Operationally Speaking

Creating opportunity in excess of what one's infrastructure can handle by optimizing, automating, and outsourcing. The result is the ability to scale the business. The guiding principles required for any Optimized Operator emerge from Ari Meisel's proprietary, three pronged attack on overwhelm: Communication, Project Management and Process.

How do you hire top talent into a small, entrepreneurial business? As an entrepreneur, you can leave your hiring headaches behind by : (1) Unleashing your inner artist to create a purple unicorn (your ideal employee) so you can stop settling for Lazy Larry, Diva Debbie, or Gossip Gayle; (2) Finding the answers by asking Insightful Interview™ questions to learn the truth about your candidates instead of relying on rehearsed answers that lack substance, and (3) Keeping the keys away from that freak (and most of us have hired at least one) who will drain you of every ounce of your time, energy, and sanity—and probably cost you a small fortune too.

In every organization, there are communication breakdowns. In some, they can lead to inefficiency and in others they can lead to complete implosion. The role of a manager is to create systems to support your teams to have clear lines of responsibility, accountability, and communication which is much more challenging done than said. If your organization is mired by chaos, the only road to clarity is by improving a system of communication and project management. In this podcast, we will be giving specific tips and techniques to improve both.

All small business owners are usually the best to do the job but struggle with breaking that mold and achieving self sustaining independent growth. During the 10 years since Dave Smith started his business, he has experienced massive shifts of market and clients, like everyone else when building a business. He constantly struggled with how to build the right business model which didn’t require him micromanaging every aspect of the business while constantly growing it. In this episode, we will explore the trial and tribulations he went through to finally arrive at a place where his business is in growth mode with little oversight directly. From a service business standpoint we will dive in to the operational STRUCTURE, financial STRUCTURE and accountability metrics he implemented on every aspect of the business to achieve the holy grail of a business owner.

Do you find it difficult to keep focused on the most meaningful and important things in your work day and create the work-life blend you crave? You can't believe you have so much to do and you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing. You keep telling yourself that if you could just sit down and grind through it, you'd be fine. You know you can't do it all, but you don't how to figure out what is most important for you to do and how to hand things off to others.

We will reveal WHY the projects you've planned to do slide into the next day . . . still don't get done and continue to hog space on your To Do list. HOW to improve focus and productivity using a 5 Step system. WHAT positive self-talk really is, when it works, and why it's only a piece of the solution you need.

You may have bought into the myth that operating a business requires exceptionally long hours, lots of hard work, and sacrifice. While that’s clearly true in the early stages of a business life cycle, owning or operating a business should not be viewed as a life sentence of hard time.

If you’re like most business leaders, you already know what it takes to be successful…but knowing and doing are two very different things. Your business may be doing OK, but you have this nagging sense that it could, or should be doing better. You may be successfully stuck! All that’s required to move your business into high gear is a simple and effective shift in approach - a shift in mindset - a better way to manage YOU!

Not all managers are leaders. Conversely, not all leaders are managers. Some individuals lead from behind, regardless of their corporate rank. These people motivate and inspire everyone around them to perform at a higher level, by offering encouragement and leading by example. Leadership is a personality characteristic, not related to any specific title. It is something you have to decide to become, and practice to improve.

What are the positive impacts of freeing up the wrong-fit team members who are no longer thriving in an organization? We all know that wrong fit people can negatively impact our productivity, results, teamwork and reputation. Furthermore, they end up costing far more than we realize. So why don’t we take action? We are exploring the Why, What and How of achieving Multiplication By Subtraction.

A business plan starts with a strategic review of the business which involves discussing Strengths and Weaknesses (internal review) and Opportunities and Threats (external review). It is called a S.W.O.T analysis and helps to set the strategic direction of the business. This is especially important in today’s business environment which is changing at almost warp speed. Every attempt should be made to identify what is happening in the overall environment in general and for the industry of the business in particular.

The strategic analysis is then followed by the financial plan. This starts with a forecast of the Income Statement, then the Balance Sheet, and from those documents flow the financial relationships and cash flow.

When speaking with fellow business owners and leaders, one of the top three challenges mentioned is always hiring and retention. Too often, we bemoan millennials and perceptions about motivation and work effort. The reality is that our employees and potential employees are not the problem. True enough, many people new to the workforce lack experience and, therefore, some of the traditional etiquette of our generation. Yet the reason we have trouble hiring and retaining employees is not them, it’s us. Too many of us expect to be able to hire a perfect fit for the job at hand. And, we fail to adapt to broader cultural changes impacting workplace expectations. Let's explore how...