Process Breakdown Podcast (audio)

Being a CEO is rightfully tough. The responsibilities and struggles that come with trying to run and scale a business can be time-consuming.

That’s why on today’s episode of the Process Breakdown Podcast with John Corcoran, he features Mandi Ellefson. She is the founder of Hands-Off CEO, a company that helps CEOs double their revenue while freeing their time and reducing the load on their plates.

Mandi Ellefson speaks on how companies are stunting their growth and profits during a pandemic, plus how to solve it. She also discusses how she helped a company double their profits in three months, and how COVID has affected CEOs and the profits of their companies.

She also speaks on how you can gain more sales in a pandemic, and how to do so while freeing up time.

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Key Resource List

* SweetProcess.com* Hands-Off CEO Podcast* Hands-OffCEO.com

Show Notes

0:06 – Introduction

0:50 – Mr. Corcoran shares the best solution for documenting standard operating procedures, SweetProcess, highlighting a 14-day free trial.

1:31 – The guest speaker, Mandi Ellefson, is introduced.

2:40 – Ms. Ellefson shares what her company, Hands-Off CEO, does and how they help consulting, marketing, and sales companies.

4:15 – The guest speaks on how COVID has affected CEOs and their time, and also how it has affected consulting companies’ profits, and how to solve the issue.

7:20 – The guest shares how she helps CEOs and companies figure out the big pieces of value they offer to their clients.

10:32 – The guest answers this question: “What do you do when you have completely rendered all the service you can to a client?”

12:19 – Ms. Ellefson shares how she gains more buyers for the companies that hire her services—especially in a pandemic.

15:02 – Ms. Ellefson shares the problems most consulting agencies are doing, and a solution that helped her client double their profits in three months.

16:42 – The guest speaker talks about how to fire clients, especially in a global pandemic.

18:18 – Outro

Guest Profile

Mandi Ellefson is the founder of Hands-Off CEO and host of Hands-Off CEO Podcast. She and her team have helped consulting agencies scale to million-dollar companies while the CEO works less.

Justin Compton and Heather MacLean are employees of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a government agency that processes over 40,000 requests for records every year. With such a high volume of work, the organization has to be careful to ensure accuracy in its documentation. Having used several tools such as SharePoint, Microsoft Word, e-mail memos, and Excel spreadsheets, they realized that basic workflow software was insufficient for their kind of work. They sought something more effective, and SweetProcess came in handy.

Heather and Justin tell us how SweetProcess helped them to streamline their operations and become more efficient as an agency. Let’s learn more about the organization for context before we proceed.

Heather MacLean, Management Analyst III at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

About Texas Department of Family and Protective Services 

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is an agency focused on adult protective services, child protective services, childcare investigations, prevention and early intervention, and statewide intake. 

Established in 2004, the agency investigates charges of abuse, exploitation, and abuse of children, elderly adults, and adults with disabilities. 

The DFPS manages the records of people under its care over many years. These records are created, stored safely, and provided to law enforcement when the need arises. The agency processes over 40,000 requests for records every year. Since 2015, the DFPS has seen a 49% increase in demand for records process requests.

The DFPS also provides records to prospective adoptive parents, former foster youth, protective agencies from other states, and in response to legal proceedings to name a few other requesters besides law enforcement.

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The Biggest Pain Points

Processing over 40,000 records a year is a lot of work. The department created work manuals using tools such as Microsoft Word, SharePoint, and Excel, but all of these were inadequate in meeting the demands of the job. With bits of information stored in different places, there was a lot of back and forth that made their work complex. 

“We found ourselves in a place where we had three very large manuals. One was over 200 pages. The other one was about 100 pages…. This operation is complex,” Justin reveals.

Besides the issue of accessibility, they also suffered setbacks in keeping their information up to date. It took about a year to update some information such as the ETA—this was a huge problem for people who needed the agency to make quick decisions about childcare, custody, housing, restraining orders, etc.

“We,

Without knowing your key performance indicators (KPIs), how would you know the progress of your business efforts? 

KPIs are like health checks for your business processes and activities. Knowing that, how do you know which KPIs are important to measure the health of your business efforts, and which ones aren’t necessary?

This episode of the Process Breakdown Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz features Carl Cox, an executive growth leader and strategic planner with over 15 years of experience in creating strategic plans and executing them.

Mr. Cox talks about the importance of KPIs, the most common indicators that lag your business’s operations, and the ones that improve them.

He also shares his first-hand experiences working with companies to improve their KPIs, the biggest mistakes companies are making with key indicators, and the things they should be doing instead.

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Key Resource List

* SweetProcess.com* 40Strategy.com

Show Notes

0:05 – Podcast introduction.

1:00 – Dr. Weisz shares the best solution for documenting standard operating procedures, SweetProcess, highlighting a 14-day free trial.

1:50 – Introduction of the guest speaker, Carl Cox.

2:20 – The guest shares how to know which KPIs to track and measure, and which ones to not waste time on.

4:21 – Mr. Cox talks about a construction firm he worked with and how they improved operations by 75% by discarding unnecessary KPIs.

7:25 – The guest speaker shares an example of lagging indicators and the common mistakes companies make when it comes to KPIs.

11:54 – The guest shares his thoughts on using tools and software for tracking your key indicators.

12:54 – The guest shares an example of an establishment that was tracking the wrong KPIs and how he went about solving this issue with them.

15:51 – Mr. Cox shares another problem that companies make when tracking KPIs.

18:30 – The guest talks about how to create a strategy for measuring KPIs and your sales channels, and how he does it.

21:56 – Mr. Cox talks about his experience at Lightspeed, a company he helped triple in size by removing a lot of process waste.

27:04 – Mr. Cox shares the first thing you should think about when it comes to KPIs.

27:59 – Outro

Guest Profile

Carl Cox is the founder of 40 Strategy, a management consulting company whose aim is to improve the bus...

The founder of AMZ AllStars Erick Rodriguez has built and sold three e-commerce businesses, twice to credit investors and once to a private equity firm. He sure knows something about making a business attractive to buyers. Erick explains that there are two major factors required to do that: good finances and processes. 

Many organizations struggle with creating effective business processes to enhance their operations, and that affects their finances in the long run. How exactly does Erick keep his business processes in top gear? He says he uses SweetProcess to streamline his workflow. The software helps him to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) and delegate tasks to his employees. He gives us details of how it all happens in this case study. Let’s get to know about his organization for context before we proceed.

The founder of AMZ AllStars, Erick Rodriguez

About AMZ AllStars

AMZ AllStars is an e-commerce service provider that offers e-commerce businesses the tools and resources needed to optimize their operations. 

The experts at AMZ AllStars work closely with e-commerce businesses to give them an edge in the competitive space and harness opportunities within their markets. They craft a custom strategy suitable for the unique needs of each business. 

Headquartered in the Philippines, AMZ AllStars works with businesses of all sizes, including multi-billion-dollar companies across the country.

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The Consequences of Human Errors

Erick is an expert at what he does and has a track record to show for it. However, he acknowledges that there is a tendency for humans to make errors, so they need the help of computers for recollection.

Employees at AMZ AllStars were making all sorts of errors, to the organization’s detriment, because they lacked an operational structure. There was a need to hold them by the hand in every small task to ensure they did things correctly. Even when doing so, there was no guarantee that things would be perfect. 

“Without structure in place, calendars, and SOPs in SweetProcess, people miss things all the time,” Erick says. “Everything from the daily checklist to the product launch checklist whether it’s a service or a product or any recurring task.”

Erick realized that he could put his time to better use than hand-holding his workers, so he sought a workflow system that would enable him to do just that. 

Discovering SweetProcess

Erick was not exactly oblivious of the importance of streamlining business operations before he discovered SweetProcess. He was using Google Docs to document his business processes but there was a limit to what he...

As the technology process coordinator at Atlantic Sapphire, Stanley Kolosovskiy was tasked with ensuring that the organization’s business operations were optimal, but the absence of an effective workflow system was a challenge toward achieving that.

He struggled with the software on the ground, despite having a minor in computer science and being a process-driven ISO 9001 certified auditor.

It was even worse for his colleagues who had neither a background in computer engineering nor were process-oriented.

Stanley took it upon himself to find better software to enhance their performances. He tells us how SweetProcess enhanced their goal of promoting an eco-friendly environment, and facilitated their international transition to the United States, keeping them on target through the challenges of 2020.

Let us get more information about the company for context before we proceed.

Stanley Kolosovskiy, Technology process coordinator at Atlantic Sapphire

About Atlantic Sapphire

Atlantic Sapphire is a salmon farming company. It has changed from the traditional method of farming salmon in the oceans to land-based salmon farming to prevent harmful exposure to ocean creatures and water pollution.

Founded in 2010, Atlantic Sapphire is against environmental pollution caused by the continuous air transportation of salmon in non-sustainable packaging from one country to another, including the United States. It grows the fish at its facilities in Denmark and the U.S. and distributes them via road transportation instead of flying. 

The company has been producing salmon at its Denmark facility, called Bluehouse, since 2011 and has produced more than 25 generations of Atlantic salmon. It recently harvested its first batch of salmon at its new Bluehouse facility in South Florida, and sells its salmon in stores across the U.S.

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The Biggest Pain Points

The emission of a massive carbon footprint when flying salmon to the United States was a concern for Atlantic Sapphire, and it resolved to produce the fish locally and sustainably. Doing that required strict adherence to operational procedures by employees. They needed standard operating procedures to guide them in their duties – but they were nonexistent. 

“There’s very little production (of salmon) here in the States, and it’s a large market as well. By growing salmon here, we don’t have to fly it because about a kilo of salmon takes a kilo of jet fuel, so it doesn’t have to be flown all over the world. It can be made here, put on our truck, and distributed to the U.S.” 

Knowledge transfer was also a challenge.

Introduction

As president at Location Accès Crédit, Michel Coutu was committed to assisting his clients with accessing vehicle loans in Canada amid the strict loan regulations in the country. The success of every application required the utmost attention to detail and efficiency among employees.

Maintaining such a high standard was a challenge due to the absence of standard operating procedures.

The lack of proper documentation posed a threat to the organization as it expanded, and Michel sought a workflow software to close the loopholes in their operations. The security of the system was a major concern given the delicate financial nature of his business.

He knew he had found the solution he was looking for when he tried SweetProcess.

He tells us how he was able to streamline his business processes and secure his business data. First, let us take a look at the company for context.

Michel Coutu, President at Location Accès Crédit

About Location Accès Crédit

Location Accès Crédit offers financing services for on-road and recreational vehicles including cars, motorcycles, trucks, quads, snowmobiles, ATVs, etc. Established in 2009, it offers support to individuals whose loan requests have been previously declined due to either bankruptcy or voluntary filing by giving them the edge they need to get approved.

The Canadian company helps interested parties in building or rebuilding their credits to be eligible for financing by a credible financial institution when they choose to access a vehicle loan. In the last few years, the organization has assisted over 12,000 clients to regain mobility and 75% of those clients are now doing business with traditional financial institutions. 

Location Accès Crédit leverages its vast network of over 2,000 affiliated car dealers in Eastern Canada to service its growing clientele, and it currently has 75 employees.

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The Biggest Pain Point: Inconsistency 

Work instructions are given to employees to make them efficient in their duties. It is almost impossible to get the desired results when these instructions are not followed. Michel explains that this was a major issue at his company. After agreeing on specific guidelines for work, he would realize much later that his employees had deviated from the guidelines and were doing things their way. A lot of damage would have been done by the time he realized this. 

“When you say something to someone, and after a few people, at the end of the day, it’s not the same policies that you decided on two years ago—that was the main issue for Location Accès Crédit. When we were five,

Introduction

As president and chief executive officer at Tameer Inc., Bilal Farooq was the go-to person for all work-related questions. It did not seem like a problem initially until the questions became unending. Employees would call to inquire about the minutest detail. Keen to put an end to that cycle, he sought a system where he could document all the answers that his employees may need about their work. When he discovered SweetProcess, the software was so easy to use that he was able to devise his way of using it to make his workers more efficient. He tells us about his unique way of using the system and more in this case study. First, let us get background information about his company. 

Bilal Farooq the President and CEO at Tameer Inc

About Tameer Inc.

Tameer Inc. is a mechanical construction company that specializes in HVAC, industrial and commercial refrigeration, controls, shop drawing, fire stopping, maintenance agreements, and more. The family-owned business prioritizes quality in its delivery to guarantee customer satisfaction. 

Headquartered in New York City, Tameer Inc. has a team of professionals with ample experience in the industry. Its brand commitment entails excellent customer service, customer safety, high quality, and timely delivery. 

Founded in 2010, the organization offers its services in various parts of the United States, including the entire New York State (namely Nassau County and Suffolk County) and New Jersey.

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The Nightmare of Answering Countless Questions

Every business owner’s dream is to get their business to a point where they do not have to be involved in every aspect for things to move smoothly. But when employees do not have the information they need at their disposal, it is understandable that they run to the person who can give them the information. Bilal had to juggle between being the CEO and the knowledgebase—an experience that he describes as a nightmare.

“It was like a nightmare. It was like a rollercoaster. Every day was like a monkey dance; people would call you and be like, ‘Hey, when’s the next holiday? Are we taking the Fourth of July off? How do we do this? How do we do that?’ And it wasn’t easy from hiring to training.”

He was spending too much time answering repetitive questions at the detriment of his work as the head of the organization. He tried to document their processes manually in handbooks, but it did not work. Getting his workers up to speed was a struggle.

Discovering SweetProcess at a Crucial Time 

Having the right workflow system makes a difference in employee performance. It simplifies the business process by giving them the necessary tools to be efficient. Finding the right tool was a hard nut to crack for Bilal.

“We couldn’t find anything to write down procedures. We had employee handbooks, we had everything.

Introduction

The portfolio analytics manager at Ginkgo Residential, Sarah Genay, was tasked with overseeing the documentation of business processes at the company. Their goal was to streamline their workflow and enhance employee efficiency, but there was only so much they could achieve with PDF manuals. Keeping the manuals up to date with the latest processes in their organization was a challenge. Sarah soon realized that they needed a more effective system to get the job done and then she began searching for the right system. She picked SweetProcess after trying out several options on the market, and they were able to synchronize their processes in one fold. Before we proceed, let us find out more about the organization. 

Sarah Genay, Portfolio Analytics Manager at Ginkgo Residential

About Ginkgo Residential

Ginkgo Residential is a real estate company that offers energy-efficient and environmentally friendly housing at affordable prices. The multifamily company does not only provide housing to its clients but also nurtures the environments in which the houses are located via its community initiative that allows like-minded residents to live a green lifestyle. 

Inspired by the ginkgo tree, Ginkgo Residential prides itself on being strong, deep-rooted, adaptable, and tenacious. The organization practices a customer-centric culture and offers an all-round exceptional customer service. Targeted at the middle market, Ginkgo Residential believes that the greener, the better. Hence, it constantly seeks to create a greener environment in its communities with the provision of smoke-free apartments, paperless systems, solar power, air sealing and insulation, community recycling, etc. 

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Ginkgo Residential buys, renovates, and manages apartment communities in North and South Carolina.

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The Pain Point of Knowledge Imbalance 

The knowledge gap among staff members was a problem at Ginkgo Residential. Employees who were privy to tribal knowledge were more competent than others, and it took a toll on the company. Although they had manuals that served as a guide to workers, the manuals were not very helpful because they lacked clarity and precision. 

“It’s just very old-fashioned. If you hand somebody a PDF that includes everything that everyone needs to do in their company, that’s a great resource to have as a company, but that’s a really overwhelming thing to receive as an employee because you don’t know where the information that you need is.” 

The insufficient knowledge on the part of employees meant that they were either not doing anything or doing something wrong and it impacted the entire output negatively.

Choosing SweetProcess as the Best Option 

Sarah and her team knew exactly what they wanted in a system and they were not going to settle for less.

On this episode of the Process Breakdown Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, he features Brandon Turner, a digital operations agent who helps business teams and owners document and streamline their processes.

Mr. Turner talks about the essence of process documentation as well as how it affects your time, business operations, and task delegation. He also shares the tools he uses and the ways he goes about effectively documenting and streamlining procedures for his clients, and how you can implement it in your business.

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Key Resources List:

* Sweetprocess.com* BuyMyTimeBack.co

Show Notes:

0:05 – Podcast intro

0:53 – Dr. Weisz shares the best solution for documenting standard operating procedures, SweetProcess, highlighting a 14-day free trial.

1:43 – The guest speaker, Brandon Turner, is introduced.

2:23 – Mr. Turner explains how to use the 80:20 rule and how to implement it in your documentation process.

3:36 – The guest shares how the 80:20 rule relates to your business procedures and standard operating processes.

4:33 – Mr. Turner shares the first step to take in process streamlining and time decluttering with a tested exercise to get you started.

7:13 – Mr. Turner gives an instance of how to implement process streamlining procedures.

11:59 – The speaker shares how he gets companies to delegate tasks and how he goes about the conversation with them.

15:21 – Mr. Turner shares fascinating stories of his experiences with companies without documentation and processes.

18:10 – The speaker shares the first step he takes when helping his clients create SOPs for delegation.

19:36 – Mr. Turner shares how he uses SweetProcess, a documenting software, to catapult his operations.

21:30 – Mr. Turner shares how he helped a client cut out clutter in their processes.

26:01 – The guest states the questions companies should ask themselves about delegation.

28:02 – Outro

Guest Profile

Brandon Turner is a digital consultant and business owner with the zeal to help business owners and managers delegate without fear and get their time back. He does this through his company, Procedure Sheets, a business that documents your processes and procedures to make your life and team management easier. Mr. Turner is also the author and self-publisher of the self-help book, Rich on Your Own Terms.

Transcript of the interview:

We hear all about the importance of having a business process—a valuable asset, no doubt.

But should you create and have any kind of process? What should your process be based on? The work you do? Or maybe your core values?

In this episode of the Process Breakdown Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, he features Tamara Kemper, owner of The Process Mavens, a company that helps business owners declutter their time by documenting their processes and delegating their daily tasks.

Tamara Kemper speaks on why and how you should base your business processes on your core company values, the positive impact it has, and the signs you should look out for to know if your business process is broken. 

She shares the ways she helped her past clients declutter time, how to overcome the hurdle of process documentation, and how to jump through process bottlenecks.

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Key Resource List:

* Sweetprocess.com* TheProcessMavens.com

Show Notes:

0:05 – Podcast introduction

0:51 – Dr. Weisz shares the best solution for documenting standard operating procedures, SweetProcess, highlighting a 14-day free trial.

1:40 – The guest speaker, Tamara Kemper, is introduced.

2:23 – The guest talks about the importance of starting your process development with your company’s core values.

4:08 – Kemper shares a factual example of infusing core values into a company’s process with a past client.

6:43 – Kemper shares the steps she takes when including values to the process of a company.

9:00 – The guest speaks on what keeps some CEOs’ minds boggled and the solution.

10:18 – The speaker shares the ways she helped home health care providers improve time wastage by infusing core values into their processes.

13:25 – The guest also shares how she helped a sign manufacturing company streamline their processes.

14:17 – Kemper shares the signs that show your company’s process is broken.

18:31 – The guest talks about the things that CEOs find hard to let go of and a way around it.

20:07 – Kemper shares the measures you need to put in place to prevent CEOs from overstepping.

21:47 – The guest speaker shares the tools she uses for smooth business operations.

24:14 – The guest speaker gives examples of educators becoming entrepreneurs like herself.

25:51 – Kemper shares the first steps companies should take when documenting processes.