, they start to see you as different. And when you do that through the frame of ‘everything you're delivering is specifically for them,’ that’s the game-changer.” [19:53]
Consultants tend to be more conservative and risk-averse, according to Michael. “They come from backgrounds in the corporate world or in organizations where they weren't always rewarded for taking big risks,” he comments. [25:09]

Resources
Michael Zipursky on LinkedIn | Twitter
Consulting Success - Podcast

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
39 min
May 12, 20223 Ways You Can Fail with Hiring an Operations Manager
In this week’s solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson describes what to look for when hiring an operations manager, and the three ways you can fail.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
Before you even hire an operations manager, your company has to be ready for it, Mandi says. “Your company has to be at a place where you know what you're selling, who you're selling it to, and the foundations of the business.” [2:15]
Mandi shares the importance of attracting a top performer. [3:43]
“One of the best ways you can attract better talent is by becoming a better leader.” If you’re a level six CEO, you’re only going to be able to attract a level five operations manager - no one beyond that will want to come into your company. [5:33]
If you’re not clear on the what and the why that drive your company, you’ll face difficulty getting the who you want. When you gain clarity on those things, including how you service your clients, you can use it as a screening process in finding the perfect candidate. [8:11]
The challenge with having an experienced operations manager is that they will be used to working in larger companies with more resources, which may actually make them useless in your company. [10:49]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
14 min
May 05, 20225 Expectations for Your Operations Manager with Zac Stucki
Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Zac Stucki, founder of Homeric Consulting Services and a team member at Hands-Off CEO. Zac’s specialization is scaling service-based companies and dealing with the operational constraints and challenges of fast-growing organizations. His education and training are an asset to Hands-Off CEO, bringing their operations advising to a whole new level.

You’ll hear Mandi and Zac talk about:
“If you aren’t doing the right things in the right order, it can screw things up… The thing that makes businesses work is working together toward a common end.” Zac and Mandi underline the importance of building a business in sequential order. [3:54]
In delegating to an operations manager, you are giving them ownership and ability to run your company and oversee all of the service delivery. [5:30]
The mantra at Hands-Off CEO is bring solutions, not problems. “[We bring solutions to] the problems surrounding the implementation of the vision,” Zac clarifies, “so they’re not actively out there looking for every potential problem that you could have, because that's an exhausting job that will demoralize anyone.” [11:03]
Effective operations managers are the ones championing the creation and innovation that frees up the CEO. Zac shares the biggest difference between operation managers with the ability to run the business and ones who never move upward. [15:49]
High performing teams readily share tasks and responsibilities among themselves, Zac says. “If [someone] gets a task outside [their] strength but [inside their teammate’s], they can go to [them] and say ‘Hey, what do you recommend?’” [26:07]

Resources
Zac Stucki on LinkedIn

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
34 min
April 28, 20224 Mandatory Hiring Traits of an Operations Manager with Zac Stucki
Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Zac Stucki, founder of Homeric Consulting Services and a team member at Hands-Off CEO. Zac’s specialization is scaling service-based companies and dealing with the operational constraints and challenges of fast-growing organizations. His education and training are an asset to Hands-Off CEO, bringing their operations advising to a whole new level.

You’ll hear Mandi and Zac talk about:
“A lot of times, businesses misunderstand what operations is all about,” Zac claims. He describes the connection between sales and operations. [3:14]
One challenge in the hiring process is aptly determining if you’re going to get the quality of employees you need to bring your company to the standard and performance you envision. “Oftentimes, what you’re going to [do] is bring in someone you can elevate to that level,” Zac shares. [5:13]
Being more assertive and articulate about your vision helps your team gain clarity on how to execute it. [10:26]
The biggest resistance is not showing up, Mandi finds. She and Zac explore how this affects the company. “When you have an ops manager or any leader on your team resisting development, you should be concerned,” she advises. “If they’re not eating it up with a big spoon… it’s a sign of their inability to look at themselves.” [16:37]
The Great Resignation is inspired by people who are tired of showing up to work every day just to make someone richer. Mandi explains why it’s important to ensure your workplace is one that is driven by a higher purpose than just money. [23:25]

Resources
Zac Stucki on LinkedIn

Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
29 min
April 21, 20225 Exits to 100k/mo in Profits and a 8 Figure Consulting Agency
Last week, Mandi Ellefson discussed the foundations of what it takes to beat inflation and scale profitably. In this week's episode of Hands-Off CEO, she describes the five exits she shares with her clients to help them safely remove themselves from different parts of their companies.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
Mandi shares the idea behind exiting. “The whole point of removing yourself… is so you can be working on the business and not in it. That’s where you can be generating these million-dollar ideas, rather than being the one mired down in the minutiae.” [1:45]
“Consultancy agencies are very difficult to scale because it’s very much dependent on you,” Mandi claims. She explains why. “You created the company, so everybody sees the company as you.” [4:52]
Mandi describes one of the programs that her Scale to Freedom clients go through. “We work with the CEOs… on how to build an offer that will scale more profitably and generate the cash to hire the people to actually move through these exits.” [13:20]
Exit 3 allows you to accelerate lead flow and sales, Mandi says. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you as the CEO will completely let go of sales - I wouldn’t recommend it until your process is really tight,” she adds. “I've seen consulting agency companies do that - I've seen a lot of them try to jump right to exit three without getting the foundations in place, and it’s a disaster.” [18:57]
When you can remove yourself from client strategy, your company becomes infinitely more valuable. “At this point, your company becomes more of an asset that’s a whole lot less driven by you.” [24:43]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
34 min
April 14, 2022Fight Rapid Inflation + 10 Offer Factors to Profitably Scale
In this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson discusses how to fight profit erosion in a time of rapid inflation, and what factors are necessary to scale profitably.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
A lot of consulting agency CEOs find themselves stuck in a cycle of company productivity that’s driven by their productivity, Mandi shares. This makes it difficult for them to successfully exit. “We start the company because we are the company.” [2:17]
To safely let go of your company, you must have the right foundations. “You have to have the right things in place; particularly in this market, where we have significant profit erosion from all of this rapid inflation.” Mandi explains why your operations team should be able to deliver bigger promises without you getting into the minutiae. [5:40]
“Is what you're selling actually the results that your clients desire or is it just deliverables that everybody else in the market actually sells?” Do you have a clear marketing message founded on the core results your ideal clients desire that you leverage across all of your marketing vehicles? [10:51]
Mandi shares a story of a client who was able to drastically increase their profitability and fees by focusing on providing packages that delivered outcomes and not deliverables. “It’s much easier to scale when you know you have contracts in place that will consistently bring in cash flow.” [15:43]
“It’s really important to have clarity on what you're selling, what you're delivering,” Mandi says. This is what will allow your operations team to pull out all the stops and put very clear systems in place to actually manage those outcomes. They'll be able to do it way better than you as a CEO can do it. [21:08]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
21 min
April 07, 2022Stop Using Bandaids and Fix Staff Engagement and Motivation Issues for Good
Mandi Ellefson discusses how to improve employee engagement in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO.

You’ll hear Mandi talk about:
“[When] we hear staff say ‘I’m not getting paid enough,’ what they’re really saying is ‘I’m unhappy here; I’m not getting paid enough for the crap that I'm dealing with right now.’” A lack of employee engagement is a common problem for some businesses. Many leaders think that an increased wage would motivate their staff, but Mandi shares why this doesn’t work. [1:20]
There are three drivers behind people’s actions that have nothing to do with money. “One of them is mastery, one is autonomy, and the other is significance.” Mandi briefly describes each. [4:13]
“What you need to be doing is constantly looking at your vision and expanding.” You cannot grow if you don’t first have the vision for it, Mandi says. Furthermore, failing to expand your vision will cause your business to get sluggish. [7:37]
“When you can provide [mastery, autonomy and significance, as well as a big vision] to your team… you will be able to attract levels of talent way before you might have otherwise had the budget to,” Mandi advises. People will see what you’re doing and want to be a part of it. [8:29]

Resources
Mandi Ellefson on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Hands-Off CEO - Executive Briefing
11 min
March 31, 2022How Shifting From Freelance To CEO Added $1M Of Growth To This Startup Consultancy with Josh LaMar and Marcelo Chinellato
Mandi Ellefson’s guests are Josh LaMar and Marcelo Chinellato, co-founders of Amplinate, formerly known as Authentique UX. Amplinate is committed to promoting cross-cultural understanding and deepening human connection through ethical product design. With almost two decades of cumulative experience across 18 countries, they help tech companies fast track domestic and international product growth without wasting money on designing and developing products that people won't use.

You’ll hear Mandi, Josh, and Marcelo talk about:
“The whole pandemic situation was scary; we didn’t have clients for a month because they were figuring out what to do.” Marcelo shares some of the challenges Amplinate went through due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3:46]
“Commit to the good people that you find, and the rest will work itself out,” Josh says. He explains how Amplinate earns its employees’ trust and loyalty by committing to them wholeheartedly and fast-tracking their career growth. [12:04]
Josh discloses how he and Marcelo were able to combat fear. “A big part of [that] was learning how to be there to support each other in the ways [each of us needed], because working together, on top of being confined together, on top of being partners, is a lot to put on any one person.” [22:47]
One of the best testimonials Amplinate got from a client was that they were that client’s favorite agency to work with because it felt like Amplinate genuinely cared, Marcelo remarks. “It’s really worth it investing in people who are passionate like we are, [and] who care.” [36:16]
Mandi praises Marcelo and Josh’s level of trust, division of labor, and cooperation. “Because you’re very clear on where one job ends and the other one's begins, you have this multiplier effect.” [46:22]

Resources
Amplinate.com

Josh LaMar on LinkedIn | Twitter
About Me

Marcelo Chinellato on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email: [email protected]

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