If your business hit a plateau in 2025, you’re not failing, your business just outgrew its systems. In this New Year episode, Melissa breaks down why plateaus happen, how to diagnose them, and the exact steps to reset your business for growth in 2026.

You’ll learn:

• Why businesses plateau

It’s not laziness, it’s a system mismatch. Your offers, team structure, or delivery model may have hit their limits.

The 4-part diagnostic

Melissa walks you through how to evaluate:

1. Revenue trends — Identify peaks, valleys, and flatlines.
2. Operational friction — Look at deadlines, priorities, bottlenecks, and team load.
3. Offer maturity — What got you to $1M may not get you to $5M.
4. Leadership maturity — Decision speed, clarity, delegation, and CEO focus.

How to fix the plateau

Tighten your operational spine, refresh your offers, build a team that can run without you, and make decisions based on data instead of emotion.

Your 30-day reset plan

Audit what’s working and what’s not, reset your systems, pick one growth lever, choose three actions, and start executing.

You’re not stuck, your business is ready for its next version. And with the right reset, you can unlock growth fast.

If you need help with your reset plan, we can help. Book a free consultation with On Call COO at https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this special anniversary episode, host Melissa Franks celebrates three years of The Opt In Podcast, a journey that began as a mission to mentor women navigating corporate life and has since evolved into a platform for small business owners seeking clarity, strategy, and real talk about entrepreneurship.

Melissa takes us on a heartfelt walk down memory lane; from hiding her pregnancy to avoid career setbacks, to breaking free from corporate politics, to the birth of this podcast and the business it helped shape. She shares what she’s learned from three years behind the mic, how the show has grown with her, and why she’s more committed than ever to helping others “opt in” to what matters most.

In This Episode:

• The origin story of The Opt In Podcast, from corporate walls to creative freedom.
• What it was like to launch a podcast while leaving the C-suite behind.
• How life’s detours . . . from layoffs to reinvention . . . shaped the evolution of the show.
• The pivot from corporate career coaching to small business strategy and growth.
• Why consistency (one episode every week!) has been the secret to staying in the game long term.
• Melissa’s reflections on growth, communication, and staying authentic through change.
• A recommitment to transparency, honesty, and evolution as The Opt In Podcast moves into its fourth year.

Connect with Melissa:

🌐 www.melissafranks.com

🎧 Subscribe to The Opt In Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

AI has exploded in the business world, and most founders are still confused about how to actually use it. In this episode, Melissa breaks down what AI is good at, where it completely falls apart, and how small business owners can integrate it without chaos, overwhelm, or bad decisions.

Drawing from decades of experience in machine learning and automation (long before “AI” was a buzzword), Melissa shares the four categories of work AI excels at, the strategic functions it will never replace, and why your operational foundations matter more than any tool.

You’ll learn:

• The real emotional and operational challenges founders face with AI
• What AI can actually do well: admin, content support, customer ops, light analytics
• The human functions AI will never replace: strategy, prioritization, leadership, accountability 
• Melissa’s Founder–COO–AI Triangle for using AI the right way in 2026 
• A simple readiness checklist before integrating any AI into your business
• The biggest integration mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them 

Melissa closes with a reminder:

AI isn’t a system—it’s a tool. If you’re overwhelmed, you don’t have a tech problem. You have an operations problem.

Ready to build stronger systems and integrate AI the smart way? Book a consultation at https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

As 2025 wraps, many business owners are feeling the wobble, slower demand, rising costs, and uncertainty about what 2026 will look like. In this episode, Melissa explains why the economy feels off, why small businesses feel the impact more intensely, and how to regain control with her Wobbly Economy Planning Framework.

Four planning mistakes to avoid

1. Trying to cut your way to growth
2. Creating one rigid plan
3. Freezing hiring and burning out your team
4. Making pricing decisions too late

The Wobbly Economy Planning Framework

Melissa walks you through creating three scenario-based plans, Best Case, Likely Case, and Worst Case, plus how to review your offers, build an expense strategy, set cash and margin guardrails, and choose the right KPIs.

Your role as the leader

Your energy sets the tone. Your team and clients don’t need certainty, they need clarity, confidence, and a steady path forward.

Need help building your 2026 plan?

Book a free consultation at www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices planning in a wobbly economy is too important to do alone.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this episode, Melissa breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in small business growth: organizational design. If you’ve ever wondered why your team feels stretched thin, why certain roles aren’t “working out,” or why it’s so hard to hire strategically this conversation is your roadmap.

Small businesses often grow faster than their internal structures, and that leads to confusion, overwhelm, and poor decision-making. Using examples from corporate America, real client scenarios, and her extensive hiring and organizational design experience, Melissa explains how to build a team intentionally instead of reactively.

What You’ll Learn

• Why every business, no matter the industry, has the same core functions
• The difference between generalists and specialists
• The real reason your operations manager is “struggling”
• How organizational hierarchy actually works
• Why your business may need leaders more than doers as you grow
• The myth of promoting from within
• Why you, the owner, cannot be your team’s only teacher

If you aren't certain what roles your business needs:

👉 Book a free consultation with On Call COO: melissafranks.com

👉 Follow Melissa on Instagram: @melissa_franks

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

It’s the end of the year, do you know how your employees are really performing? In this episode, host Melissa Franks walks you through exactly what business owners should be doing in the final stretch of the year to evaluate their team, strengthen retention, and prepare for a smooth start to the new year.

Drawing from her experience as a Fractional COO, Melissa breaks down a simple, actionable framework that replaces corporate-style performance reviews with a more human, results-driven approach designed for small business owners.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• ✅ How to calculate total employee compensation (and why it’s more than just salary).
• 📋 Why you need updated job descriptions—and how to use them as a management tool.
• 💰 How to perform a salary and compensation analysis that’s fair, competitive, and sustainable.
• 📈 When (and how) to offer cost-of-living adjustments, bonuses, and pay-for-performance increases.
• 💡 How to identify and fix gaps in your benefits, commission structures, and pay equity.
• 🧾 The importance of documenting policies to protect your business and maintain transparency.

To learn more about On Call COO go to https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this episode of The Opt-In Podcast, host Melissa Franks shares her Holiday Season Survival Guide for Business Owners. A practical, heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious look at how to stay sane, strategic, and successful during the busiest time of year. Whether your business is deep in Q4 chaos or wrapping up a slower season, these 10 essentials will help you finish strong and start 2026 ready to thrive.

Melissa draws from her early days in retail (and a memorable Black Friday gone wrong!) to her years in corporate operations, breaking down what it really takes to manage people, priorities, and performance during the holidays, all while remembering to actually enjoy the season.

🔟 The 10 Essentials for Your Holiday Business Survival Guide:

1. Plan for Team Time Off: Collect requests early and ensure your bases are covered.
2. Plan Your Own Time Off: The CEO needs rest too.
3. Decide What Matters Most: Focus on 1–3 key priorities between now and year-end.
4. Plan for January (Now): Success in January starts in December.
5. Set 2026 Goals Early: Slow, intentional goal setting beats rushed resolutions.
6. Follow the Plan — Don’t Panic: Trust your strategy before making emotional pivots.
7. Have Contingency Plans: Because the happy path rarely happens.
8. Gift Thoughtfully: Cash for employees, experiences for clients - and no logo swag!
9. Actually Take Time Off: Rest is part of performance.
10. Enjoy the Season: Energy, goodwill, and gratitude fuel great leadership.

📚 Mentions & Resources:

• The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington
• Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness

To learn more about On Call COO go to https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

Have you ever hesitated to hire someone who knows more than you… because it felt risky or intimidating? In this episode, Melissa breaks down why not hiring up is one of the fastest ways to cap your business growth and why your job as a CEO is not to be the most qualified person in every function.

Sparked by a controversial take on Diary of a CEO (where a guest said small business owners should never hire more experienced people), Melissa shares why she completely disagrees – and what actually works inside real companies.

She walks through her own story of becoming a COO overseeing functions she’d never done herself, and how learning to trust and leverage true experts transformed results, retention, and growth.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why “never hire someone more qualified than you” is dangerous advice for small business owners
• How talent determines your growth trajectory and why A-players cost more (and are worth it)
• Melissa’s story of becoming COO and leading cybersecurity, procurement, vendor management, and a PMO she’d never personally worked in
• What great leaders really do: identify, harness, and retain talent (not out-execute their team)
• When it’s the right time to hire at the bottom vs. hire strategic, senior roles
• The real reason “hires don’t work out” (hint: it’s often unclear expectations and weak integration, not skills)
• How to set clear expectations around:
  • Core values and how they show up in behavior
  • Quality standards and timeliness
  • Brand representation and public-facing work
• Why you must “close the loop” with employees when work is late, incomplete, or off the mark
• How adding a strong new hire can create “storming” on your team – and what to do so the team evolves instead of implodes
• Why only hiring people who know less than you guarantees your business will be limited by your own knowledge

If you enjoyed this episode

• Share it with another small business owner who’s stuck trying to do everything themselves.
• Subscribe to The Opt-In Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes on hiring, scaling, and building a business that actually works.
• If you are looking for help in your business go to https://www.melissafranks.com to learn more.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this special post-election episode of The Opt-In Podcast, host Melissa Franks steps away from her usual business strategy deep dives to unpack the real-time ripple effects of America’s shifting political landscape and what it means for small business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs.

From the Supreme Court’s review of U.S. tariffs to the newly elected Mayor Mandani of New York City, Melissa explores how major political moves could reshape how businesses operate, grow, and survive in 2026. 

Drawing from her own high-stakes experience selling multi billion-dollar companies, she reveals how snap judgments without due diligence can lead to costly outcomes in both boardrooms and government.

She also spotlights a historic night for women in politics, with female leaders taking governorships across key states and connects it back to her mission of empowering women in business. This moment, she says, is a reminder that when women collaborate and claim their space, progress follows.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this episode, host Melissa Franks tackles a topic she’s never covered before: how to create an annual budget that actually works for you. Whether you’re a five-figure startup or a nine-figure company, Melissa breaks down why every business needs a budget and why it’s not the restrictive tool you think it is.

Drawing from her own experience managing $180 million in annual spend as a COO, Melissa shares the exact framework she uses with clients to build clarity, confidence, and control into their financial plans.

You’ll learn:

• Why budgets are a decision-making tool, not a limitation.
• How to categorize your spend using her four-part classification method: recurring, one-time, not needed, and invest more.
• The steps to build a monthly expense budget using historical data.
• How to plan for staffing changes and forecast projected revenue using trends and seasonality.
• The importance of assessing profit margin and adjusting expenses or revenue targets to stay in line with your goals.
• Why you must include discretionary spending and contingency planning—and how to do it without sabotaging your profitability.

Melissa wraps up with her signature perspective: a good budget isn’t about saying no to spending it’s about saying yes to what matters most.

If you’ve ever avoided budgeting because it felt too rigid, too complex, or just plain boring, this episode will change your mind and your approach.

🎧 Listen now to learn how to make your budget your best business partner for the year ahead.

Connect with Melissa:

Website: www.melissafranks.com

Instagram: @melissa_franks

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com